Johnson, Southwest power past Rio Grande City

CORPUS CHRISTI — The Rio Grande City Rattlers knew they were the underdogs.

The San Antonio Southwest Dragons knew they were the heavy favorites.

That same mentality both teams entered Friday night’s bi-district playoff game at Phil Danaher Stadium is the same mind frame both teams left with after the Dragons dominated in a 58-29 victory.

The game was put out of reach by halftime after Southwest easily rolled to a 42-0 lead. The Dragons’ first two plays on their first two drives was indicative of what was in store for Rio Grande City.

On the very first play from scrimmage, Southwest’s Trevion Johnson exploded for a 67-yard touchdown run and a quick 7-0 lead with only 20 seconds off the game clock. After a Rattlers’ three-and-out, Dragons quarterback Felix Castillo then hooked up with Aaron Kelly for a 41-yard pass, which dent any momentum RGC had up to that point.

Southwest used its quickness and agility to deflate the Rattlers’ defense, which had trouble containing the Dragons’ prolific backfield all night. The Dragons rushed for 452 yards behind Johnson’s 216 yards on 10 carries and four TDs during the first half.

“We played well,” Dragons coach Max Elliot said. “Minus the turnover with our punt team and a penalty which killed one of our drives in the first half, we played pretty well.

“We stayed healthy so all is good right now.”

With the game at hand by halftime, Elliot yanked most of his starters by the last two quarters.

Though even with the game out of reach, RGC didn’t just roll over. The Rattlers scored their first points of the night just three plays into the third quarter when Daryl Lopez punched it in from 4 yards out. RGC tacked on a few more scores after Lopez’s run, never complacent with that one TD.

For the Rattlers, their season ends after an erratic ride through the regular season this year. Despite a year filled with nagging injuries, assistant coaching changes and inconsistent team play, the Rattlers (5-6) stuck through it all and clinched a postseason berth for the first time since 2006 after receiving a helping hand from Donna in the final week of the regular season.

“We have a great group of kids,” RGC coach Jesus Lozanoa said. “They really have worked hard all season long and even in the beginning we were 0-2 and they never stopped believing.

“So that shows a lot about their character.”

Ramiro Paez covers high school sports for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4470 or via e-mail at rpaez@themonitor.com.