With the Riverside Rangers coming off their only loss of the season last week against one of the top teams in the state, they looked to begin district play strong.
They started the game opposite of that at Tony Shaw Field, as they visited the Irvin Rockets in their District 1-4A opener.
The Rangers had a total of 4 turnovers in the first half, including 2 interceptions by Quarterback Ian Montion. However, with 1:31 left before halftime, the Rangers put the game’s first points on the board, as Montion’s pass was tipped and caught by Adrian Estrada and ran in for a 42-yard Touchdown. Riverside went in with the slim 7-0 lead at halftime.
Coming into the 3rd Quarter, the Rockets tied the ball game up 7-7, as Jonathan Chairez had a 44-yard Touchdown reception 3 minutes into the quarter. After that, momentum shifted quickly and heavily for Riverside.
Their scoring frenzy began with a 3-yard Touchdown run by Jose Guardado to put the Rangers up 14-7 halfway into the 3rd Quarter. Guardado had another Touchdown run with 3:43 left in the 3rd Quarter, as he had a 30-yard score to put Riverside up, 21-7. With only 56 seconds left in the 3rd Quarter, Guardado, once again, found paydirt with an explosive 82-yard Touchdown run to give the Rangers a 28-7 lead.
The 4th Quarter continued to go Riverside’s way, as Ian Montion found Adrian Estrada for a 19-yard Touchdown connection, to make it 35-7, Rangers, with 6 minutes left in the game. The final score of the game came with less than 2 minutes remaining when Adrian Estrada bolted for a 62-yard Touchdown run. The Rangers won their District 1-4A opener, 42-7, over the Rockets.
Next Thursday, Irvin (1-6, 0-1), will host the Bowie Bears. The Rangers (6-1, 1-0), will host the San Elizario Eagles.
After the game Coach Gary Recoder and Jose Guardado talked about the win:
Story by Paul David Oliver