Rio Hondo holds on for 48-43 area win over Devine

CORPUS CHRISTI - Unbelievable!

There was no better term to describe Rio Hondo's performance in their 48-43 back-and-forth win over Devine in their Class 3A Division II area round game at Warrior Stadium Friday night.

The Bobcats (10-2) traded blow after blow with the Warhorses in a wild contest that could easily be called "The Thriller at Tuloso."
"I'm ecstatic! I love these kids," a jubilant Rio Hondo head coach Rocky James said. "They played their hearts out. This was the best game they've played all year and now we're area champions."

After the Warhorses (8-2) took a 43-42 lead on a 17-yard TD by Dustin Wofford and subsequent two-point conversion, the Bobcats took over and dug deep to rally.

With 5:16 left in the game, Rio Hondo drove 59 yards on some power running by Joseph Vela (22 carries, 248 yards, 2 TDs) and Trevor David (21-164, 3 total TDs). Vela capped the drive with a one-yard dive to win it, but David had 31 tough yards on the series as the Cats wore down the clock to just over three minutes.

"It's something that Rio Hondo's never done and it's a great accomplishment for us," said a grass-covered David afterward. "I just wanted to get to the third round. I played with my heart to help my teammates."

"Trevor David, a phenomenal night," James said. "He runs harder in the second half and he just wears them down."

David had 108 yards after intermission. Vela had 104.

After the score, it was the Bobcat defense's turn to dig.

The D, which notched three takeaways on the night, got one more stand, forcing a Devine turnover on downs to give it back to the offense. Vela then ran out the clock shortly after that to send the jam-packed home side at Tuloso-Midway into a frenzy.

"Defensively, we played well in spurts tonight," James said. "We made big stops when we had to get stops."

But the Warhorses were nothing short of valiant in the tough loss.

As a team, Devine rushed for 367 yards. They were led by Nick West (167 yards, 2 TDs) and Rodney Guzman (134, 2 TDs) as they brilliantly ran Coach Chad Quisenberry's slot-T attack.

Devine started out hot when West scored on a 55-yard dash on the game's second play for a 7-0 lead.

However, Rio Hondo's Jacob Martinez ran in from six yards out to tie it.

That would be the common theme on the cold night in the Coastal Bend.

Devine's Guzman scored from 9 yards out as they retook the lead at 14-7 with 6:32 to go in the first.

But Rio Hondo answered on its next drive, as Vela hit David on a 29-yard screen pass to paydirt on a 4th and 18 call. Jack Chavez's point after knotted things up again. For the game, the Cats racked up 452 yards on offense.

Later, after Ramey Soto recovered a fumbled punt, David rumbled 33 yards for another score for a 21-14 lead.

Then on the first of three Devine fumbles on offense, Rio Hondo's Ruben Cortez scooped up the loose ball and raced 28 yards for one more Bobcat TD. That made it 27-14 with 5:58 left in the first half.

The Bobcats took a 27-21 lead into the locker room.

But after Rio Hondo took a 35-21 lead, the Warhorses got two quick scores to even it at 35 with 4:09 left in the third quarter.

Both teams traded punts and plenty of hard-nosed play before setting up the thrilling final eight minutes.

"It's an awesome feeling," James said of the win, Rio Hondo's first in area round play in recent memory. "The kids and the community are fired up. I'm glad they were here to share it with us. Maybe it was getting that home side."

The Bobcats will face Giddings in the regional round at a time and date to be determined.

Armando Garza covers sub-4A football for Valley Freedom Newspapers. He can be reached at armandog@valleystar.com.