Running Wild

By Manuel Azocar III - Sports Writer/Managing Editor | September 8, 2022

PEARSALL MAVERICKS FOOTBALL

Ramirez torches Cougars for 299 yards rushing and five touchdowns.

PEARSALL runner Elijah Luna turns the corner and heads upfield for several yards during the Mavs’ tri-scrimmage recently. The Mavs scrimmaged Freer last Thursday and open their regular season this week against the West Campus Cougars. (CURRENT photo: Manuel Azocar III)

In a contest that displayed how far the Mavericks have come but also how far they have to go, Pearsall rolled to a big lead, only to see San Antonio Cole rally before holding on for a 36-20 win in non-district action last Friday.
Pearsall jumped out to a 22-0 lead and seemed on pace to roll to an easy win before allowing the Cougars to close the gap to ten points in the second half.
“It was a tough, physical ballgame, a roller coaster of a game with highs and lows,” PHS Head Coach Ruben DeLeon said. “But we needed a game like that for the boys to see what we are capable of doing if we work as a team for all four quarters. That was the biggest positive walking off of the field we had as a team.”
The biggest factor in Cole’s comeback was Pearsall leaving points on the field. Twice the Mavericks drove inside their opponent’s 20-yard line and both times came up empty.
“A negative from the game was, offensively, I know we left points off of the board,” the coach said. “We had two drives that stalled inside the 20-yard line. As a team, we cannot afford to waste score opportunities in the red zone.
“Moving forward to next week it is the same message, be one and 0 when we walk off the field and continue to raise our expectations on the field as a team.”
The Mavericks once again rode the back of its talented running back Joey Ramirez. The senior finished with 299 yards and five touchdowns on 23 carries.
Defensively, Pearsall shut down the Cougars for the most part but did allow a couple of long pass plays that set up Cole for their scores. Sophomore Kingston Martinez led the unit as he tallied seven tackles, two sacks and had a pair quarterback pressures.
With Pearsall up 22-0 on runs of five, 25 and 35 yards by Ramirez, Cole used a long pass play to set up a six-yard score with 14 seconds remaining in the half.
After a Pearsall drive came up empty inside the 20, the Cougars struck again on a 60-yard strike to make it 22-12 with 4:10 to play in the third. The Mavericks would immediately respond with a two-play drive capped by Ramirez’ 39-yard touchdown run.
Leading 30-12, Pearsall had a chance to put the game away after Cole fumbled the ensuing kickoff. The Mavs drove to the 18-yard line but came up empty. The Cougars would go the length of the field and cut it to ten again on a 30-yard scoring pass with 9:31 to play.
Pearsall then fumbled the kickoff and Cole had a shot to make it interesting but freshman RJ Hernandez stepped in front of pass at the five to kill the drive. Ramirez then closed the show with a 64-yard touchdown run to make it 36-20 with 4:17 remaining.
Elijah Luna would pick off another Cole pass and returned it 60 yards as Pearsall would go on to kneel out the clock from the five-yard line.
The Mavs now sit at 2-0 for the year for the first time since 2017 and in two games have eclipsed their point total for all of 2021.
Pearsall will hit the road this week for the first time this season as they take on the Memorial Minutemen. Memorial is winless at 0-2 for the year, having lost 42-0 and 48-0 decisions to Devine and Central Catholic. Game time is 7 p.m. at Edgewood Veterans Stadium in San Antonio.

Pearsall’s David “Bear” Rendon motions to the crowd following a defensive stop as he and teammates Kingston Martinez and Gabriel Gutierrez walk off the field. (CURRENT photos: Manuel Azocar III)

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