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Pats, Backs, and Big 7 Playoff Plans

Patriots and Diamondbacks fight for second place

 

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Tonight at Tom Landry Stadium, the (2-7, 1-2) Veterans Memorial Patriots will host the (6-3, 2-1) Pioneer Diamondbacks in a District 15-5A matchup to determine who will be the second seed representing the district in the playoffs. This will be the final game for these two teams ahead of the post-season. Both teams have secured their spot in the playoffs, but the outcome of tonight’s game will determine the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th seed in the district. The stakes are high for these two teams and there will be a lot of eyes on this matchup, so expect a hard-fought game.

 

This will be the 13th straight playoff appearance for Patriots’ under head coach David Gilpin. Though it took a little longer than normal to secure their spot, they undoubtedly have done it and are now preparing for their final matchup of the season.

 

The Patriots have had a couple of heartbreaking losses in district play. It started with their 30-20 loss to the Sharyland Rattlers, where a last second score kept the game out of reach for the Patriots and kept them from pulling out a victory. The following week, they faced the first seeded Alice Coyotes and despite being up at halftime, the Coyotes handed the Patriots their second loss with a last second score.

 

The Patriots traveled to Roma to face off against the Gladiators last week. They came out of that game with a 35-14 win and a 1-2 record. This solidified their spot in the playoffs.

 

Coach Gilpin told us, “It was a great win, it clinched a playoff spot for us, and we’re excited about that. That was one of our main goals this year. Though we don’t have a shot at the district championship, getting back in the playoffs gives us a shot at being a championship winning team.” Gilpin went on to say, “The record does not matter to us, this is what we say every year, including the offseason. We came in August and opened fall camp and we said our goal was to become a championship team. Whether it’s a district, bi-district, area, whichever it may be, we want to put a gold ball in our trophy case. We don’t measure ourselves with wins and losses, we measure ourselves with championships won. We now have that opportunity in the playoffs.”

 

This season has seen this young team go through the ups and downs of a football season. They’re led by freshman quarterback Roman Reyna, who took over after Cameron Sarinana went down with an injury. Over the course of three games, Reyna has passed for 556 yards and five touchdowns. Though you may not see him escape the pocket much, there’s no doubt that he can extend the play with his legs at any given time.

 

In the backfield for the Patriots is Benjamin Martinez and Alejandro Garza, who have combined for over 500 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Jordan Rodriguez’s 500 yards and six touchdowns, and Robert Sharpe’s 499 yards and four touchdowns make them the leading receivers. Martinez has chipped in 300 yards and two touchdowns himself to help elevate the offense this season.

 

“We’re playing the best football of the year right now. Our defense has played consistently great football, our offense is playing well, and we’re generally winning all the battles on special teams. We’re playing well in all three phases. We’re coming off a win. We got a big game ahead in Pioneer. A win on Friday night would tie us for second place. With the start to the year and the struggles we had early on, it would be a very good finish for us,” Gilpin said when talking about his team this season.

 

The Patriots will have to deal with the Diamondbacks’ explosive offense that has been on a roll as of late. Diamondbacks’ junior quarterback William Goodloe has led his team to a 2-1 record over the course of the district schedule. Goodloe’s 819 yards and ten touchdowns through the air and 721 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, has brought a spark to this team that’s been on display these last couple of weeks.

 

Gilpin told us, “He’s an athlete and there’s no doubt about that. He’s very good in the run game and when he has space, he can make things happen. He’s an outstanding athlete. He’s become a better passer as the season has gone on, so he’s a threat with his arm as well.” Gilpin capped it off by saying, “We’re aware that they’re playing at a high level right now. There’s a lot to play for tonight, for both schools.”

 

It’s going to be a tough task for the Patriots ahead of their last game, but this team is ready for the challenge.

 

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This will be the third straight playoffs for head coach Eddie Galindo and the Diamondbacks. This will be the 8th time in nine years that they make the post-season. After taking a 28-0 loss to the Alice Coyotes to kick off the district schedule, they followed it up with two massive wins, one over the Roma Gladiators and the other against their sister-school rivals, the Sharyland Rattlers.

 

Galindo told us about keeping momentum up ahead of their matchup, “It was a big win for us, an emotional win, but we enjoyed it for the moment and now we’re getting ready for the next game. We had an extremely big challenge in Mission Vets.” He capped that off by saying, “We just have to adapt, overcome adversity, and keep grinding.”

 

A big reason for this is due to Goodloe’s style of play. The dual-threat quarterback has opened up the passing game with his legs. His rushing ability has been keeping defenses on their heels allowing his receivers to get open. Receiver Matthew Maldonado and Alejandro Mata have been the beneficiaries of this passing offense. The Diamondbacks have an extremely solid running game, including Dylan Tijerina’s 523 yards and five touchdowns, and Marcus Perales’ 451 yards and five touchdowns in the backfield. Goodloe’s ability to pass has made this run offense deadlier.

 

Just like their offense, the Diamondbacks defense has been on fire as well. They’ll have a tough matchup with the Patriots, whose pass offense can and will punch the ball into the end zone when needed. Galindo told us, “It’s always a tough challenge to stop the Patriots offense. They do a great job in the passing game. They had a real tough schedule, but they’re clicking right now and doing a really good job. It’s going to be a tough challenge.”

 

Galindo talked about having to stop the Patriots’ quarterback, Roman Reyna: “He’s a freshman but he’s composed. He does a lot of good things on the field so it’s going to pose a challenge for us. They have a lot of weapons there that can really hurt you.”

 

This matchup will be played at Tom Landry Stadium and the game time is set for 7 pm.

 

The stakes are high tonight in this matchup and all over the Big 7. This will determine the seeds for the Patriots, Diamondbacks, and Sharyland Rattlers in District 15-5A. The 3-0 Alice Coyotes, barring a loss to the 0-3 Roma Gladiators, will win the district championship outright with a 4-0 record. If they lose, there’s a chance that the Coyotes and the Diamondbacks would share the championship IF they beat the Patriots and advance to 3-1. If both the Coyotes and the Diamondbacks win, it would result in a second place finish for the Diamondbacks. IF the Diamondbacks lose, the Patriots, Diamondbacks, and Rattlers will all tie for second place at 2-2.

 

In District 31-6A, the 1-3, fifth place La Joya Coyotes are eliminated from the playoffs even if they win their last game against the first place, 4-0 PSJA Bears. La Joya does not have a tiebreaker advantage over the third and fourth place, 2-2 Edinburg Bobcats and Economedes Jaguars. The 3-1 Weslaco Panthers firmly hold the second place spot in the district.

 

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The playoff seeds for District 16-5A, where the Mission Eagles, Palmview Lobos, and Juarez-Lincoln Huskies reside, are still undecided. In first place, the 6-0 Vela Sabercats are in line to win the district championship if they beat the 1-5 Rio Grande City Rattlers. IF the Sabercats lose and the second place Memorial Mustangs win, they’ll tie for championship. With that being said, there are four teams tied with a 3-3 record; the Eagles, Lobos, McAllen Bulldogs, and Rowe Warriors. The Eagles have virtually secured their spot in the playoffs, but will need to play the 0-6 Huskies before*. The Lobos can secure their spot in the playoffs IF they win their matchup Mustangs* and the Warriors lose to the Bulldogs tonight. The Lobos will be eliminated from playoff contention if they lose.

 

The stage is now set for this season’s closing slate of football games and now all there is left to do for the fans is to go and watch. Good luck to all the teams competing in their final game of the season and congratulations to all the teams that will continue playing in the post-season.

 

*These games were played last night and the results of these games were not available when we went to print.

 


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