Coyotes drop 35-34 heartbreaker

Sometimes in a sporting contest, a team does most everything right but still is not victorious.

That’s the way it was for the Uvalde Coyotes as they lost a 35-34 football heartbreaker against the Medina Valley Panthers Friday night in the Honey Bowl.

“It was a hard-fought game all the way. Our kids played well against a good Medina Valley ball club,” said Uvalde High School head football coach R.T. Gonzales. “We fell a little short, but I was proud of our overall effort.”

The Uvaldeans entered the District 14-5A Division II matchup as 10- to 21-point underdogs, but they built up a 34-21 lead going into the final 10 minutes of the ball game.

Medina Valley scored on its first offensive possession of the second half and took a 21-20 lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, D’Andre Carroll returned the ball 48 yards from the Uvalde five to the Medina Valley 47-yard line.

From that point, the Coyotes put together an eight-play touchdown drive.

On a third-and-six play from the Medina Valley 23, quarterback Donovan Davila tossed a pass to wide receiver Christian Rivera for a touchdown.

Place kicker Miller Carnes added the extra-point kick and the Coyotes regained the scoring lead, 27-21, with 4:58 left in the third period.

Medina Valley’s next possession was stopped on downs at the Uvalde 33-yard line.

On a second-down play, linebacker Joel Valdez sacked Medina Valley quarterback Charlie Marsh for a 13-yard loss.

Two plays later, the Uvaldeans gained control of the ball at their 33.

Three plays later, the Coyotes faced a fourth-down situation at their 38-yard line.

The Coyotes set up to punt the ball away, but instead of punting the ball, D’Andre Carroll ran for a 22-yard gain for a first down at the Medina Valley 40-yard line.

Eight plays later, running back Sotero Martinez Jr. scored on a five-yard touchdown run.

Miller Carnes made the extra-point kick and the Coyotes extended their scoring lead to 13 points with 10:17 left in the fourth period.

Medina Valley rallied to put together a five-play drive that ended on a six-yard touchdown run by the quarterback as the Panthers cut the scoring deficit to 34-28.

Three plays and a punt later, the Panthers began with the ball at their 20-yard line.

They moved the ball to the Uvalde 14-yard line, but their drive stalled and the Coyotes took possession of the ball on downs.

Three plays and a punt later, the Panthers began with the ball at their 40-yard line with 3:03 left on the game clock.

From that point, they advanced the ball to the Uvalde 40-yard line.

With 1:18 remaining, the Panthers used their final timeout.

On a fourth-and-seven play, the quarterback ran toward the MV sideline and made just enough yardage for the first down before going out of bounds.

Three plays later, he tossed a 20-yard touchdown pass with 37.4 seconds left on the clock.

The extra-point kick gave the Panthers their one-point advantage.

With little time left in the game, the Coyotes tried to mount a comeback, but the game ended when the Panthers intercepted a long pass.

“This was our most complete game to date. We played well offensively, defensively, and in special teams play,” said Coach Gonzales. “It is tough to come so close but not to win. But our kids played hard right down to the last play of the game.”

The Coyotes scored first in the contest when Sotero Martinez Jr. topped off a nine-play, 73-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run on the second play of the second period.

Miller Carnes kicked the extra point and the Coyotes took a 7-0 lead with 11:02 left in the first half.

Medina Valley came back to mount an eight-play, 82-yard drive that ended on a three-yard touchdown run by the quarterback.

With the score tied at 7-7, the Coyotes countered the MV drive with a touchdown drive of their own.

Beginning at the Uvalde 46-yard line following a 31-yard kick-off return by D’Andre Carroll, the Coyotes moved the ball in eight plays to the Medina Valley three-yard line.

From that point, Donovan Davila connected with wide receiver Jackson Taylor for a touchdown pass play.

The extra-point kick went wide to left, but the Coyotes took a 13-7 lead with 4:16 left in the half.

On the kickoff, the Panthers fumbled the ball.

Zachary Lambert covered the ball for the Coyotes at the MV 18-yard line.

On a second-and-five play from the 13-yard line, Davila threw a touchdown pass to D’Andre Carroll.

The successful extra-point kick gave the Coyotes a 20-7 lead with 3:25 remaining in the first half.

Medina Valley came back to score on a 45-yard screen pass, which reduced the Uvalde lead to 20-14.

Statistically, Medina Valley had an advantage over the Coyotes in first downs, 22-20, and in total offensive yards 530-328.

Sotero Martinez Jr. led the Coyotes in individual rushing yards with 21 carries for 95 yards and one touchdown.

Donovan Davila completed 15 passes for 149 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed seven times for 50 yards.

Christian Rivera caught four passes for 57 yards and one touchdown, while D’Andre Carroll and Jackson Taylor each caught a touchdown pass.

The Coyotes, now 1-3 in district and 3-3 for the season, will be back in action next Thursday night when they face the Boerne Champion Chargers in a district road game.

In other district action Friday, Alamo Heights downed Lockhart, 56-49, while Boerne Champion whipped Kennedy, 49-0.

“The win by Heights keeps us in the hunt for a playoff spot. We need to win two of our last three games to have a shot at making the playoffs,” said Coach Gonzales.

pete luna|Leader-NewsLinebacker Joel Valdez wraps his arms around Medina Valley quarterback Charlie Marsh (No. 9) and sacks him for a loss. Defensive lineman Majik De La Garza (left) came in to assist Valdez on the play only seconds later. The big play came in the third period of the Uvalde-Medina Valley football game and resulted in a loss of 13 yards.