Mules vs. Sweetwater (9-4-2015)

Mules vs. Sweetwater (9-4-2015)

The Mules were able to move the ball almost at will against the Sweetwater Mustangs Friday night but struggled crossing the goal line. The Mules opening drive went inside the 10 of the Mustangs but an interception turned the ball over at the Sweetwater five-yard line.

Three plays later the Mustangs were in the Mule end zone. The final play of the drive was an 89-yard pass and run. The two-point conversion was good and the Mustangs led 8-0.

The Mustangs went on to score four more touchdowns to defeat the Mules 36-14.

“We had 500 yards of offense Friday night against a highly rated class 4-A team,” said Mule head coach David Wood. “That is always good news. The bad news was we had a tough time scoring.”

“Sweetwater was able to score from any place on the field and that certainly got in our heads. I admit that I quit punting because of it. I felt we needed to try to use all four downs to keep our drives going and keep the ball away from them.”

“We learned from this game that we need to just keep playing our game and not get down on our selves. We will be better because of this game.”

The Mustangs had two more drives in the opening period. A four-play 54-yard drive gave Sweetwater a 14-0 advantage with 2:02 remaining in the first quarter. The Mustangs’ final drive of the first period was capped with a 52-yard run. The drive took four plays for 71 yards and the Mustangs led 22-0 with ten seconds left in the opening quarter.

Sweetwater opened the second period with four-play 57-yard drive that ended with a six yard run. The Mustangs led 30-0 with 9:56 left in the half. That was the final score of the first half.

The Mules opened the second half with a 13-play scoring drive that covered 67 yards. Danny Campos completed a nine-yard pass to Jason Florez for the Mules first touchdown. Felipe Guerrero booted the point after and the Mules trailed 30-7 with 26 seconds left in the third period.

Sweetwater scored on a nine-yard pass with 8:11 left in the game to complete an 11-play 74-yard drive. The two-point conversion failed and the Mules trailed 36-7.

It only took the Mules one play to score the final TD of the game. Campos again connected with Florez for a 50-yard pass and run. Guerrero’s kick was good to end all scoring.

Campos completed 32 of 55 passing attempts for 346 yards, two TDs and had two passes intercepted. Florez led the Mules with 11 receptions for 126 yards and two TDs, Tony Castillo made eight catches for 103 yards and Mario Flores had four receptions for 40 yards. Five other Mules had one or more receptions for a total of 83 yards.

Evan Paez led the Mules in rushing with 13 carries for 75 yards, Josh Lopez rushed nine times for 38 yards and Jose Mendoza carried three times for 26 yards. Campos had four yards rushing and Florez ran once for 11 yards.

Javy Perez led the Mule defense with 11 tackles, Tony Vasquez made nine stops and broke up three pass and Mendoza had nine tackles with three being for losses. Donovan Gutierrez also made nine tackles with two being for losses and mad two quarterback hurries.

Paez made seven tackles with two being on special teams and one for a loss. Dagen Dunham finished with six tackles with one being for a loss, one being a sack and blocked two passes.

The Mules will host the Seagraves Eagles Friday night in the Mules’ home opener. Game time is 7:30 in Benny Douglas Stadium.      

JV Mules vs. Sweetwater (9-3-2015)

JV Mules vs. Sweetwater (9-3-2015)

The Sweetwater Mustangs scored on the first play of the second period to lead the JV Mules 30-0 with 9:52 remaining in the first half. The Mules rallied back with three touchdowns but fell to defeat 48-18.

The Mustangs picked off a Mule pass and at the Mule 45. Despite back-to-back defensive stops by Fidel Mendoza and Joe Waggoner the Mustangs scored on a roll-out pass with 7:03 left in the opening period. The two-point conversion was good and the Mustangs led 8-0.

A bad snap cost the Mules 29 yards on the next series. It took the Mustangs four plays to score their second TD and lead the Mules 14-0 with 3:51 remaining in the first period.

The Mules fumbled the ensuing onside kick and Sweetwater recovered on the Mule 49. Six plays later the Mustangs scored on a 15-yard pass to increase their lead to 22-0 over the Mules with 1:17 still on the clock in the first quarter.

The Mules handled the onside kick but fumbled on their second play and the Mustangs recovered on the Sweetwater 44.

In the final three plays of the first period the Mustangs marched to the Mule eight. Sweetwater scored on the first play of the second period to claim a 30-0 advantage.

