Undefeated Cigarroa beats rival Laredo Martin 28-21 with second-half comeback (Photos)

The Toros rallied to score 14 points during the fourth quarter to beat their crosstown rivals and remain unbeaten atop the District 13-5A DI standings

Author:
Clara Sandoval
Publish date:
Oct 1, 2022 2:37 AM EDT

LAREDO, Texas — Laredo Cigarroa had its hands full Friday night in a defensive duel against rival Laredo Martin.

But in a back-and-forth battle at Shirley Field, the Toros reeled off 14 unanswered points during the second half to secure a 28-21 Cigarroa victory over the Tigers.

The win against Martin helped Cigarroa stay undefeated, improving to 5-0 overall and maintaining a perfect mark in district play to keep pace in the District 13-5A DI championship race midway through the 2022 Texas high school football season.

Ya-aqob Lozano, Mr. Everything for Laredo Cigarroa, had another monster game.

With Laredo Martin threatening to score from inside the red zone during the first quarter, Lozano intercepted Tigers quarterback Charlie Cortina and returned it for a 99-yard defensive touchdown to give the Toros an early 14-0 edge.

Laredo Martin had the momentum during the opening quarter, though, as the Tigers broke off some big runs by captain Christopher Dillard and James Villarreal.

Dillard moved the ball inside the 10-yard line for Laredo Martin on its opening drive, as the Toros defense had a hard time slowing him down.

Villarreal came into the game and finished off what Dillard had started with a 3-yard touchdown run, as Laredo Martin took a 7-0 first-quarter lead after the extra point was booted in by Roger Cranston.

Lozano opened the Toros' first drive with some extra effort to jockey for more yardage for Cigarroa's offense.

On the fourth play of the drive for the Toros, Lozano expertly kept his balance while shaking off defenders and not hitting the ground to pick up 25 yards after contact as he plowed through the Tigers' defense.

The Laredo Martin defense stopped, thinking Lozano’s knee had touched the ground, but it never did and he sprinted down the sideline for a 45-yard run to put the ball on the 6-yard line for the Toros.

A penalty was assessed to the Laredo Martin sideline, which argued that Lozano’s knee was down by contact.

Sophomore running back Edwin Reyes muscled his way in for a 6-yard touchdown run to knot up the game at 7-7 during the opening quarter with 3:28 remaining on the clock.

Laredo Cigarroa’s momentum continued into the second quarter as Lozano made that game-changing defensive play to return the ball for a 99-yard touchdown after picking off Cortina to give the Toros a 14-7 lead.

On the ensuing drive Laredo Martin came back, with Villarreal who took a hand-off from Cortina for a 65-yard touchdown run up the middle of the field as dodged and twisted his way through the Laredo Cigarroa defense to knot up the game at 14-14 with 7 minutes left in the first half.

The Tigers continued to build upon that momentum and regained the lead after a stellar defensive effort that forced a Laredo Cigarroa punt.

This time it was Dillard who got the nod in the backfield and he punched in another rushing touchdown on a 1-yard run as Laredo Martin took a 21-14 lead into halftime.

The second half was a defensive effort by both sides, but it was the Laredo Cigarroa defense that shined by shutting down the Laredo Martin offense and not allowing a single point after giving up 21 during the opening half.

The Toros opened the second half with a 10-yard touchdown run by Julio Garcia to knot up the game at 21-21 and went on to add the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Laredo Cigarroa moved the ball back inside Martin's red zone, which set up quarterback Lethan Solis to run for a 5-yard touchdown that helped the Toros reclaim a 28-21 edge early in the fourth quarter.

Cigarroa's defense then made a key stop with 3:38 remaining to seal the second-half shutout, as Laredo Martin was forced to turn the ball over on downs ending a promising potential game-tying drive during the waning moments of the fourth quarter.

Check out SBLive's exclusive photo gallery from the game:

PHOTO GALLERY — LAREDO CIGARROA 28, LAREDO MARTIN 21

All photos by Clara Sandoval