Del Valle Cardinals edge Lions 23-16

By Reggie Brown

POST-REGISTER

Lockhart played a tough game on Friday night, but came up short on a 23-16 loss to Del Valle.

The scoring started when Del Valle running back Henry Marshall took a handoff and ran off the right tackle. Once he broke into the secondary, there was no catching him as he ran 70 yards for the touchdown. The extra point was block

ed and Del Valle jumped on top 6-0.

Lockhart fumbled the kickoff, which they recovered but could not get much going. On third-and-four, Lockhart overthrew the ball and was then forced to punt. On the punt, the ball popped loose but Del Valle retained possession. After lining up to go for it on a fourth-and-four, Del Valle elected to punt it away.

Lockhart, now with the ball, gave a new look by lining Willie Hill and Thomas Collins in the backfield. On the first play Joey Uker handed the ball off to Willie Hill for a tough run and a first down. A reverse play, and then a run by Collins would make the first down. Uker faked the handoff and rolled out on a play action pass. He connected with Hill, coming out of the backfield and over to the sidelines, on a reception that kept the drive alive and brought an end to the first quarter.

Lined up in the eye formation, Collins took the handoff and ran behind Hill, who was blocking for yards up the middle. The next play brought the same look, but this time Lockhart went back to the play action. Del Valle converged on the run and Hill managed sneak past the linebackers and find himself open in the flats for another reception. But Lockhart could not keep the drive alive as they were forced to go for a field goal. David Moore’s 21-yard kick put score at 6-3 in Del Valle’s favor.

On the next set of downs, Lockhart stopped the run and put Del Valle in a throwing situation on third-and-seven. When the ball was snapped, the receiver ran a deep route and tried to get behind Lockhart cornerback Kenny Moreland. The ball was thrown long and when it came down, Moreland leaped high and took the ball away from the Cardinal defender for an interception. The interception came at the right time and gave Lockhart momentum.

Lockhart’s quarterback handed the ball off to the running back, who pitched it back to the quarterback. He found #82 Curtis Clay deep for a 40-yard reception far in Del Valle territory. In a great display of running, Collins took a handoff, spun around, and broke tackles.

Collins carried the ball down to a first and goal situation for the Lions. On a third down, Hill seemed to have found the end zone, yet the ball was ruled down at the one-yard line.

On a fourth-and-goal at the one-yard line, Lockhart went for the touchdown. Jacob Alvarez took the quarterback sneak and easily pushed his way behind his offensive line. David Moore’s extra point put Lockhart ahead 10-6 with 5:28 left in the half.

However, the party was short lived. On a second-and-four Del Valle produced a running play, which looked almost identical to their first touchdown, and put the Cardinals 12-10 on top going into the locker room.

The second half began with more good running by Collins and a deep pass to Daniel Zapata, which was broken up by a Del Valle defender. When Del Valle got the ball, they ran a sweep to the outside that turned into a big break away play. Joey Uker ran down the running back, saved a touchdown and made the tackle on the 10-yard line. Del Valle kicked a field goal and increased their lead 15-10.

After a Del Valle personal foul, Collins made a couple of good runs down to the 15-yard line. Hill ran over a Del Valle defender and took the ball to the one-yard line. Uker then took the quarterback sneak and pushed his way into the end zone. Lockhart elected to go for the two-point conversion, but the pass was deflected. Still, Lockhart got took the lead 16-15.

Del Valle then went on their longest drive of the night. Using three running backs in the backfield, they continued to move the chains until Terryn Washington bounced a run to the outside and dived for the end zone. The two-point conversion was good and Del Valle retook the lead 23-16.

Lockhart continued to play hard, but they were unable to come up with another score and ended the game 23-16. However, the Lions are going to the playoffs as the third team in the district. This is the second time in over 30 years that the Lions have advanced to the playoffs.

The Lions will play the McCallum Knights Friday evening at Dragon Stadium in Round Rock.

reginaldbrown@yahoo.com