The Mustangs continued to kickoff onsides but the Mules handled the kick and started their first scoring drive on the Mule 48. Brenden Mehl connected with Sergio Solano for four yards.

Mehl looked deeper on second down and found Isaac Mendoza open for a 25-yard gain. Solano went up the middle for three yards and five yards. Mehl sneaked for a first down at the Sweetwater 12.

Back-to-back penalties on the Mustangs advanced the Mules to the Sweetwater three-yard line. Tim Perez broke in to the end zone with 5:13 left in the first half. The Mules trailed 30-6.

It was the Mustangs’ turn to fumble a kickoff and the Mules recovered on the Sweetwater 36.

Mehl tossed to Jo-Jo Rejino for nine yards on second down. Mendoza scored up the middle on a 27-yard jaunt. The two-point conversion failed and the Mules trailed 30-12 with 4:35 still showing in the first half.

Justin Carrion kicked off for the Mules to the Sweetwater 21. Mickey Lozano made the stop at the Mustang 35.

The Mustangs marched down field and scored on a 10-yard run with 1:25 left in the first half. The Mustangs led 36-12. The Mustangs scored once more with just four seconds left in the first half to lead the Mules 42-12 at the half.

The Mustangs scored first in the third period on a 34-yard run to lead the Mules 48-12 with 6:23 left in the third quarter.

The Mules forced the Mustangs to punt in the fourth period. I. Mendoza returned the punt from midfield to the Sweetwater 27.

Waggoner carried up the middle for nine and three yards to the Mustang 15. Mehl tossed to Lozano for six yards and to Jacob Kettner for six more yards. I. Mendoza caught Mehl’s pass in the back corner of the end zone for the final TD of the game as time expired.

Isaac Mendoza led the Mules in tackles with 15 solo tackles, made five assists and broke up one pass. Jeremiah Smith and Mickey Lozano each made 15 tackles and three quarterback hurries. Zack Atwood had 15 tackles with four being for losses and Jacob Kettner made 15 stops.

The Mules will travel to Seagraves to play the Eagles at 7:00 PM.  

9th Mules vs. Sweetwater (9-3-2015)

9^th Mules vs. Sweetwater (9-3-2015)

The freshmen Mules made it clear Thursday afternoon they had not enjoyed the tie they had experienced in the Levelland game. The class 4-4 Sweetwater Mustangs fell victim to a 36-0 thumping by the Mules.

Ryan Rodriguez served notice on the first play of the game that the Mules were ready to defend their home field. Rodriguez blitzed and made the stop for a Mustang six-yard loss. Sweetwater never seemed to recover and turned the ball over on downs at the Mustang 43.

A strong dose of power running by Corbin Hardwick and Rodriguez pounded the Mules down the field despite having to overcome a holding penalty. A wide-receiver screen from Luke Del Toro to Rodriguez was good for nine yards to the Mustang six.

Del Toro kept the ball for the final yardage and the Mules first touchdown with 2:44 remaining in the opening period. The two-point conversion failed and the Mules led 6-0.

The Mules had a miscue early in the second period when the Mustangs intercepted a fourth-down pass on the Sweetwater 15.

Two plays later the Mules returned the favor with Izaiah Hurtado picking off a pass and returned 23 yards for a defensive touchdown with 7:24 left in the half. Del Toro connected with Hurtado for the two-point conversion and a 14-0 Mule lead.

The Mustangs continued to struggle to get their offense untracked and were forced to punt. The ball rolled dead on the Mule 18.

The Mules gained a first down on a run by Rodriguez. On the next play Yoel Reyes stepped back from his wide-receiver position and raced back toward Del Toro going the opposite direction.

Reyes took a soft pitch from Del Toro and continued on a wide loop around the opposite end of the Mule offense than where he started. He scampered 70 yards for a touchdown with 4:05 still on the clock in the first half. Keaton Myers stepped in at quarterback and found Hurtado in the end zone for the two-point conversion and a 22-0 Mule lead.

Following the intermission, Hardwick made runs of 11 and eight yards to start the third period. Rodriguez stepped in at quarterback and zipped up the middle for a 47-yard touchdown to extend the Mule lead to 28-0 with 6:34 left in the third period.

The Mustangs gained a first down before Rigo Mendoza and Ean Hasley set them back. The defensive pressure may have led to the Mustang second interception of the game on the Mule 31.

