The Diamondbacks improved to 6-0 on the year and 1-0 in district. The loss drops Mission Veterans to 2-4 overall and 0-1 in league play.
“It’s just one of those championship fights and what football’s about,” Pioneer head coach Eddie Galindo said of Friday night’s matchup against Mission Veterans.
Pioneer quarterback Julian Valdez threw four touchdowns, ran for another and finished with over 100 rushing yards against the Patriots. Diego Chapa was on the receiving end of two Valdez touchdown passes, while William Goodloe and Leo Espinoza caught the others. Sophomore running back Dylan Tijerina added 74 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
When Valdez wasn’t running for tough yards against the Patriots defense, he was scrambling and getting them to bite on the run threat, leading to openings in the secondary for big plays to Chapa and Espinoza.
“It was just a little bit of a scramble drill, and I just had to find my receivers and playmakers in open space,” Valdez said.
Mission Veterans quarterback Braden Luedeker threw for 256 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 184 yards to lead the Patriots. Vincent Abrego and Abel Lucio hauled in two touchdown catches apiece, while Obed Marin scored once on a perfectly placed 35-yard pass down the right sideline from Luedeker.
The Diamondbacks defense forced four turnovers and limited the Patriots to just eight first half points.
Sharyland Pioneer moves on to a District 16-5A DII showdown against fellow unbeaten Roma (6-0, 1-0). The Diamondbacks and Gladiators needed double overtime in last year’s matchup to decide a winner with Pioneer prevailing 43-35. Kickoff between Pioneer and Roma is slated for 7 p.m. Friday at Gladiator Arena in Roma.
“Roma is going to be physical. We have a big task at hand with them and we know the challenge that’s ahead of us,” Galindo said. “We have to outwork this week and get our job done and see where the chips lay.”
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