By Ed Muniz-Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill
Championship Day had arrived after two grueling days of competitive football. Five divisions of the TYFA 12th Annual “Battle at the Border” in McAllen Texas would be crowned Champions in the Tournament of the TYFA Spring Season.
After 81 games of action by 48 teams from Austin, San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley, Champions were determined in Flag, Tykes, Rookies, Junior and Senior divisions.
Taking the coveted Championship Trophy in Flag Football were the Cornerstone Warriors of San Antonio. In the Tykes division, the Judson Rockets also from San Antonio, captured the 2023 Championship.
The Harlingen Ruthless Wolfpack stood out among all the program participating, capturing three titles in Rookie, Junior and Senior divisions.
The Rookie division Ruthless Wolfpack faced off against the Willacy Gators.
As the top seed in the 9U Rookie division, they were the heavy favorites. For the Gators, under the tutelage of Head Coach Rocky Guajardo who has won two TYFA State Championships, being here was not so unexpected, but having upset the second seed in double-overtime, being in the Championship game was a triumph after the hard semi-final victory, but as the 3rd seed in the division, they were expected to compete coming in.
Starting off the game, the Wolfpack went to its offense. Using a shifty, speedy back in Sid De Leon, they managed to move the ball downfield easily.
Stacking up yards, the Wolfpack kept DeLeon active rushing for 50-yards on 6 carries. He popped off a 35-yard sprint before being tackled by Ian Chavarria.
Chavarria led the Gators tackling efforts during the open defensive stint with three solo tackles.
The Gator forced the Wolfpack in a fourth and 14. Wolfpack Quarterback’ Trigger Nieto dropped back a couple steps after the snap and launched a pass to wide open Jesiah Maldonado who hauled it in for the 15-yard score. DeLeon added the point after, giving the top seed a 7-0 lead.
Ready to showcase their offense, the Gators couldn’t come up with the onside kick and again were forced to defend a high-powered Ruthless offense, after Nijah Robinson came up with the loose ball.
Looking to add to their lead, the Wolfpack went to their ground game and even tried attacking through the air, but the Gator defense was ready and quickly forced a turnover on downs after four plays. Tackles by Josiah Anguiano and a sack by Marekson McGuire were key in the stop.
After a carry for a yard, the Gators’ Thomas Bell broke free, got to the sideline and looked about to score on the 40-yard run, but continuing his pursuit, Jesiah Moldanado snagged the Gator rusher and tripped him up 11-yards short of the goal-line.
The Gators next four tries produced negative yards as the Wolfpack defensive line was able to get through and make tackles in the Gator backfield, forcing a turnover on downs. Tackles by Moises Briones, Sid DeLeon, Rayden Rodriguez and Xavier Mendieta gave the ball back to their offense.
After two DeLeon rushes that grabbed 18-yards, Quarterback Nieto found receiver Maldonado again and connected for 57-yards which ended in the Gator endzone for the second time, upping the lead to 13-0.
“I was really focusing on the ball to help my team win,” said the sure-handed Maldonado. “I was ready for the ball, looking for it to make the catch. I was making cuts to get open. But I say blocking is what I need to do better.”
The Gators were giving their all. There was no quit in their team. Tackles by Elias Aguirre, Zackary Gomez, Bell, Trey Rincones, Aguirre, Omar Hernandez and Ivan Gomez help slow the Wolfpack down,but even with an interception to close out the first half by Aguirre, the Gators were facing a tall task to get back in this game.
The Gators opened the second half offensively but weren’t able to get much going and four plays later, gave up the ball on downs.
The Wolfpack also saw their opening drive limited to four plays after penalties and tackles by Thomas Bell had them going backwards. Even a 13-yard pass completion by Nieto to Gabriel Guzman wasn’t enough to maintain the drive.
The Gator offense again struggled to move the ball. They couldn’t find a rhythm or avoid penalties. Aguirre stepped into the quarterback position, but he too found the Wolfpack pressure difficult and was stopped after four downs.
One play later, the Wolfpack upped their lead to 20-0 after a 50-yard burst to the gator endzone by DeLeon. His elusiveness and quick bursts plagued the Gator defense all game.
“My team was blocking good for me,” said DeLeon. “I was looking for the holes. When I’m running fast, it’s easy to get through there. That’s what I do best.”
It seems everything was going right for the Wolfpack. On the ensuing kickoff, they managed to recover a loose ball when Briones pounced on it.
I was trying to get the ball back to the offense so we could score again,” said Briones.
Briones also had a great day defensively, in on numerous tackles or assisting, he had a knack for being near the ball.
“I just react; watching the ball so I know where it’s going and then I can make the tackle or help out.”
But much like the first half ending, Aguirre snagged an errant pass and came up with his second pick of the game.
A 12-yard scramble later by Aguirre ended the game with the 9U Rookie Championship going to the Ruthless Wolfpack.
WolfPack Head Coach Gabriel Elizarraraz added: “From beginning to end, whether up in points or down, we’ve always gone about it a certain way, we just keep grinding it out because in a heartbeat the results can change just like that.”
“As a head coach, we’re always worried how the game is going. The little mistakes, the mental mistakes on defense or offense are things we could improve on. My team saw some adversity, got hit in the mouth by adversity, we hit back and fought through that, and grind it out for the win.”
Coach Elizarraraz also felt Coach Cowboy Joe’s game plan worked to perfection by adjusting and readjusting as the game went on based on what their opponent was doing.
There were other Wolfpack players that were big contributors in the Championship and all season. They include Jaceyin Vidal, Penny Arellano, Nicholas Alvarez, Roel Gallegos, Caine Zavala, Adriel Garza, Jonyjay Gonzalez, Jordan Pena, Ryan Perez, Raphael Rodriguez, Sebastian Sosa, Tomas Gutierrez, Eric Garcia, Cyrus Maciel, Abrams Limas, Christopher Garcia and David Elizarraraz.
The Willacy Gators also saw talent throughout their team. Others giving their all this spring season and in the Championship game were Lane Mendez, Godric Guerra, Kiam Valdez, Darryn Martinez, Teddy Martinez, Mariano Salinas, Dylan Martinez, Daniel Martinez, Josiah Anguiano, Michael Garcia, Caysen Sosa, Omar Hernandez, Juan Lopez III, Thomas Bell, Jace Salinas, Colten Caraker, Rafeal Benavides and Wyatt Rodriguez.