Brady Martinez found a crease up the middle and zipped 39 yards to the Mustang 30. Then Del Toro spun out of a tackle for six yards before Hurtado kept wide left for 14 yards. Del Toro capped off the drive with a 10-yard toss to Reyes over the middle for the final Mule TD. Del Toro added the two-point conversion with 3:13 remaining in the third period for a 36-0 Mule lead.

The Mules were content to just allow the final period to run down and ended the game with a victory knee.

The Mules will hit the road for the first time this season and will travel to Idalou to play the Wildcats Thursday afternoon at 5:00 PM.

Mules vs. Levelland (8-28-2015)

Mules vs. Levelland (8-28-2015)

The Mules arrived at the newly finished Levelland Lobo Stadium having read the regional newspaper with every sports writer picking the Lobos to win. The returning Lobo quarterback’s picture was on the front page of various preseason football publications.

But the Mules had other plans for Friday night that did not include showcasing the Lobos in the new facilities. The Mule defense served notice early that they had come to play and the Mule offense fed off the aggressiveness of the defense.

The Mules only trailed for two plays during the 48-minute game. Levelland returned a fumble 70-yards for a touchdown. The Swinging Gate play added the two-point conversion and the Lobos led the Mules 8-7 with 2:48 remaining in the first period.

Just 29 seconds, enough time for a kickoff and two plays, the Mules scored with a 71-yard pass and run from Danny Campos to Jason Florez. That combination worked twice more to spur the Mules to a 43-15 win.

Levelland took the opening kick from the Lobo 40 to the Mule six in 10 plays that included a 25-yard pass for a first down on fourth down. That is where the Mule defense got stingy. Dagen Dunham batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage on first down.

Nick Gerber, the Lobo quarterback, was pursued by Dunham, Cameron Hardwick and Mario Flores on second down and tossed the ball out of bounds. Tony Vasquez got his hand in front of the Lobo receiver in the end zone on third down and ripped the ball away. Dunham launched his 6-4 frame and knocked the ball down at the line of scrimmage.

The Mules took over on downs. The Mules appeared to be headed for three-and-out but an illegal substitution gave the Mules new life on fourth down. A special pass play sent a pass to Flores for a 29-yard gain.

Campos put his foot down on the Mules’ NASCAR offense and they raced quickly to the line and snapped the ball. Josh Lopez bounced off two would be tacklers for 14 yards. The Mules stayed with the hurry-up offense and Campos kept the ball for 10 yards.

Tony Castillo lined up as the lone receiver on the right side of the formation. He ran by his defender and Campos dropped the ball in his hands at the Lobo five-yard line.

Castillo slipped away from his defender a second time and was in the end zone for a 27-yard passing touchdown. Felipe Guerrero’s point after kick was good and the Mules led 7-0 with 5:50 left in the first period.

Following the Mule kickoff the Lobos could not get on track and were forced to punt. The Mules were marching down the field when Florez made the catch on a wide-receiver screen. He was stripped of the ball. Tandon Jones scooped up the loose ball and raced 70 yards for the Lobo’s first tally. The two-point conversion gave the Lobos a short-lived lead.

Two plays later the Mules were back on top to stay with the Florez 71-yard reception.

Levelland only had the ball for two plays following the Mule kickoff. Dillon Miller brought the pressure and hit Gerber just as he threw an incomplete pass. The memory of Miller’s hit may have been on Gerber’s mind as he let the pass fly on second down.

Aaryn Ross stepped in front of the intended receiver for the interception. Ross made the catch at the Mule 40 and returned 20 yards to the Levelland 40.

Campos escaped the Lobo blitz and slid to his left before firing a strike to Tre Villa at the Lobo five. A Lobo defender managed to get a hand on Campos pass to the end zone but Dunham made the adjustment and caught the wobbly pass.

Guerrero booted the point after to increase the Mules’ lead to 21-7.

The Campos-Florez connection added a 15-yard TD pass just after the second period began. The scoring toss capped off an eight-play 48-yard drive. Campos tossed to Lopez for the two-point conversion that gave the Mules a 28-8 lead.

Ross second interception gave the Mules the ball on the Mule 26. Campos and Florez hooked up for the third time with a one-play 74 yard touchdown pass and run. Guerrero’s kick was good for a 36-8 Mule lead with 4:41 left in the first half.

The Lobos’ only offensive score came on a 24-yard scoring strike from Gerber to Jones with just over three and half minutes left in the half. The Mules led 36-15 at the intermission.

