BY GREG SELBER

MISSION – For those still wondering if Rudy Lopez has become the first successful subject of human cloning in scientific history, rest assured. There was only one No. 44 on the field at Tom Landry Stadium here Saturday night…it just seemed like way more to the poor Owls.

The senior Mission linebacker keyed a vicious, swarming attack that limited visiting San Antonio Highlands to 19 yards in the second half and 162 overall in a 34-12 whipping to begin the 2009 season.

In the finale of the first South Texas Football Classic, it was Mission all the way after the Eagles recovered from an early bomb that led to a quick 6-0 lead for Owls. Lopez made 12 tackles, returned a kickoff 42 yards, barreled in for a short touchdown on offense, and sold an estimated 250 programs at halftime. Well, no, but you get the point; he was far and away the player of the game for the Eagles, contesting for the first time under new coach Mario Pena, the 1975 grad returning to his alma mater after fine stints at La Joya and San Benito.

The 180-pound hitter showed why he was able to make 130 tackles in 2008, as at one point in the third period he made five of six plays for the Mission D in the middle of two three-and-outs for the Highlands offense. A steady tackler and jarring hitter with outstanding instincts to read, react, and strike, Lopez led an awesome Eagle charge that put the clamps on the enemy all night.

After getting burned for a 68-yard gainer on the opening drive, corner Justin Garcia rebounded with a vengeance, defensing four passes, intercepting two more, and running one of the picks back 63 yards for six in the second half. He was one of many stars on defense for the home side, along with senior ‘backer Alex Martinez (nine stops, an interception and a sack), stocky tackle Ernie Villegas (eight hits) and classy free safety Joaquin Rios (7 stops and a pick, as the team snared 4 INTs and allowed just seven completions in 23 throws).

Lopez looks to be one of the preseason favorites for All-Valley, and after the win, he had some choice comments after being told that he and the defense had looked damn good.

“There’s more to come,” he said, point-blank. “We had a little lack of talking on that first pass but we’ll be working on that. Yeah, we made some plays tonight, but that’s what a good defense does, make plays.”

SLOW START YIELDS TO DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE

To kick off the night, though, Mission did not make the plays when it had the chance, after falling behind 6-0 with 9:08 left in the first. Lopez rambled with the kickoff after the Highlands score down to the Owl 40, after his furious rush had caused the extra point to go awry. From there, junior QB Gilbert Gonzalez, last year’s Valley Newcomer of the Year on offense, threw an interception at the 15.

Martinez nearly blocked the punt after the Owls went nowhere, and the wounded pato sailed only to the 25 against a testy wind.

Gonzalez was 9 of 20 in the half, missing consistently with long balls off the rollout until the coaches began to mandate shorter, quicker routes midway through; now, however he tossed four straight incompletes and the Eagles turned it over on downs.

At this stage the team had missed two golden opportunities with six minutes gone. But the defense kept flying to the ball and giving Highlands double-nada. Taking over on their own 45, the Eagles were on the scoreboard in a hurry, as speedy senior Luis Zamora took the ball on an inside-handoff counter and raced 58 yards to the end zone with 3:12 left in the first.

Mission did not run much from the standard set, choosing instead to employ motion men from the slot on inside handoffs in a variation of the Slot-T look. Zamora, who would run another one in from that deceptive look, picked up 95 yards for the night, as Mission collected 219 with 116 passing for a total of 335 in a decent O effort.

The defense was flat tough. On the next Owl chance, Rios tipped a pass up in the air and Garcia snagged it, and the Eagles were in business from the foe’s 26. Sophomore Derrick Lerma had the big run on a quick 5-play drive, ripping 17 yards to the 8. Soon it was Lopez busting up the gut for a score at 0:04 of the quarter, with Coach Pena having smartly called timeout as the clock wound down. Doing so may have convinced the Owls that he was playing for one more pass with the breeze on third-and-goal, but it was Lopez instead, hammering to paydirt for a 14-6 advantage.

Highlands took the kick and immediately turned it over again, as Garcia went all the way with a pick, worming his way downfield thanks to a super block from Martinez, who was nearly as impressive overall as his LB mate, Lopez. This may well have been the game-changer that ushered in the eventual outcome.

The Owls finally got a drive going, and went 58 yards in 12 plays to make it 21-12 at the break.

SPECIAL TEAMS GEM OUT OF THE LOCKERS

Though he caught just two balls for 12 yards, standout receiver Mike Reynoso made his presence felt as the second half began, motoring 59 yards with the kickoff to set Gonzalez up at the Highlands 31. Two plays on it was Luis Zamora with a 25-yard burst, swerving right to left off the trickery for a 27-12 lead at 11:00.

Next, Martinez came up with an interception and deep return, but an illegal-block penalty made it first and 10 for Mission back at its 44. Keeping the ball mainly on the ground for the first time all night, the Eagles marched to the Owl 32 before losing the pig via the pass INT.

Then Lopez took over with the aforementioned solo job. Two times he rushed the Owl passer and caused errant throws, and eventually a three-and-out. When Mission soon punted away, Lopez slammed a ball-carrier for a 1-yard gain, chased the QB into another crummy toss, and then sacked him for minus-7 a snap later. It was truly a devastating two-series performance and at that point, the Owls were through.

In between those two possessions, the Eagles had tallied their last TD, a 16-yard run from the elusive Reynoso at 3:36.

Later, Mission moved downfield with Gonzalez finding the mark on quick-hitters, but lost a fumble at the Owl 38. If there can be any real criticism of the opening performance for Mission, it was the knack for coughing the ball up.

The Eagles were a playoff group a year ago despite a middling 4-7 mark. But with the fiery Pena in town, and the defense responding to his chant of “Thunder!” (When he says that, it means he wants some hitting, and he got plenty of it Saturday), the future looks promising for this intermittent football dynasty.

Next week the boys travel to San Antonio for another match against upstate competition, this time SA McCollum. Once they get to district, chances are the Eagles will be able to integrate some short routes to take advantage of small but quick wides. Chances are also good that Gonzalez, who was not at his best in the opener, will rebound. He ran well later in the game, picking up 53 yards in 9 trips, and we are reminded that even for the most highly touted athletes, there is much work to be done in the beginning stretches of the campaign.

One interesting note: The Eagles get all three of the their toughest 32-4A contests at Tom Landry Stadium, against Mercedes Sept. 25, Edcouch-Elsa Oct. 17, and Weslaco East Oct. 30. That scheduling happiness, combined with the talent and energy on display Saturday from so many quarters, makes Mission one of the teams to beat in what will definitely be one of the Valley’s best all-around leagues in 2009.

Tags: Football, mission eagles, south texas college