Mustangs’ defense seals win against Lions

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The Nixon-Smiley Mustangs extended their winning to two games with their 21-19 win over the YMLA Lions at Alamo Stadium Friday, Oct. 18.

The Mustangs got scoring from three different players: Garet Gonzales, Julian Amaya and Eric Rodriguez.

“It started off from the line getting their blocks and our backs doing what they do best, and running the ball down their throat,” Amaya said.

The Mustangs offensive line helped their running backs get key first downs and kill the clock against YMLA.

“The offensive line did absolutely amazing. I feel like we came off the ball hard. We did our jobs, and even though there were some misplaced, we still won the game,” offense linemen Gavino Moreno said.

Running back Joe White said his team’s offense stepped up against the Lions and did what they had to do to get the win.

The defense forced multiple turnovers, getting three interceptions by Gonzales, Adrian Zamora and the game-sealing turnover by Tristen Mikesh and fumble recovery by Nicholas Martinez.

“Coach got on us at halftime. We picked it up. We came together as a team. We ended up pulling it off at the end,” Mikesh said.

Mustangs Timothy McGlothine, Daivian Ramos, Ray Paez and Carson Rhodes all recorded double-digit tackles against YMLA.

Mustangs head football coach Paul Kirby was really proud of how the team performed in a tight, close game against the Lions, especially how the defense sealed the win.

“Coach McElroy is my dude. I can't tell you enough how amazing he is each week. He works his butt off harder and harder. He gets these guys ready to go, adjusting. They adjust well and they understand the game a lot better than they ever have, so it's a big deal,” Kirby said.

Kirby gave credit to Coach Tony Green and his YMLA coaching staff for playing a hard-fought game to the end and said they have a bright future.

“I really expected a dog fight tonight. Offensively, they were definitely holding the ball a lot longer than I expected it; the same with us. I mean, that's one of our staples is to control the clock. So it was dogfight, and it was a fun game. So it was really good to see a true end of the game, watching our defense just hold down and keep them from scoring at the end,” Kirby said.

The Mustangs will be taking on a familiar team in the Dilley Wolves; Nixon-Smiley is 9-7 overall against the Wolves since 1997.

“I think we are going to have another tough war of attrition against them. It's probably going to go down the wire, and he's really need to make sure we control the ball, no mistakes. If we can get that perfect game that we're striving for, it's usually unattainable, but the perfect game is what we're working for. We talk about enthusiasm, excitement and execution leads to excellence, and that's something that every week is getting better and better we're excited,” Kirby said.

The Dilley game kicks off at Mustang Stadium at 7 p.m.

--STATS—

OFFENSE:

Passing:

Rodriguez: 2/2 for 39 yards passing

Rushing:

Gonzales: 14 carries for 133 yards and one touchdown

White: 11 carries for 56 yards.

Amaya: 11 carries for 50 yards.

Rodriguez: eight carries for seven yards

Receiving:

Mikesh: one reception for 33 yards.

White: one reception for five yards.

DEFENSE:

Tackles:

McGlothine: 13 total tackles

Ramos, R. Paez and K Rhodes: 10 total tackles

Amaya and John Garza: nine total tackles

Jalyun Rodriguez: eight total tackles

Gonzales: seven total tackles

Martinez: five total tackles

Rodriguez and Khali Jantes: four total tackles

Zamora: three total tackles

Mystik Swenson: two total tackles

Jaydin Munoz, Henry Benavediz and Noe Hernandez: one total tackle

Tackles for a Loss:

Ramos: two tackles for a loss

Paez and J. Garza: one tackle for a loss

QB hurries:

Garza: one quarterback hurries

Interception:

Zamora, G. Gonzales and T. Mikesh: one interception

Fumble recovery:

Martinez: one fumble recovery

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