Lyford tops La Feria in league opener

LA FERIA — There were plenty of fireworks at Lion Stadium Friday night.

But, contrary to popular belief, they were of the defensive variety.

Lyford and La Feria each played sound defense and put immense pressure on each other with hard hits the norm.

And in the end, the Bulldogs earned a scrappy 24-14 win over the Lions to open 32-3A league play.

“I think the week off (last week) put us out of sync offensively,” Lyford head coach Jaime Infante said. “It was a sloppy win, but we’ll take a win any way we can get it.”

Coordinator Eloy Perez and the Bulldogs’ defense (4-0 overall, 1-0 district) limited the Lions (1-3, 0-1) to just four first downs and 128 total yards.

“I thought our defense did a super job tonight,” Infante said. “Our offense made mostly mental mistakes. But my hat’s off to La Feria and their defense, too.”

However, La Feria had a superb game plan of its own and for the most part it went flawlessly well.

Head coach Elifonso Esquivel’s stop gappers had Lyford quarterback Johnny Esparza on the run virtually all night long, forcing the senior into some bad throws.

For the evening, Esparza, the Valley’s top passer going in, finished 22-of-55 passing for 291 yards and one touchdown. He was picked off three times.

“Our defense played hard and did a helluva job,” Esquivel said. “Our game plan was to go get their quarterback, and our kids gave their best effort.”

Early on, it appeared as if it was going to be another Lyford track meet.

After forcing a Lion punt, it took the Bulldogs two plays to move 46 yards and into the end zone. Nick Cavazos capped it with a 13-yard scoring run. Jose Salinas’ point after was on target for a 7-0 lead.

Lyford fumbled on the 1-yard line to give it to the Lions on its next possession.

But the Mean Green Defense held and blocked the ensuing La Feria punt.

That led to a one-yard dive by Esparza to make it 14-0 after Salinas’ PAT with 5:47 left in the first.

That’s when the Lions got in it.

Justin Rodriguez (7-for-22, 119 yards, TD) hit Gilbert Jimenez for a 78-yard TD bomb to close it to 14-7.

A 13-play Lyford drive on its next possession ended in disaster.

On the Lion 6, Esparza dropped back for a middle screen pass that was alertly picked off by La Feria’s Kike Oviedo, who then rumbled 86 yards for the TD. Brian Vasquez’s PAT tied the game with 11:39 left before half.

The teams traded turnovers before Lyford’s Salinas’ nailed a 21-yard field goal just before half to make it 17-14 Lyford.

After intermission, it was more of the same. Defense, defense, defense.

The Mean Green didn’t allow any Lion progress on offense.

But La Feria stopped Lyford drives deep in Lion territory and the Bulldogs turned it over on downs twice.

The nail in the coffin came with 8:12 left in the game when Esparza hit Jorge Lerma on a pretty 21-yard strike.

La Feria missed a field goal and then turned it over on downs to end it.

“Coach Infante’s got a good team over there and they do a good job,” Esquivel said. “But our kids played their hearts out and we’re proud of them.”