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Lometa senior Enrique Prado battles for yards during his two-touchdown performance against the Leakey Eagles in Friday’s bi-district playoff loss. MEGAN LUSTY PHOTOGRAPHY | COURTESY PHOTO
More than 1,300 schools participate in UIL Texas football, but only a limited number make the playoffs.
In six-man football, the top two teams in each district earn their right to play postseason football and compete for a state championship. The 2020 Lometa Hornets earned that right, as they played Leakey for the bi-district championship Friday night in Fredericksburg.
Before even taking the field, this Hornet team already had exceeded preseason expectations.
“You know, coming off of back-to-back 3-7 seasons and being picked last in our district, it wasn’t expected of us,” Lometa head coach D.T. Torres said about the team’s run to the postseason. “We played for a district title and made the playoffs, and I’m so proud of our guys.”
Although the Hornets exceeded preseason expectations, they fell short in the long run, losing to state-ranked Leakey by a score of 79-30.
Lometa started the game strong, recovering the opening onside kick in Eagle territory. The Hornets scored on that drive, with Enrique Prado tossing a touchdown pass to Francisco Jaimes on a third and goal to put the team ahead 6-0.
Leakey then returned the ensuing kickoff and converted the extra point, bringing the score to 8-6.
The teams traded scores throughout the first quarter, until Leakey broke open a two-score lead midway through the second. Another series of trading scores left the halftime margin at 13 with the Eagles leading the Hornets 35-22.
Prado had a two-yard rushing touchdown, Tim Juarez completed a three-yard scoring pass to Dyllen Workmon in the first half, and Luis Hernandez threw a 50- yard touchdown pass to Workmon in the fourth quarter.
After Lometa received the second-half kickoff, the drive stalled, and the potent Eagles’ offense once again found paydirt. Leakey extended its lead and never looked back, as it outscored Lometa 44-8 in the second half.
Despite the loss, Torres expressed confidence in his team’s future.
“Our guys didn’t give up and moving forward, we know what we’re capable of …,” the coach said. “We’re gonna step up and compete in the offseason. I want these guys to compete in basketball, track, and we’ll come back even better next year.”
Lometa finishes the season with a 7-3 record, tying Torres’ best mark as head coach.