Donna scores 25 unanswered to shock Rio Grande City
RIO GRANDE CITY — About more than halfway through the second quarter, Donna put itself in the worst possible position it could have on the road. The Redskins found themselves trailing 13-0 with 4:26 remaining in the first half and were struggling to contain Rio Grande City’s potent run game.
But Donna never surrendered throughout and its defense held the Rattlers scoreless the rest of the way as it stormed back to capture a crucial 25-13 victory over RGC in a matchup that was for sole possession of District 30-5A’s fourth and final playoff spot.
“Like I said it all along the last three years, great kids at Donna and that’s why we stuck around so long,” Redskins coach Manuel Moreno said. “These kids go out there and they give it their all and they never quit. We showed it again today.”
Both Donna (5-3, 3-2) and Rio Grande City knew entering Friday night’s game that the winner would control its own destiny in the final two weeks of the season. With the Redskins victory coupled with McAllen High’s uspet of McAllen Memorial, Donna is now tied for the district’s third spot and can wind up the No. 3 seed should it win out.
The Mustangs’ loss also bodes well for Rio Grande City, which is one game back of Memorial. The Rattlers also own a victory over the Mustangs, gained three weeks ago. Should Memorial stumble to Sharyland and Donna in the final two weeks, the Rattlers would be in the playoffs if they win out.
The Rattlers (3-5, 2-3) could have avoided the complicated scenario altogether if weren’t for two costly second-half turnovers. After Redskins RB Danny Cruz cut Donna’s deficit to 13-12 on a 4-yard TD run, the Rattlers drove to Donna’s 17 on the ensuing drive, but on first down quarterback Angel Alaffa was intercepted in the end zone.
Donna was held on its next possession but pinned RGC at its 9. Two plays later, Alaffa’s handoff to his back was mishandled and rolled back into the end zone, where the QB picked it up. Instead of trying to dispose of it, Alaffa took the sack but fumbled the ball, where Donna’s Ernie Sarmiento was there for the recovery.
It gave the Redskins an 18-13 lead with 9:40 remaining in the game. The Rattlers advanced into Donna territory again but incompletions on third and fourth down sealed their fate.
The Redskins then scored on a 1-yard sneak from quarterback Alahn Yanez, who gained 35 of the team’s 61 yards on that drive on five consecutive keeps.
“After two losses, we knew we had to come out for a win,” said Yanez, who rushed for 90 yards and passed for 81 more and a score. “We knew the road wasn’t going to be easy but this win means a lot to us.”
Running back Freddy Lopez led the Rattlers with 144 yards rushing on 20 carries, while teammate Orly Oviedo added 47 and a TD, which opened up RGC’s scoring at 7-0 on the first drive of the game.
“It’s a tough loss, especially when our defense played so well,” Rattlers coach Jesus Lozano said. “Our defense stepped it up and kept us in the game. We had trouble moving the ball. They had a game plan against us with our offense and hats off to Donna.”
Ramiro Paez covers high school sports for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4470.
