HS FOOTBALL: Garcia, Bulldogs notch 1st win over Odessa High

ODESSA – Needing a win to right its season, the Midland High football team rode the legs of its 1,000-yard rusher Daniel Garcia on Friday night.

Garcia rushed 38 times for 228 yards and two TDs to lead the Bulldogs to a 26-14 victory over Odessa High in the 100th game between the District 2-6A rivals at Ratliff Stadium.

MHS (1-4, 1-1) picked up its first win of the season and recorded its seventh-straight victory against OHS (0-2, 0-1).

Garcia registered his 10th career 100-yard rushing game and his second-straight 200-yard rushing performance against the Bronchos.

The Bulldogs won an emotional game, as senior Michael Gomez was carted off the field after being injured in the third quarter. The MHS softball team also disclosed that one of its players Jasmine Melendez passed away this week. Melendez was recognized with a moment of silence before Friday’s game.

“I thought our kids responded well for the first time this year, just not getting down,” MHS head coach Tim Anuszkiewicz said. “We had to overcome penalties. But I was proud of our kids for overcoming that and the injury to Mikey. They responded well to that. That’s a tough thing. We’ve had a tough week at Midland High School this week. I was really proud of our kids. They kept their focus and they understand the tough things that have happened. They are having to deal with some of the stuff. I felt like they came together as a team tonight. There was more enthusiasm on the sideline. I thought they had to scratch and claw to get the win.”

MHS took a 17-14 lead over OHS early in the third quarter when Chris Ruiz drilled a 39-yard field goal. The Bulldogs seized the momentum after Jordan Springer intercepted an OHS pass on the MHS’ 16-yard line.

The Bulldogs’ game-defining drive happened midway through the fourth quarter as they ran the ball on all nine plays of a 57-yard scoring drive. Garcia ran the ball on the first seven plays before Tecumseh Williams gave the Bulldogs a 10-point lead when he scored on a 12-yard run. MHS led OHS, 24-14, with 3:25 left to play.

“I feel really blessed to have them all with me,” Garcia said. “I didn’t win as an individual, we won as a team. It’s not only me, but it’s my boy (Tecumseh up here) and it’s my O-line. The coaches as well.”

Pierce Mackey sacked OHS’ quarterback Diego Cervantes in the end zone for a safety to put an exclamation point on the win.

The Bulldogs appeared to be losing momentum after OHS opened the third quarter with a game-tying scoring drive, as Kaleb Sims scored on a 3-yard run. The Bronchos converted the 2-point play on a fake PAT attempt, knotting it up at 14 with 9:47 to play. The scoring play was set up by a 39-yard run from Cervantes, who finished with 91 yards rushing.

The Bulldogs did not start their opening possession on the right note, as a MHS receiver dropped a pass at midfield, which bounced into the arms of Kaleb Lozano for an interception.

OHS capitalized off the turnover when Cervantes scored on a 20-yard quarterback keeper, giving his team a 6-0 advantage with 8:10 in the first quarter.

But MHS bounced back from its lackluster start, as Garcia weaved through the OHS defense on a 51-yard scoring run, pushing the Dawgs to a 7-6 lead with 7:23 remaining in the first.

On OHS’ next possession, the Bulldogs forced a three-and-out behind a pair of pass deflections from Caleb Rodriguez and Matteo Houston.

Garcia made an impact again on MHS’ next drive, as he caught a 36-yard screen pass from Landry Walls to move the Dawgs inside the red zone.

Three plays later, Garcia scored on a 1-yard run, which extended the Bulldogs’ lead to 14-6 with 3:19 left in the first.

MHS dodged a bullet at the end of the half, as it gave OHS favorable field position with a fumble lost at midfield, recovered by Elias Minjarez. However, the Bronchos couldn’t take advantage, as their 37-yard field goal attempt fell short as time expired.

chadorn@mrt.com | Follow Christopher on Twitter: @chris_MRTsports

MIDLAND HIGH 26, ODESSA HIGH 14

MHS    14        0          0          12        –26

OHS     6          0          8          0          –14

First Quarter

OHS – Diego Cervantes 20 run (kick failed), 8:10

MHS – Daniel Garcia 51 run (Chris Ruiz kick), 7:23

MHS – Garcia 1 run (Ruiz kick), 3:19

Third Quarter

OHS – Kaleb Sims 3 run (Jesus Carrasco pass from Aaron Hernandez), 9:47

Fourth Quarter

MHS – FG Ruiz 39, 11:56

MHS – Tecumseh Williams 12 run (Ruiz kick), 3:25

MHS – Safety, 0:04

       MHS    OHS

First downs     19        10

Rushes-yards  47-277 25-145

Passing yards  103      61

Comp.-Att.-Int.           10-19-2           6-22-1

Punts-avg.       3-29.7  7-33.7

Fumbles-lost   1-1       2-1

Penalties-yards           7-80     10-81

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Midland High, Daniel Garcia 38-228, Tecumseh Willaims 5-36, Brannan Mannix 1-14, Landry Walls 3-(-1). Odessa High, Diego Cervantes 9-91, Kaleb Sims 12-57, Shawn Ruiz 1-3, Jaiden Byford 2-(-3), Team 1-(-3).

PASSING – Midland High, Walls 10-19-2—103. Odessa High, Cervantes 5-19-0—55, Kason Sims 1-2-0—6, Adriel Rivas 0-1-1—0.

RECEIVING – Midland High, Garcia 3-59, Luke Manning 3-21, JP Phillips 1-9, Jakob Vines 1-8, Williams 1-7, Brian’Zai Perez 1-(-1). Odessa High, Marco Ramirez 1-28, Terrance Samuel 1-12, Bryon Tarango 1-9, Ethan Alvarado 2-6, Jovanni Flotte 1-6.

INTERCEPTIONS – Midland High, Jordan Springer 1-0. Odessa High, Jesse Cervantes 1-12, Kaleb Lozano 1-6.

MISSED FIELD GOALS – Odessa High, Camilo Nicholas 37 (short)