BY MARIO AGUIRRE
Special to RGVSports.com
If Friday’s season opener against McAllen High was like a boxing match, Los Fresnos’ David Cantu thought his players did fine in withstanding some early punches.
The Falcons gave up the game’s opening touchdown, and an ensuing two-point conversion. And after answering with a touchdown of their own, the Bulldogs blocked the extra-point kick and took it 85 yards for an extra two points.
Discouraging? For some.
But the No. 7-ranked team in the RGVSports.com 5A/6A Preseason Poll showed their resiliency, scoring 37 unanswered points to secure a 43-10 victory at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
“We just had to weather the storm,” Cantu said. “We stayed calm and stuck with the game plan.”
Robert Pineda led the charge, scoring twice on the ground and once in the air. In his third season as the starter under center, the junior scored on a 27-yard run early during the third quarter and capped the period with a 1-yard TD for a 40-10 advantage with 4 seconds remaining.
It marked Los Fresnos’ sixth consecutive season-opening victory, and their fourth under Cantu’s direction.
Defensively, Cade Stumbaugh made his mark by scoring off a blocked punt and recovering an interception that set up a Falcons touchdown four plays later. The junior safety is the grandson of Valley coaching great Monty Stumbaugh.
During an unusual sequence midway through the first quarter, on fourth-and-15 from their own 33-yard line, the Bulldogs’ low snap forced Joaquin Valdez to scramble and punt against the outreached arms of middle linebacker Joseph Reyna. That’s when Stumbaugh snatched the blocked punt midair and plunged 10 yards to the end zone to cut the deficit 8-6.
“That was a huge play. We needed that,” Cantu said. “We don’t call it our special teams. They’re our birds of prey. They’re always looking for a big play.”
On the Falcons’ extra-point attempt, Cash Frisby blocked the kick and Fabian Robledo recovered it for an 85-yard, two-point defensive conversion that bumped their lead 10-6.
That was the last time the Bulldogs scored.
Pineda connected with Ricardo Salazar on a 5-yard pass, Diego Torres scored on a 3-yard run and Josh Limones’ 8-yard run following Stumbaugh’s interception put the Falcons ahead 33-10. Pineda followed with a quarterback sneak to the end zone, before the reserve signal callers checked into the game for the final period.
Los Fresnos plays host to McAllen Rowe next Friday in its home opener. It marks the second of six non-district games, before the Falcons open their four-game District 32-6A slate at home against San Benito on Oct. 18. After that, they face Brownsville Veterans, Harlingen High and Brownsville Hanna, respectively.
“We’re just trying to get better,” said Cantu, whose team has had a winning season in each of his first three years with the Falcons after inheriting a 2-4 squad. “We definitely want to stay very humble after this victory and learn from it. Who we play next, that makes no difference. It’s just a matter of developing and getting better everyday.”
McHi remains home next week to take on PSJA Memorial. It travels to Edcouch-Elsa in Week 3 to close out non-district. The Bulldogs’ seven-game District 16-5A Division I schedule begins Sept. 20 against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln.
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