By Rob Segura
The scene was set for what was to be a great night of football in Van Horn, Texas. The mighty Eagles of Van Horn hosted the Yellow Jackets of Kermit. With both teams owning a 1-1 record, the first quarter set the tone for the game. The hard-hitting Eagle defense was relentless and defended their goal, with Kermit unable to score in the first quarter either. However, Kermit did put points up on the scoreboard first in the second quarter. A long punt return by Kermit put them deep into Eagle’s territory. A couple of plays later, the Yellow Jackets found pay dirt with 9:06 left in the second quarter. The Eagles answered the Yellow Jackets with one of their own. Quarterback Rafael Rodriguez scored on a keeper to bring the score to a tie with 6:32 left in the second quarter. The Eagles scored again in the first half. This time it was Rodriguez to Escajeda. Luis made a brilliant snag in the end zone to put the Eagles in front 14 -7. However, Kermit wasn’t done and the Yellow Jackets moved the ball down into Eagle territory quickly scoring with 7 seconds left in the half.
Kermit did not skip a beat as they came out fired up and scored quickly in the third quarter making the score 21 -14. The Eagles did not lie down for the Yellow Jackets even after being stung with two touchdowns scored in just under one minute and ten seconds. The air raid was back from Rodriguez to Escajeda once again with the die-hard Eagles scoring but falling short when they missed the extra point making the score a razor thin 21-20.
In the fourth quarter Kermit marched down to the Eagle’s 2-yard line. Kermit’s offense lined up for a 4th and goal. The mighty Eagle’s defense stopped the Yellow Jackets and the ball changed hands on downs. The Eagles could not capitalize on the turn over and Kermit scored once again making the score 27 to 20 late in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Rafael Rodriguez moved the Eagle’s offense to the Yellow Jackets 36-yard line and launched a rocket to Luis Escajeda, who made a miraculous catch in the end zone making the score 27-26. Coach Gibson and the Eagles decided to go for the tie but fell short with the extra point sailing wide right with 3 seconds showing, giving the Eagles a heartbreaking second loss of the season.
The Eagles are on the road tomorrow to battle it out with the Anthony Wildcats in a non-conference contest. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (MST).
