Bobcats battle past Coyotes for district win

EDINBURG — The Edinburg High Bobcats defense pitched a shutout and their offense got hot late in a 20-0 win over La Joya High in District 31-6A action Thursday at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

The Bobcats found their rhythm offensively during the second half behind the play of running back Giovanni Villasana and quarterback JT Santa Maria, who kept the chains moving through the air and on the ground.

Edinburg High’s JT Santa Maria, right., carries a La Joya defender Ezekiel Hernandez , left, during a game at Richard R Flores Stadium Thursday Oct.17 2024 in Edinburg. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])

Santa Maria started the scoring for Edinburg with an 8-yard touchdown run with 36 seconds left in the second quarter for a 6-0 lead at the half. He then connected with tight end Seth Hernandez early in the fourth quarter for an 11-yard touchdown on a play-action pass and converted a two-point conversion with a strike to Luis Cisneros.

Villasana put the finishing touches on the Bobcats’ victory with a 5-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter to make it a 20-0 game.

Edinburg High’s Giovanni Villasana, right, runs past La Joy’s defenders Ismael ‘Niko’ Garza, left, and Steven Ramirez, right, during a game at Richard R Flores Stadium Thursday Oct.17 2024 in Edinburg. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])

The Bobcats defense also played a near perfect second half.

La Joya had three offensive possessions during the third and fourth quarters but the Bobcats defense ended them all by forcing two turnovers on downs and an interception from linebacker Moises Hernandez to close the show.

The Edinburg win snaps a two-game skid as they improve to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in district play. Next for the Bobcats is a rivalry game against Edinburg Economedes (4-3, 1-1) at 7:30 p.m. next Friday at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

La Joya, meanwhile, drops to 0-7 on the  year and 0-2 in 31-6A competition. The Coyotes move on to face Edinburg North (2-4, 0-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday at La Joya Stadium in La Joya.