Wolves clinch playoff berth with 42-0 rout of Natalia

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DILLEY WOLVES FOOTBALL

Santos scores three touchdowns, Aranda adds two as Dilley offense cruises past Mustangs.

Dilley exacted a measure of revenge on Natalia last Friday, winning a lopsided 42-0 decision over the Mustangs for Homecoming and snapped a six-game skid to their Medina County neighbors.
The Wolves also clinched their first playoff berth since the 2018 season.
“These seniors were pumped about the Natalia game and them running up the scores on us over the years was a big motivator,” DHS Athletic Director and Head Football Coach David Silva said. “This will be first playoff trip for these seniors and they’ve worked hard for it and stayed the course the last two years.
“I’m happy for the boys, the school, and our community to get Dilley back on track and back in the playoffs.”
Since Dilley’s last postseason berth, Natalia saw a resurgence in its football program and the Mustangs handed the Wolves some of their worst losses, including a stretch where Natalia won 71-0, 67-8 and 42-0.
“That was not the case Friday night as Dilley rolled to a 21-0 halftime lead and added a pair of fourth quarter scores to seal the win.
In his strongest outing as a member of the Wolves, Ethan Santos rushed for 135 yards on only 12 carries and had three touchdowns, including an 80-yard homerun in the second quarter.
All of Santos’ scores came in the first half as he went in from a yard out in the first for a 7-0 lead, from eight yards in the second to make it 14-0, followed by his 80-yard sprint in the second as the lead ballooned to 21-0.
Dorian Aranda also added a pair of scores as he hauled in a 66-yard strike from quarterback Seth Cano and a 51-yard pass from Cano. Aranda’s touchdowns gave Dilley an insurmountable 35-0 lead.
Leve Lopez then preserved the shutout and got the special teams involved as he returned a blocked field goal attempt for a score.
Dilley rolled, totalling 358 yards of offense and 13 first downs while limiting Natalia to 115 total yards and 12 first downs.
Cano went seven of 11 passing for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Aranda had 117 of those yards and two receiving touchdowns.
The Wolves have a chance to secure the second place spot in district with wins in its final two games of the year at Comfort and against Karnes City.
The Bobcats are 4-3 this year and 3-0 in District 15-3A, Division II, having notched wins over Nixon-Smiley, Natalia and Karnes City.
“Comfort will bring a tough run game at us and we have to be ready to play another physical game,” Silva said of the Bobcats. “Offensively, we can adapt to any situation and that’s the luxury of having our system in place.
“Our kicking game has improved tremendously and we must win the special teams battle every game. Improving our second level blocking and pass protection are areas of emphasis on offense while defensively, we have to get ready for the run game grind the next couple of weeks.”
Comfort is coming off a 49-7 rout of 1-7 Karnes City. The team topped Natalia 24-0 the week prior.
Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium in Comfort.