The only score of the second half came after heavy down pour during and after the break. Campos scored on a two-yard run to complete a nine-play 59-yard drive. Guerrero’s kick was good.

The Mules rolled up a total yardage of 619 yards with 365 being through the air and 254 rushing. Campos connected on 19 of 31 attempts with seven receivers for five touchdowns and ran for another. He also passed for a two-point conversion and ran for another.

Florez had six receptions for 173 yards and three TDs. Flores made two catches for 57 yards, Villa had three receptions for 37 yards and Ross had two catches for 37 yards. Castillo made a pair of catches for 48 yards and one touchdown. Dunham made two catches for 10 yards and one score. Lopez made one catch for three yards.

Lopez rushed 15 times for 78 yards, Evan Paez carried four times for 73 yards and Campos rushed nine times for 57 yards.

The Mule defense held Levelland to 41 yards rushing and 267 yards passing for a total of 308 yards. The Mules recovered two fumbles and intercepted four passes.

Paez led the Mules with eight tackles with three being on special teams and Javy Perez made seven. Jose Mendoza had six tackles with one being for a loss, one sack, broke up four passes and caused or recovered a fumble.

Castillo made six tackles, broke up a pass and caused or recovered a fumble. Hardwick also had six tackles, two for losses, one sack, a big hit and four quarterback hurries. Flores made five stops, had one sack, two quarterback hurries and caused or recovered a fumble. Ross also made five tackles and intercepted two passes. 

Vasquez had four tackles, broke up two passes, caused or recovered a fumble and intercepted two passes. Matt Flores and Bryce Mauricio made three special teams tackles each.

The Mules schedule gets no easier in week two when they make the long trip to Sweetwater to battle the highly ranked class 4A Mustangs. Game time is 7:30 PM in Mustang Bowl.   

JV Mules vs. Levelland (8-27-2015)

JV Mules vs. Levelland (8-27-2015)

The junior varsity Mules scored the first 20 points of the game against the Levelland Lobos. The two failed two-point conversions cost the Mules at least a tie with the class 4A Lobos. The Lobos scored the final 24 points to defeat the Mules 24-20.

The two teams battled through the first period with neither team scoring. The Mule defense forced the Lobos to punt two plays into the second quarter. The punt rolled out of bounds at the Lobo 45.

Brenden Mehl rolled right looking for a receiver and scrambled for nine yards. A facemask penalty cost the Lobos 15 yards and advanced the Mules to the Lobo 14. Mehl scrambled for two yards on first down.

Sergio Solana gave a head fake to the inside and broke hard to the front corner of the end zone. Mehl delivered a strike to Solano for a touchdown with 8:44 remaining in the first half. The two-point conversion failed and the Mules led 6-0.

The Mules kicked off and the Lobos started a drive on the Levelland 32. After six plays the Lobos were on the Mule 35. Tim Perez blasted the Lobo receiver two-yards behind the line of scrimmage.

Mehl intercepted a Lobo pass on the Mule 15. Joe Waggoner went up the middle for six yards. Israel Vasquez went wide around the right side. He triggered the afterburner as he cut up the field. Vasquez out raced the Lobos 79 yards for a touchdown with 4:44 remaining in the first half.

The Mules two-point conversion attempt failed and the Mules led 12-0.

Levelland could not move the ball after the Mule kickoff and punted to the Mule end zone.

Mehl connected with Vasquez for five yards. Mehl then scrambled up the middle for five yards and a first down. Vasquez was brought down by his facemask on his next run and the penalty advanced the Mules to near midfield.

Mehl, Vasquez and Waggoner continued to chip away at the yardage until the Mules had reached the Lobo 25. Solano ran a slant over the middle and Mehl shot him the ball for a 25-yard Mule TD. Mehl scrambled wide right for the two-point conversion. The Mules had increased their advantage to 20-0.

The Mule defense seemed to take a break after the Mule kicked off. The Lobo quarterback was quick as well as fast. He scrambled for 31 yards on first down. The Mules held for three downs with Jeremiah Smith breaking up a pass and Waggoner and Zack Atwood both made stops for no gain.

The Lobo quarterback scrambled to the Mule end zone with no time remaining in the first half. The two-point conversion was good and the Mules led 20-8 at the intermission.

The Mule offense could not get untracked in the second half while the Lobos scored twice and added both two-point conversions to defeat the Mules.

The Mules will host a second class 4A school Thursday when the Sweetwater Mustangs visit Benny Douglas Stadium.