Veterans Memorial 'speechless' after reaching Texas high school football semifinals for first time

BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS — All eyes were on Corpus Christi Miller and PSJA North heading into the Class 5A Division I Texas high school football playoffs.

The Buccaneers and Raiders were the consensus top two teams in Region IV-5A Division I all year long, with the two teams seemingly headed towards a fourth-round clash.

Lurking under the radar, however, were the Brownsville Veterans Chargers. The District 16-5A DI champions shocked South Texas by dominating state-ranked PSJA North on the road last week.

They continued to turn doubters into believers Friday, using a four-touchdown second half by quarterback Storm Montoya to overcome a three-score deficit and take down the Buccaneers 35-28 during the Region IV-5A championship game at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville.

The victory advances the Chargers to the state semifinals for the first time in program history, set to take on Smithson Valley in the Class 5A DI state semis at 7 p.m. Friday at Buccaneer Stadium in Corpus Christi.

“I’m just speechless right now,” Montoya said. “I’m very emotional right now. I just dedicate this win to my parents and the Brownsville community. Nobody thinks much of us. I want to help us make a name for ourselves. I do this for them. I do this for our seniors. I’m just so proud of my team right now.”

The Chargers entered the second half trailing 14-0, with turnovers dooming three of their first half drives.

An 80-yard kickoff return by Miller’s Corey Holmes to start the second half silenced the Chargers’ faithful for a moment, with their team suddenly facing a three-touchdown hole.

The Chargers didn’t falter, however, with a two-yard touchdown run by Montoya with 4:18 left in the third reviving the crowd, with chants of “Si se puede” echoing throughout the stadium as the Chargers cut their deficit to 14.

“We had a never give up mentality,” Montoya said. “We had a lot of determination to win this game. We wanted this for our seniors and our community, so I had to do my part.”

Disaster struck for the Chargers again with 18 seconds remaining in the third, with Holmes coming up with a catch in the endzone of a deflected pass to give the Buccaneers a 28-7 lead heading into the final period.

Montoya wasn’t letting his team go down without a fight, however, breaking a 15-yard touchdown run with 9:44 left to make it 28-14.

The score sparked a dominant end to the game for the Chargers, with the defense stepping up next. Just three plays after Montoya’s touchdown, defensive back Eroz Pineda picked off Miller quarterback Trevor Long.

Montoya rumbled in from 15 yards for his third touchdown after Pineda’s interception, making it 28-21 with 7:46 remaining.

A forced punt by the Chargers’ defense put the ball back in Montoya’s hands with five minutes remaining with the game-tying touchdown in sights.

The Chargers marched 50 yards down the field behind timely passes from Montoya and a dominant rushing attack, capping the drive with a 2-yard touchdown plunge by the quarterback to tie the game with 1:51 left.

Montoya finished the game with 16 carries for 111 yards and four touchdowns, also adding 81 yards through the air.

“We came back after the first half after having some fumbles,” Montoya said. “I had some mental mistakes, but I told my team I wasn’t going to let them down. I gotta give props to my O-line. I couldn’t have done this without them.”

The Chargers’ offense went to work once again after a forced fumble by their defense, taking over at their own 32 with less than a minute remaining.

Cool and collected, the Chargers marched down the field, taking the lead on 20-yard touchdown run by Gilbert Trillo with just 25 seconds remaining.

“Coach actually let us call that last play,” Trillo said. “We knew we had the blockers. He trusted us and my blockers did everything for me to be able to just walk in.”

The Buccaneers got one last chance to tie the game, throwing the ball into the end zone as time expired, but Trillo was there to break it up and secure the victory.

The senior do-it-all athlete finished the contest with 19 carries for 123 yards and a score, adding a fumble recovery and pass breakup on defense.

The loss marked the first of the year for the Buccaneers, finishing 13-1 overall.

The victory makes the Chargers just the fourth RGV team to advance to the state semifinals. They’re the first Valley team since the 2003 Port Isabel Tarpons to reach the elusive state semis.

“We’re feeling great,” Trillo said. “We’re heading to the fifth round. It is so fun. We know we have a tough team next week. Any team that makes it to the fifth round is tough, but right now, it is just an amazing feeling.”

-- Ivan Palacios | @sblivetx