Santa Rosa tops La Villa for Sugar Bowl win
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Updated: September 9, 2017
A Classic RGV Matchup
A ten-minute drive along Highway 107 is all that separates two long-time rivals. Class 2A DI La Villa Cardinals (@LaVillaCards) and Class 3A DI Santa Rosa Warriors (@NewBlack54) are small in enrollment but large in passion for their annual matchup.
Known as the Sugar Bowl (one of our Cool Name Games) it is so-named because of Sugar Mill Road - a narrow strip of country blacktop - that serves as the dividing line between the neighboring towns and counties. As is common in the deep south, this match is a rivalry that is rich in tradition, pride and family ties.
The 2017 edition of this classic battle saw the home Warriors cruise to a 34-14 victory. But the golden trophy wasn’t the main goal for Santa Rosa on Friday night.
What first-year head coach Hector Ayala wanted to see was his team work together to overcome the absence of star quarterback Alex Ayala, and his Warriors didn’t disappoint.
“We were a little short-handed at quarterback and I want to say, Jay Guerra did an awesome job stepping in for our injured quarterback and managed the team and made good decisions,” Ayala said. “That’s what makes this even bigger, is that everybody stepped up to make up for that loss and it’s just a wonderful win for them.”
Guerra is used to catching passes instead of throwing them, so the Warriors focused on their run game in this matchup. Junior running back Ryan Mesa got the scoring started with a one-yard touchdown run after senior Sam Torres nabbed an interception on the second play of the game and ran it back to the one-yard line. Santa Rosa added another score in the first quarter on an eight-yard scamper from senior Vince Saldivar to take an early 14-0 advantage.
The Warriors dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball in the first half. La Villa’s offensive line failed to open up any lanes for its rushers, so the Cardinals took to the air in the second quarter. They found success with quick passes and started to gain momentum, but a second interception thrown by junior quarterback Rey Felix slowed them down.
The game could have gotten out of reach after that swing, especially since La Villa saw four athletes shaken up in the first half and its roster is only 32 deep. But Cardinals kept stepping in and making plays, and they forced two Santa Rosa fumbles inside the 10-yard line on separate drives in the second quarter to keep the lead at two possessions at halftime.
“We always talk about paying attention in practice because you never know when your time’s going to be up and you get in and play,” La Villa head coach Daniel Perez said. “When someone goes down, you better be ready. We stress that a lot.”
The Warriors weren’t happy with the missed opportunities, and Ayala challenged his team to come out and make a statement in the second half.
They came out of the locker room and put together a nice drive that resulted in a two-yard touchdown run from senior running back Christian Castillo in the third quarter. Then Castillo got the fourth quarter started with a big, 67-yard run and dive into the end zone, but officials ruled him down on the one yard line. He walked in the touchdown on the following play to give Santa Rosa a demanding 27-0 lead.
Despite the deficit, La Villa fought until the final whistle and was rewarded with two scores in the final quarter. Felix hit freshman Christopher Rivera on a 31-yard touchdown pass and later senior Isaac Ramirez with an eight-yard toss.
“We have a young team. We only have three seniors… so mistakes are expected, but we did some good things,” Perez said. “Our younger kids stepped up. We’re playing bigger schools, and that’s good, so once we get to the schools that are the same as us, we’ll be alright.”
Between those Cardinal scores, Mesa found the end zone for the second time with a 30-yard run to put the game on ice. Though Santa Rosa has just a 30-man roster and relies on a small handful of offensive playmakers, the big guys up front do a solid job creating an abundance of opportunities.
“Last year we had more weapons, and now it’s more our offensive line,” Ayala said. “I’ve said from the beginning that our offensive line is our strength and they proved it today.”
It was a special night for Ayala to come out on top in his first Sugar Bowl as a head coach, especially since he’s hoping to change the culture at Santa Rosa after several losing seasons and coaching changes. With two dominant wins under their belts and a lot of swagger after this rivalry game, his Warriors are starting to believe that success is in their future.
“When you’re winning, everybody likes coming out to practice,” Ayala said. “What we tell them is ‘if you come out to practice, we’re going to grill you and we’re going to work you, but Friday is going to be fun. All that hard work’s going to pay off.’ And so far, it’s paid off and we hope to keep going with that.”
Next up for Santa Rosa is the first road trip of the year to face the Red Ants of Progeso while La Villa will play their home opener against Santa Gertrudis Academy.
by Claire Cruz
@claireecruz5
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