With Jaxxon Marie out, the Gobblers are taking the next man up approach and have turned the offense over to Jayce Guajardo. The sophomore responded by going 6 of 10 for 175 yards and 2 touchdowns, propelling the Gobbler’s second half comeback against the Harlingen Cardinals on Friday night.
“I think the kids have confidence in Jayce,” said Coach Fikac. “He’s done a really good job on JV, and the kids saw him throughout the course of the week in practice, and his preparation and his seriousness about getting the job done for the guys,” he added.
The Gobblers found themselves down early after a fumble on the opening play, which the Cardinals recovered. A few plays later, quarterback Hassan Woolery found a hole on the left side and scored from three yards out, giving the Cardinals a 7-0 lead.
The Gobblers drove the ball inside Harlingen’s 20 yard line before the offense stalled, setting up a failed field goal attempt. The score remained 7-0.
The Gobblers defense, led by tackles from Aiden Stafford and Tony Perez, forced the Cardinals into a three and out on their next drive, forcing a punt.
On 2nd and 4, Guajardo found Brayden Hernandez on a screen pass. Hernandez would outrun defenders, before being pushed out of bounds at the 11. The drive would stall, setting up Mejia from 24 yards out. His kick was good and the Gobblers trailed 7-3 with 42 seconds left in the 1st quarter.
The Cardinals drove to the Cuero 30, before Trevor Seals forced a fumble on a sack. It was recovered by Tony Perez.
The Gobblers would give the ball back a few plays later on an interception by Julisses Garza. Big runs by Woolery, on 3rd and 25, and running back Noah Huerta, would set up the Cardinals in scoring territory. Woolery would find the endzone again, from five yards out, making the score 14-3, with 1:23 left before halftime.
The Cuero defense would take over in the second half, continuing to put pressure on Woolery. A Kason Roy sack ended the Cardinals opening drive of the third quarter. The Gobblers would capitalize, finding the endzone on a 45-yard touchdown on a slant from Guajardo to Hernandez. The play was set up by a drive-extending run on 4th and 3 by SeanDylan Salazar. The score was 1410.
The Cardinals ended the third quarter driving the ball deep into Cuero territory. Cash Cooper and Kason Roy sacked Woolery on 3rd and 20, forcing a punt.
A few plays later, Guajardo would hit Hernandez across the middle of the field for a 43 yard gain. After a screen to Walker Dietze for a 13 yard gain, the Gobblers ran a similar play to the other side of the field. This time Guajardo pumpfaked the screen to Dietze and found Hernandez, who had leaked upfield, for a 26 yard touchdown. The Gobblers lead 17-14 with 6:12 left in the 4th quarter.
The Gobblers defense forced another Harlingen 3 and out. Cornerback Jordan Mays came up with a big tackle on 3rd down, forcing a punt.
Davyon Varela sealed the game for the Gobblers, scoring on a 37 yard run to make the final score 2414. He finished the night with 16 carries for 99 yards and a touchdown. Receiver Brayden Hernandez led the Gobbler’s attack with 6 receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns.
“It’s been good. I just kept doing my thing, running my routes and getting open for my quarterback,” said Hernandez.
The Gobblers open up District against the Rockport- Fulton Pirates at Gobbler Stadium, Friday night.
