Tigers turn the tide, top Wolves in area playoff

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CLASS 3A, DIVISION II BI-DISTRICT PLAYOFFS

Wolves tie the game after the first but Tidehaven outscores Dilley 49-7 over final three quarters in win.

Dilley’s playoff run came to an end last week at the hands of a familiar and formidable foe, falling 56-14 to Tidehaven in a Class 3A, Division II area playoff Friday evening, November 22 in Mathis.
The Wolves took on Tidehaven a year ago in the second round, dropping a 41-0 decision to the state finalists.
Things appeared to be taking a different path this year as the Wolves were on even ground through the first quarter with the game tied at 7-7.
A 21-point second quarter and a pair of scores in each of the final two quarters, however, sealed the win for Tidehaven as the Tigers pulled away for the lopsided win.
“It was an outstanding season for a team picked third in our district,” DHS AD and Head Football Coach David Silva said. “We finished 9-3 and all three teams we lost to are still playing, Tidehaven, Poth, Randolph.
“Our boys displayed, every game, what ‘Wolf Pride’ stands for.”
The coach credited his team’s resilience all season long and the mental toughness they developed along the way.
“It seems like we came out most games trailing in the second half,” he said. “We just got mentally tougher as the game went on. I’m proud of the boys and the coaching staff and I’m happy for our fans and our school to be proud of being part of our success.”
That success carried over into the first quarter of the Wolves’ area playoff as the team countered Tidehaven’s opening score with a seven-yard touchdown run from Isaiah Lambert.
Santiago Cruz connected on the extra point to tie the game at 7-7 in the first.
The Tigers began to assert their dominance in the second as they reeled off three scoring drives to build a 28-7 halftime lead.

Dilley’s Troy Gonzales attempts to haul in a reception during area playoff action against Tidehaven last Friday in Mathis. Gonzales and the Wolves played on even terms with the state finalists through the first quarter. (CURRENT photo: Manuel Azocar III)

“Things just snowballed on us there,” Silva said of Tidehaven’s run to take control of the game. “We hadn’t made that many mistakes all season and to just see them all in one game was tough.
“You take away the mistakes and turnovers and whatnot, and you have yourself a good little ballgame.”
A 21-yard scoring pass in the third made it 35-7 until Bubba Reyes was able to cap another Dilley drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. Cruz again booted the extra point to make it 35-14.
With a glimmer of life for the Wolves in the third, Tidehaven snuffed it out with a seven-yard scoring run on their ensuing possession.
The Tigers’ defense and special teams then got in on the action as they forced a fumble and returned it for a score and then returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown.
Dilley ran more plays, had more rushing yards and first downs than Tidehaven but couldn’t finish drives in dropping the area decision.
The Wolves finished with 319 yards of total offense and 17 first downs while the Tigers tallied 363 total yards and 16 first downs.
Lambert led Dilley with 167 yards of total offense and a touchdown.
The Wolves also eclipsed another feat this season that they hadn’t accomplished since 1996 with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Reyes and Lambert. Reyes closed out the year with 1,119 yards and 19 touchdowns while Lambert went for 1,054 and 15 touchdowns.
The last Dilley pair to accomplish that was Juan Rodriguez and Meme Montoya.
In the Tidehaven loss, Reyes was limited to 43 yards on 11 carries while three other runners had over 30 yards apiece.
Rodriguez also had 82 yards of total offense.
The Wolves closed out their best season since 2013 when they made a two-game playoff run and finished 8-4 overall. Dilley went 9-3 this year and were 5-1 in District 15-3A, Division II, finishing as the league runners-up. The Wolves topped Odem 47-35 in their bi-district playoff.