2009-10-15

Mavericks rush past Bulldogs 13-10 in district play

By Tim McGrath

The Pearsall Mavericks combined a strong second half running attack with a solid and timely defensive performance to earn a hard fought 13-10 victory over the Bandera High School Bulldogs in District 29AAA football action played on Friday, Oct. 9, at Pearsall.

With the victory, the Mavericks remain undefeated and improved their ’09 season mark to 6-0 overall and 2-0 in District 29AAA play while the Bulldogs fell to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in district action. This week, the Bulldogs return home for a Friday, Oct. 16, district match-up with the Devine Warhorses at BHS Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm. The Dogs will have an open date next week before getting back to action on Friday, Oct. 30, at Hondo.

The Bulldogs have been bitten hard by the injury bug in recent weeks and lost another starter for the season during third quarter action at Pearsall. Sophomore quarterback and defensive end Kyle Monroe went down with a lower right leg injury that will sideline him for the season along with senior running back and defensive back Davis Morrow who went down last week against Crystal City with a high left ankle injury. Bulldog starting quarterback and 2008 District 29AAA MVP Cole Hubble missed his second straight game recovering from a pelvic injury. Senior wide receiver and defensive back Cisco Ruiz did not suit up against Pearsall because of an undisclosed condition. Ruiz is expected to return to action this week against Devine while Hubble’s status remains day-to-day.

At Pearsall, the Bulldogs took an early 7-0 lead when Monroe scored on a five-yard keeper following a nine-play 48-yard drive set up by a 34-yard kickoff return by Bulldog sophomore Ryan Walker. Walker also rushed for 40 yards on the scoring drive with runs of six, 20, and 14 yards to get the Dogs off to a fast start. Bulldog place kicker Sterling Yurrita tacked on the PAT following Monroe’s touchdown with 7:53 remaining in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Pearsall drove the ball to the Bandera 19-yard line where they faced a fourth-and-six situation, but the Dogs’ defense held tight and stopped the Mavericks in their tracks to take over possession with 5:59 left in the first half.

Both teams relied on defense the remainder of the half and the score remained 7-0 in favor of the Bulldogs at intermission.

In the third quarter, the Mavericks put together a 10-play, 60-yard scoring drive capped off by a four-yard touchdown run by Rene Gonzalez to come within a point of the Bulldogs at 7-6. The Mavericks attempted a two-point conversion to take the lead but were denied on a sure tackle by Bulldog cornerback Ryan Walker on the outside. Bandera led 7-6 with 1:07 remaining in the third quarter.

The Dogs threatened on their next possession when Monroe and Walker hooked up for a 46-yard pass completion that gave the Dogs a first down at the Pearsall 8 yard line. The Bulldogs, however, were not able to punch it in and settled for a 27-yard field goal by Yurrita to extend their lead to 10-6 with 11:51 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Mavericks wasted little time in answering the Bulldog score as running back Tyler DelToro took the ensuing Bulldog kickoff 55 yards for a first down at the Bandera 26-yard line. On their first play from scrimmage, Maverick running back Mario Camacho darted 26 yards for a touchdown, followed by Jose Robles’ PAT to put Pearsall up 13-10 with 11:29 still remaining in the game.

Bandera threatened later in the period after Monroe went down with leg injury on a first-down run to the Dogs 42-yard line. Bulldog running back Tyler Stevens took over the quarterback duties and the Dogs drove to the Pearsall four-yard line for a first-down-and-goal with four minutes still remaining in the game. From there, Stevens gained a yard on first down before an illegal procedure penalty by the Dogs set the ball back to the eight-yard line with second down and goal to go. An incomplete pass on second down and a loss of 14 yards on third down put the ball back at the Pearsall 22 with fourth-and-goal to go.

The Dogs attempted a 38-yard field goal by Yurrita but the ball fell short and the Mavericks went on to a 13-10 victory to remain undefeated for the season.

In other District 29AAA action last week, Hondo defeated Cystal City 43-12, while Carrizo Springs slipped past Lytle 16-8. Devine had an open week.