BY GREG SELBER

MISSION – Every time The Machine found the end zone, the ‘Skins came right on back, matching the electric Rattlers step for step into the final period; the first seven possessions of this track meet had ended in seven sixes. It got to be 28-28 in the fourth, on a 15-play, 80-yard drive by Donna, and all the skeptics who thought this club couldn’t score with Sharyland, couldn’t keep pace, seemed to be wrong.

Until they were right.

Playing superb precision football and riding a strong late surge from its defense, Sharyland reiterated its claim to the No. 1 spot atop the Valley football polls with a 48-28 decision over the Redskins here Friday. The battle of unbeatens (No. 1 versus No. 2) drew a boisterous crowd of 10,000-plus and the buzzing atmosphere was beyond playoff-style, more like halfway to Jupiter.

The loudest roars at the close for were for the home team, which launched a 70-yard touchdown bomb two plays after Donna had tied it at 28, the first salvo in a three-TD blitz in the fourth that carried Ron Adame’s team to the big W.

Sharyland, now 7-0, proved that it has the greatest O in the land, with 457 yards, and after a tough first half against a relentless Donna offense, the D showed up large, holding the Redskins (6-1) to just the one second-half tally.

For three periods and more, it was a major brawl pitting the Valley’s best, a season after the amazing 2-point comeback triumph by the Snakes became the Game of the Year. Donna had its moments Friday but down the stretch, Shary was just too good, too sharp, too driven. These guys were going to score all night if they had to, and Donna just could not keep up.

“Our D had been questioned a little, and they didn’t get quite the effort that we wanted early on,” said Adame, whose club is now in sole possession of first place in 30-5A. “I guess it was a wakeup call, we have been getting better the last couple of games and in the second half tonight they showed it. We got a few stops, and the offense just kept putting the ball in.”

The defense was led by linebackers Bradley Klein (13 tackles) and Joey Esquivel (13), plus active DBs Francisco Campos (10) and Phylip Lopez (9), and was strong when it had to be. After the squad took that 35-28 lead at 10:48 of the game, the D held Donna and forced a punt; soon after, Tres Barrera and the offensive stars put it away with another TD at 1:55.

The final tally was a pick-six, and the night was complete, Shary having shown that it is the finest football team in the area through seven games. Muscleman tackle Marco Villarreal (9 hits) and the rest of the Rattler D proved that, yes, they are tough enough to go head to head with a physical group like Donna.

Now everyone can see that Barrera (16 of 19, 274 yards) is the top QB in the Valley, as he added two running scores to two passing ones.

“Once we got our defense going, you just turn it over to the three-year starters on offense, and they’ll do the rest,” Adame said, of Barrera, Estefan Castillo (102 yards receiving, 44 rushing) and Cesar Valdez (67 yards, always runs tough and gets positive yards in the clutch).

In all, a wild night with the magical, primal feel one only gets at a few ball games per year, so much on the line and so much energy and talent on one field. People going nuts all over the place. It came down to who was going to stop scoring first, and most folks could have guessed who wouldn’t. Sharyland did not cease point-making, and Donna, after a spirited effort, did, turning into a pumpkin and withering on the proverbial vine.

EAT OUR DUST!        

It needed no extra buildup, with the No, 1 and No. 2 tag, the history of 2011 still bright in memory, and the fact that for some reason, these two schools seem to get along poorly, if at all. No better place to be on a Friday night, with the freako storm of Thursday out of the way and a perfect evening brewing off Shary Road.

The drives came in droves to begin, with the teams trading long marches like cards in a gin rummy game. Sharyland blasted off with a 4-play, 81-yarder before the ‘Skins knew it, a 57-yard pass play to Castillo doing the major damage. After Valdez pounded in from the 1 at 10:35, Donna fans were restless. After all, this Rattler team was averaging 54 per game coming in, so allowing a quickie like that did not augur well for the near future.

But, Aldo Silva, the elusive junior, was going to answer, and how. Recovering from injury the past few weeks, the rangy back was ready to work, and would amass 180 yards on the ground on 20 first-half carries. He broke for 35 on the first Donna possession and the drive went 84 yards, in eight plays, Casey Ramirez hauling in a 21-yard spiral from Dion Padilla at 7:46. The ‘Skins can get up and down the field too this year, and perhaps they were going to be able to shoot it out with the breakneck Snakes.

The defense, having allowed just 8.0 points in four league wins so far, was tested early and often by the smooth, well-oiled Rattler attack. Michael Cadena, the All-Star DB for Donna, led his group with 12 hits, while end Andres Garcia (7), gritty LB Marcos Lopez (7) and pesky junior Augie Cantu (7) all worked hard. But Sharyland picked them apart.

Jetting 80 yards in eight snaps, Shary took a 14-7 lead at 4:31 of the opening stanza with a 20-yard pass to Castillo, who weaved his way through four Donna kids with ease. Barrera, who hit 10 straight passes at one point, is so good at taking care of the ball; he seldom risks a difficult downfield throw, choosing instead to employ mega-athletes like Castillo along with the bevy of serviceable secondary receivers; he is just way too smart for a high school passer, and his physical tools are very underrated.

But Donna was No. 2 coming in, some said No. 1, and the ‘Skins answered right back, with a Silva-led drive aided by a facemask penalty, the flag a relative anomaly on a well-played night of football between two well-coached and prepared clubs. Silva, who makes you miss and then can sprint as well as anyone around, bounded into the end zone from the 21 with just 13 seconds left in the period.

People were staggering under the weight of all the fun and games. It was simply a fantastic 12 minutes.

