By Coach Brock Tyrrell
On November 11, the Van Horn Eagles traveled to Rankin, Texas to take on the perennial powerhouse of the Garden City Bearkats who were ranked #8 in the state of Texas. Heading into the game, Van Horn was predicted to lose to Garden City by 45 points. “We’ve been the underdog all season long,” Coach Tyrrell stated, “I don’t mind it at all.
Our kids use it as fuel to go out and show others how tough of a team we really are.” The Van Horn Eagles took the field that night and never looked back. A 27 yard touchdown pass from Jermaine Corralez to Bryce Virdell put the Eagles on top first. “We knew we could score points on offense and our defense showed up in tremendous fashion! I believe that is the best they played all year long.” In a back and forth high scoring battle with 17 lead changes, the Van Horn Eagles not only did not get 45’ed, but they emerged as the 2021 Bi-District Champions and Regional Quarterfinalist with a final score of 70-69. ”
These Eagles gave every last ounce of effort, grit, guts and heart they had. They battled adversity, injury and the ups and downs of a season and never ever quit! We as a staff could not be more proud of them. We would like to thank the band, cheerleaders, fans, school and community for their outstanding support game in and game out all season long. It really is a community wide win.”
“I would also like to thank the coaches for their outstanding dedication and commitment to the team. Coach Garcia, Coach Ortega, Coach Martinez, Coach Baeza and Coach Davis, thank you for going above and beyond for our team. Hard work always pays off. I’m grateful for the opportunity to coach alongside each one of you. I look forward to next season together as we build upon this great foundation of excellence our team created this season. Eagle Pride Never Dies!”
The 2021 Bi-District Championship Game stats include: Jermaine Corralez, Sr #15 – 12/18 for 283 yards and 6 touchdowns, 7 carries for 59 yards and 3 touchdowns, 10 tackles on defense. Elijah Gaines, Jr #7 – 8 carries for 63 yards and 1 touchdown, 3 receptions for 37 yards, 23 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble.
Bryce Virdell, Jr #5 – 6 receptions for 179 yards and 5 touchdowns, 9 rushes for 40 yards and 25 tackles on defense.
Cy Garcia, Soph #28 – 25 tackles on defense. Ethan Hinojos, Jr #25 – 2 receptions for 73 yards and 1 touchdown, 23 tackles on defense.
The 2021 District 5-A Division 1 Superlatives went to the following Van Horn Eagles:
Frankie Ontiveros – 1st Team Offensive Utility Back, 1st Team Defensive Utility Player
Bryce Virdell – 1st Team Running Back, 1st Team Safety
Jermaine Corralez – Offensive MVP, 1st Team Nose Guard
Cy Garcia – Newcomer of the Year
Felipe Garcia – 1st Team Tight End, 2nd Team D-Line
Gabriel Gonzalez – Honorable Mention
Elijah Gaines – 1st Team Receiver, 1st Team D-Line
Pablo Mendez – 1st Team Center
Ethan Hinojos – 1st Team Linebacker
