A much-needed victory

After a disappointing loss to United South last week, Alexander bounced back to claim a massive 48-14 win over Del Rio on Thursday

By Garrett Kroeger

The Alexander Bulldogs knew they needed to make a statement Thursday. And that’s exactly what they did.

After opening District 30-6A play last week with a disappointing loss to United South, Alexander bounced back in a big way as it demolished Del Rio for a 48-14 win.

“I’m really proud of our coaching staff,” Alexander head coach Edwin Garcia said. “We really hunkered down and it was very important for us to have a game like this to get our boys believing. Our performance (Thursday) is just a start in what we can do.”

The win was the first time this season in which the Bulldogs flashed their true potential as a team. The offense rolled. The defense locked the Rams down. Alexander dominated.

Despite such a convincing win, it seemed as if the Bulldogs were set for a back-and-forth affair in the beginning. Del Rio marched down the field with ease on its first drive. Alexander seemed primed to respond with ease as running back Joe Fernandez broke off a 75-yard run on the team’s first drive. However, Fernandez fumbled before crossing the goal line and the ball went out of bounds, resulting in a turnover. Fortunately for the Bulldogs though, the defense shut down the Rams on their second drive and everything started to fall in place for the Navy & Gold.

“It feels great,” senior Julius Vaughn said. “Coming in, we knew we had to bounce back if we wanted a chance at that title. We have been working. Practice was serious this past week. We worked hard for this.”

Fernandez finished with 203 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries – good for 10.3 yards per attempt. Vaughn – who made his first start at quarterback as starter Karlo Tenorio sat out due to an ankle injury – was effective as he went 7 of 13 for 168 yards and three scores. Jayden Gonzalez finished as the team’s leading receiver, catching three passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. As a unit, the offense put up 425 total yards.

As for the defense, the unit won the turnover battle, causing multiple fumbles. Senior linebacker Frankie Fuentes even had a scoop and score for the team, too. The unit only gave up a mere 121 total yards.

In essence, Alexander was truly elite on Thursday.

“We have shown glimpses of our potential,” Garcia said. “I think we played all four quarters. We played well.”

The Bulldogs entered this season with high expectations. At the start of the year, they were seen as one of the favorites to win District 30-6A.

Alexander didn’t start district play the way it hoped last week with the loss to United South. But fortunately for it, it bounced back in a major way with the win over Del Rio.

Despite being 1-1 in league competition, the Bulldogs still have their eyes set on a district championship. Although the road is a tad more difficult than it would be if they were 2-0 in league play, they are still confident they could win 30-6A this year. And Thursday’s showing is why.

Alexander played a complete game against Del Rio – its first one of the year. It dominated for all four quarters on both sides of the ball. It was elite. And if the Bulldogs are able to continue to play at the level they did on Thursday, they are confident they could win a district championship in a handful of weeks.

“We have to continue to practice great,” Vaughn said. “We’ve seen the rankings, but we don’t pay attention to that stuff. Coming off of last year, we had a good season last year. But this year is a testament of how great we can be, especially after this win. We just have to stay composed. If we do that, we should be good.”