Hondo Anvil Herald

Owls power past Lytle for district win

 

By Jeff Berger

Anvil Herald Publisher

 

     The Hondo Owl running game, essentially missing in action for the first half of the season, has begun to hit its stride the last two weeks.

     This past Friday, Oct. 16, in a 42-20 Homecoming win over Lytle, the Owls rushed for 350 yards and six touchdowns and earned 27 first downs to dominate time of possession on the chilly evening. Hondo never punted, and moved the ball efficiently enough that they faced only five third downs the whole night, converting all of them.

     The Owls (4-3 season, 3-1 in District 14-3A-I) will go back on the road this Friday, Oct. 23, to visit Natalia as district play continues. Game time for the first varsity football meeting ever between the Owls and Mustangs is 7 p.m.

     “Obviously, we’ve been trying to get the run game going,” said Hondo coach Dustin Templin. “And then with the wind blowing 22 mph Friday night, it became even more important to be able to run. And we succeeded, with enough guys running the ball well, that we didn’t have to throw the ball.

     “And anytime the running game is productive, it’s because there’s good blocking from the line and the  wide receivers.”

Jayden Motes had his second consecutive 100-yard rushing night, with 134 yards and two touchdowns.

     “He had a big night running the ball against his former school, and he was crowned Homecoming King,” coach Templin said, “so it was a good night for him.”

      The Owl defense began the night with a three-and-out, before the offense drove for its first of three consecutive first-half scores.

Motes carried it five times on the 55-yard drive, with Andrew Tapia taking it in for the score on a four-yard run with 5:10 left in the opening quarter. Gabriel Rodriguez hit the first of his six extra points without a miss to give the Owls a 7-0 lead.

     Three defensive plays by  Lyston Blanks, Nolan Graff and Cade Aelvoet led to another Pirate punt. Aelvoet’s return to the Lytle 35 set up the Owls with another short field. In five plays, Motes was in the endzone on a 7-yard run for a 14-0 lead with 58 seconds left in the first.

     Another Lytle punt – this time with the wind – set up the Owls at their own 15. Aaryn Leyva checked in at quarterback and gained 50 yards on his first two rush attempts. Starter Bryson Howard returned to QB and picked up a first down on a sneak, followed by two runs from Joby Pimentel for a first down at the 12. On 3rd-and-9, a sweep handoff to Tres Villa went for an 11-yard TD run and a 21-0 lead, midway through the second quarter.

     Lytle, held without a first down to that point, put together a 78-yard, 14-play  drive (with seven first downs), capped with a two-yard TD run by Angel De La Rosa with 23 seconds left in the half. Ethaneal Presti added the extra point.

     Up 21-7, the Owls received the second half kickoff, which was an onside attempt from Lytle. The ball bounced straight to Motes, who returned it 20 yards into Lytle territory, so Hondo had yet another short field.

     Motes carried three straight times, for 10, 22 and 3 yards to record the Owls’ fourth TD of the night, with less than 90 seconds gone in the half. 

     On the ensuing kickoff, freshmen Bo Gomez and Kyler Booher teamed to jar the ball loose from the return man, and sophomore MJ Neuman recovered for the Owls at the 29-yard line. Six plays later, Joby Pimentel pounded his way into the endzone on a 13-yard run, giving Hondo a 35-7 lead.

     Lytle answered very quickly, as De Los Santos burst through a hole for a 79-yard TD run on first down, with 7:12 left in the third.

Hondo had another good drive going, reaching the Lytle 28, but with the Owls’ forward progress seemingly stopped, a whistle never blew, and the Pirates caused and recovered a fumble.

     Another TD drive, this one taking more than six minutes, with a roughing-the-passer flag on a 3rd-and-18 incompletion, plus two fourth down conversions, led to the third TD run by De Los Santos, this time from two yards. The Pirate junior finished with 142 yards on 16 carries.

     On the extra point attempt, Graff broke through to block the kick. The ball bounced out to Kyron Rodriguez, who returned it 75 yards before he was caught by the Pirate pursuit, to thwart the chance for a two-point return.

     Hondo fumbled near midfield, but the Owl defense was up to the task, getting a fourth-down stop with a quarterback sack from Colby Evans.

     Taking over with 6:30 to play, the Owls consumed four  minutes off the clock, mostly on Tapia runs. The senior finished the night of scoring with his second TD of the night, from three yards away  with 2:24 to play.

     One final offensive push from the Pirates was stopped on a 4th-and-1 tackle by Evans at the Hondo 35.

     On the Owls’ 350-yard rushing night, Leyva finished with 78 yards, Tapia had 68, with 29 each from Aelvoet and Pimentel.