Reyes' two interceptions seal Rivera victory over Lopez
With Rivera down 16-13 late in the fourth quarter, Richard Reyes took the game into his own hands.
Reyes had two interceptions during the final four minutes of the game — including one at the Raiders’ 3-yard line to stop a late Lopez drive — as Rivera pulled off a dramatic 20-16 win to open District 32-5A play Thursday night at Sams Stadium.
"Anytime you can open up district play with a win, we can enjoy this," Raiders coach Jim Helms said. "But we have Los Fresnos coming in next week, so we don’t get a lot of time to think about it. We’ll enjoy (the win) tonight and get ready for Los Fresnos tomorrow."
Reyes grabbed his first pick with 3:58 remaining in the fourth, grabbing a tipped Danny Perez pass and giving Rivera new life on the Lobos’ 34-yard line.
The Raiders took the lead for the first time in the game four plays later, when QB Jesse Cisneros snuck his way into the end zone on a 1-yard run for a 20-16 advantage.
With 2:13 remaining, Lopez made a quick push by gaining four first downs on four plays. The drive included a miraculous catch by Aaron Lopez down the sidelines for 34 yards, giving the Lobos a first down on the Rivera 28.
Lopez only gained seven yards during the next three plays, setting up a fourth-and-4 from the 24-yard line with 42 seconds left.
Perez handed off the ball to Eric Castro, who took the reverse and rolled out. He launched the ball toward the end zone, where Reyes grabbed the interception.
"It felt good to get the interceptions," Reyes said. "We needed it, and I hope we can keep it up. We didn’t have a great record last year, and I’m hoping this year is different."
Rivera kicker Saul Cortez helped his team with field goals of 37 and 39 yards during the second half after missing a 22-yard chip shot during the second quarter.
"They made the plays when they had to," Lopez coach Valentin Montemayor said. "We dropped a touchdown pass and had our opportunities. It was two very closely matched teams, and we are just going to have to regroup and get it back next week."
Lopez drew first blood during their second drive of the game, marching 55 yards in 12 plays. Pablo Torres dove in from 1 yard out to put the Lobos up 7-0 with 1:07 in the first quarter.
Rivera looked as if it would answer on the ensuing drive as Nevarez busted a 29-yard run and earned 15 more after being taken down via a horse-collar tackle. That put the Raiders on the Lopez 24-yard line.
Nevarez gained 12 more yards two plays later, giving Rivera a first-and-goal at the 6, he lost 20 yards on a high snap the next play. The blunder led to Cortez’s 22-yard field goal attempt, which went wide right.
Jose Govea tied the game with 4:33 left in the first half on a 13-yard run up the middle, but with 45 seconds left in Lopez drove 56 yards. Moises Gonzalez drilled a 32-yard attempt to put the Lobos up 10-7 at the break.
Louie Vera covers District 32-5A football for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via e-mail at lvera@brownsvilleherald.com.
