2A Team of the Week: La Villa Cardinals
La Villa has won its district title the past three seasons under head coach Daniel Perez. However, that streak looked like it could be in jeopardy last Friday as the Cardinals entered the fourth quarter trailing Ben Bolt 26-13.
The next 12 minutes were a firsthand view of why exactly the Cardinals have been so successful in recent years. They didn’t panic. Instead, Isaiah Felix found Shawn Carranco for a 20-yard touchdown before Felix came up with a pick-six on a fake punt attempt as the Cardinals soared back with 16 unanswered points to claim the 29-26 victory.
It was a performance that taught Perez a lot about the squad he has this season.
“They never gave up even though we were down by 13 points. Our kids keep fighting till the end,” Perez said. “I told them that good teams find a way to win and that’s what they did. This victory was a big one. It gives us a chance for another district title.”
Cardinal running back Andrew Gonzalez didn’t find the end zone, but he found a lot of green grass with 160 yards on 22 carries. Felix showed off his do-it-all ability with 55 rushing yards and two scores to go along with his passing touchdown.
La Villa will get a chance to catch its breath after Friday night’s thriller with a bye this week. The Cardinals will then host Bruni on November 1 before a potential district title decider at Agua Dulce on November 8.
Previous 2A Teams of the Week
Week One: Stamford
Week Two: Panhandle
Week Three: Shelbyville
Week Four: Post
Week Five: Sunray
Week Six: Italy
Week Seven: Somerville
