Jefferson hosted a very important District 2-5A matchup and arguably the game of the week on Friday night. The Austin Panthers visited the Silver Foxes and this vital district game had huge playoff seeding and district title implications written all over it.
The Panthers were the first to score in the middle of the opening quarter when Luis Fernandez found Israel Luna for a 10-yard touchdown pass to make it 7-0, Austin.
With a little over 3 minutes elapsed in the game, Austin’s Sergio Rodriguez had a 10-yard touchdown run to put the Panthers up, 14-0. Rodriguez had Austin’s next score, this time in the middle of the 2nd Quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 21-0, Panthers.
The Panther special teams made plays all night, as they had their 2nd blocked punt with 3:12 left before halftime and that was recovered by Sebastian Morales and returned for a touchdown to make it 28-0, Panthers – giving them a 28-0 advantage going into halftime.
The Silver Foxes made it known that they would not go down without a fight, as they shifted momentum on their side in the 2nd half. It started with 3:23 left in the 3rd Quarter when Jefferson Quarterback, Nathan Alcala, had an 18-yard touchdown run to make it 28-7, Austin.
With the Silver Foxes forcing a fumble on Austin’s next drive, they capitalized with a 20-yard Alcala to Dilan Navarro touchdown pass to make it 28-13, Panthers.
The Foxes had their third straight score with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Alcala – but with a missed 2-point try – to make it 28-19, Austin.
With 8:31 left in the game, Austin’s Israel Luna had enough of Jefferson’s comeback, as he darted 64 yards past all Silver Fox defenders for a touchdown to extend the Panthers’ lead, 35-19.
The final score of the game came when Austin’s Luna forced and recovered a fumble and ran it back into the endzone leading the Panthers to a 42-19 victory over Jefferson.
With Andress and Burges also being victorious on Friday night, there remains a 3-team tie for 1st place in District 2-5A going into next week.
Next Friday, the Jefferson Silver Foxes (6-3, 3-2) will travel to Andress to take on the Eagles. The Austin Panthers (6-3, 4-1) hope to end the season with only 1 district loss and remain in the district title picture and possible top seed in District 2-5A, as they will host the Bowie Bears.
After the game Austin Coach Eric Pichardo talked about the win
Here’s what Isreal Luna had to say after the win
Paul David Oliver Reporting