Look: San Antonio Southside knocks off unbeaten Laredo Cigarroa in first-place battle

Southside won its fifth straight game, as the Cardinals downed previously undefeated Cigarroa 26-7 to move into sole possession of first place in District 13-5A DI

LAREDO, Texas — San Antonio Southside and Laredo Cigarroa headed into Friday’s highly-anticipated matchup as two of the few remaining unbeaten South Texas teams still standing, each with perfect season and district records. 

The Cardinals and Toros fought ferociously in a defensive duel and battle for first place.

But after falling behind during the second quarter, San Antonio Southside buckled down and scored four unanswered touchdowns to close out the contest and outlast Laredo Cigarroa in a 26-7 victory Friday night at Shirley Field. 

The Cardinals (6-0, 4-0) take sole possession of first place in District 13-5A DI with their win, while Laredo Cigarroa falls to second place with its first loss of the year and four games remaining in district play. 

San Antonio Southside quarterback Gary Hernandez scored two touchdowns to lead the Cardinals offensively, while Jason Perez and Reuben Alaniz added one each. 

Both teams had a hard time establishing any kind of rhythm on the field, as the offenses on each side struggled to get into the end zone.

The highlight of the opening quarter was a defensive play by defensive tackle David Garza, who came up with a clutch fumble recovery for Cigarroa just as Southside was threatening to score inside the red zone. 

Laredo Cigarroa (5-1, 3-1) got things going on offense during the second quarter as the Toros moved the ball all the way to the 3-yard line with power runs by Ya-aqob Lozano and Julio Garcia who worked hard to push the Toros deep into the red zone. 

Lozano capped off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run, and Cigarroa took a 7-0 lead after the extra point was booted in by J. Humberto Silva. 

The Cardinals came right back downfield on their next drive and moved the ball down the middle of the field to the 3-yard line. 

Hernandez sneaked into the end zone on a quarterback keeper, but Southside missed the ensuing extra-point attempt to preserve a 7-6 Toros' edge with 7:38 remaining during the second quarter.

Laredo Cigarroa kept grinding on the field, as Garcia broke loose for his biggest carry of the night a 45-yard run down the side of the field to put the ball on the 17-yard line. The Toros failed to capitalize with points, though, despite moving the ball all the way down to the 8-yard line. 

San Antonio Southside forced a turnover on downs after getting a fourth-and-goal stop defensively at the 4:05 mark of the second quarter and ate up the rest of the first-half game clock.

The Cardinals picked up the final score of the opening half when Hernandez found Alaniz on a 10-yard touchdown pass with 5 seconds left. The two-point conversion was no good, as the Cardinals took a 12-7 advantage — their first lead of the game — into halftime.

The second half belonged to the Cardinals, as they took their game to another level and sent a message on the opening kickoff of the third quarter. Perez took the kickoff and ran it back for a 75-yard touchdown to help the Cardinals take a 20-7 edge after a successful two-point conversion.

Laredo Cigarroa struggled getting back into the red zone, thanks to the Cardinal defense that plugged up running lanes and did not let quarterback Lethan Solis let it fly through the air. 

The Toros defense did make a key stop to open the fourth quarter, forcing Southside to turn the ball over on downs. Things started to quickly turn sour for Cigarroa, however, as San Antonio Southside’s Paul Jaramillo pulled down an interception at the 5:31 mark of the fourth quarter.

Hernandez added the final touchdown with 3:02 remaining to put the game out of reach, as the Cardinals stayed perfect in district play on the season.     

Hernandez threw for 55 yards and a touchdown on 5-of-8 passing and ran seven times for 49 yards and a rushing touchdown too. Senior running back Matthew Castaneda led Southside on the ground with 103 rushing yards and a touchdown run on 11 carries.

The Toros ended the night with 64 passing yards and 163 rushing yards on 39 carries collectively.

San Antonio Southside (6-1, 5-0) will look to pick up its sixth straight win in district play when the Cardinals clash against the San Antonio Southwest Legacy Titans (3-3, 3-1) at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, at Southside ISD Stadium in San Antonio.

Laredo Cigarroa (5-1, 3-1), meanwhile, will look to rebound from its first loss of the season when the Toros face off against the Eagle Pass Winn Mavericks (0-6, 0-4) at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, at Cozel Foster Veterans Memorial Stadium in Eagle Pass.

Check out SBLive's exclusive photo gallery from the game:

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PHOTO GALLERY — SAN ANTONIO SOUTHSIDE 26, LAREDO CIGARROA 7

All photos by Clara Sandoval

Clara Sandoval, SBLive Sports