Second-half explosion soars Falcons past Rivera on the road

BROWNSVILLE —Los Fresnos poured in four second-half goals as the Falcons soared past the Brownsville Rivera Raiders 4-2 during a District 32-6A contest Friday at Brownsville Rivera.

The victory marks the first by the Falcons over the Raiders in just more than two years, last beating Rivera on Feb. 22, 2021.

Los Fresnos Aidan Lopez (16) attempts to get past the Brownsville Rivera defense during a District 32-6A contest Friday at Rivera HS. (Miguel Roberts | Brownsville Herald)

“Coming in we knew that we were a good team,” Los Fresnos head coach Michael Miller said. “We had some results that didn’t go our way. We played good our last game against Harlingen. Mistakes just cost us. We knew we could play at this level and with a team like this. We just needed to prove that to ourselves and the boys did that tonight. Super proud of them. Rivera is a heck of a team. … To respond like we did tonight, with a lot of heart and guts after not having won in two years, just super proud of these boys.”

After a scoreless first half, the Raiders broke the tie just five minutes into the second period, with Manuel Medina curving a ball over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net to make it 1-0.

The Falcons were unfazed by the Raiders’ score, tying the game just 10 minutes later on a goal by Josh Trejo.

Trejo’s goal opened the floodgates for the Falcons, who netted three more goals to take a commanding 4-1 lead.

Alexis Escobedo gave the Falcons the lead during the 23rd minute, corralling a deflected corner kick and tapping it in for the score.

Senior captain J.J. Contreras helped the Falcons extend their lead during the 32nd minute, hitting Gio Barrientos in stride, leaving him with just the goalkeeper to beat for the goal.

Contreras put the final touches on the Falcons’ victory during the 34th minute, earning a PK after drawing a foul inside the box. He followed it up by converting the ensuing shot attempt to all but seal Los Fresnos’ win.

The Raiders cut into the deficit on a goal by Isai Colunga with five minutes remaining, but it proved to be too little, too late, with the Falcons’ defense buckling down to hold on for the win.

A Los Fresnos defender blankets Brownsville Rivera’s Manuel Medina during a District 32-6A contest Friday at Rivera HS. (Miguel Roberts | Brownsville Herald)

“The lead never feels safe here, but the way the defense played, we limited their chances,” Miller said. “Once we got that third one we felt pretty good, but I remember my first year we were up 3-0 and they came back. They’re a great team so we’re just happy to get three points finally and sneak ourselves back into that district race.”

Rivera’s loss marks its first district defeat of the year, and it fell into a tie for first with Harlingen High. The Falcons, meanwhile, kept their district title hopes alive while also creating distance for third place in the district.

The Raiders (5-1-0) continue district play at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, taking on San Benito (1-3-2) at Bobby Morrow Stadium in San Benito.

The Falcons (3-2-1) play a second straight road contest to open the second round of district, taking on Weslaco High (0-5-1) at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco.

“We’re still looking at the big picture,” Miller said. “This means nothing because we’re still in third place after tonight. We feel better about where we are after beating a great team. It is more about giving ourselves belief going into the playoffs. District is going to fall where district falls. Our goal is to go 5-0 this round after a disappointing first round, but ultimately what we want it to make that playoff run and when you can win in Rivera you can win anywhere in the state.”

ivan@themonitor.com

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