Except for the defensive coordinators, that is. They were gassed. Sharyland, tied for the second time, bolted down the pitch in 13 plays, going 75 yards and notching a 7-yard run by Barrera. Valdez converted one third-down chance and receiver junior Brandon Garza another, greasing the wheels to a 21-14 advantage at 6:40 of the second.

At this stage, it seemed obvious that Donna was going to counter, and it did, thanks to an 11-yard scamper by Silva at 1:36. The Braves’ 10-play. 75-yard drive tied it again, and shrugging, on came the Rattlers.

Now, Christian Martinez is a long and tall dude who has played quarterback and receiver in his tenure with the team. Late in the second, though, he played hero, hauling in a post throw from Barrera and dragging three Redskins 15 extra yards before his explosive 60-yard gain was ended at the Donna 13. It was a mammoth blow, coming on a second-and-25 play following a penalty. And it soon netted a 4-yard pop from Castillo at the minute mark; talk about devastating. The Redskins score, Rattlers do too, FAST. Now a 7-point lead, halftime approaching.

“He’s a good athlete, for sure, I think he wants to play quarterback too and he can do it,” said Barrera of Martinez, nicknamed Martini, and a fellow who was to come through once again after the intermission. Shary went to the house with 313 yards and the Redskins 219; the crazy video game had indeed materialized as some observers had imagined.

MORE HIGHLIGHTS

If the fans were winded and weary from the madcap antics of the 49-point first half, the kids seemed a little nonplussed too. Donna went 3 and out early with Snake DL Gilberto Aguilera making a first-down tackle and rushing the passer into an incomplete on third. Depth is always a Rattler strong suit, and the team gets contributions from so many angles.

But Donna, too, decided to play some D, and the Braves stopped Shary thanks to some hard work from LB UJ Martinez. There had been zero punts until the third period, and two in a row at least gave folks a chance to fly to the bathroom.

Now Donna put on the sort of march that one comes to expect from this powerful crew, churning 80 yards in 15 plays to knot the affair again, at 28. Converting three straight third downs, the ‘Skins closed in on paydirt until it came to a fourth and 5 at the Rattler 20. Ever Magallan possesses one of the Valley’s top legs, but in this type of basketball game, three ain’t good enough. So Coach Manny Moreno went for it, and Padilla came through with a perfect looping ball to Darrien Hernandez, who hauled in a 20-yard score in back of two Shary defenders at 11:45, the fourth period just having begun.

The shrieks of joy that emanated from the visitor’s side were monumental, showering the silent and smoldering Sharyland crowd with derision. In the biggest football games, the noises are apocalyptic, the collective mood swings violent, and the suddenness of events stunning.

Sudden, like Martini Sudden.

Two plays after the kickoff, Donna on a roll and digging in for a stop, Martinez raced under an exquisite Barrera throw, and 70 yards later, it was 35-28. This was the telltale Key Juncture, yawl.

“Same route as in the first half, we wanted to draw the safety up tight with the play fake and then throw over him,” said Martinez, one of seven Rattlers with catches Friday, his two going for a whopping 130 yards. “The skinny post works if I am not detected in time, all the reads were there and Tres made the throws.”

Donna, who went with speedy Elpidio Yanez for much of the half, returned to Silva for stretches on the next drive, and carved out a first down before bogging down. DT David Aguayo and Lopez made a key stop for Sharyland and J.C. Valadez (five tackles, three pass defenses against Donna’s dangerous Hernandez) broke up a ball on third and 11. The ‘Skins chose to punt rather than try for the unlikely conversion, hoping to check the Red Tide once and get the pill back in the late going.

They did get it back, but only after the Snakes had slithered for another six, courtesy of a spinning 3-yard keeper from Barrera at 1:55. With a nifty 8-play, 52-yarder (set up by a nice punt return, and special-teams play was a Shary gold star Friday) No. 1 had sealed it. Nothing fancy, just accurate pitch and catch by great athletes. Slamming and hitting from a solid defense that woke up at the right time. Another thrill-a-minute performance from the clickingest machine in the Valley.

No one around here can stop Sharyland now, it appears. That bunch laid down the law Friday.

ODDS AND ENDS

Game Over. After Adame and the other coaches had their say to the kids, he commented that Donna played a super game, and surprised the Rattlers early on with a different defensive look.

“They were dropping a lot of guys and Tres saw it, he noticed that they were a little light in the box,” said the coach, whose club has Palmview on the road next week, followed by Edinburg North at home and Vela (road) to finish. “It opened up the run for us, and we did run it a lot early on.”

When they threw it, Barrera was sick, missing on three balls all night. His two shots to Martinez were daggers.

“Martinez has been a pleasant surprise so far, he has been a quarterback for two years, he has some good athletic ability,” Adame explained. “And those guys made a big-time play when we needed it, in both halves really.”

And as for the question in the air this week, Could Shary be physical and tough against the intimidating Redskins. No problem. With Klein and Esquivel cracking heads, no problem.

“We knew we had to be physical and maybe in the first half we could have done better at it,” Adame said, after the Rattlers allowed 219 yards in the first two quarters, Silva pounding them readily. “I did see a bit of arm tackling out there, but when we got to the half, you could tell the kids were refocusing, and that they were going to do a much better job from there on.”

And Donna. Its first loss of the campaign came hard, after the ‘Skins battled, battled, and battled. They just blinked first, gave up the bomb at the worst possible time, and could not keep up with the Rattler Race. Still, they got 348 yards, 23 first downs, and remain in the hunt for the crown.

Donna has to get back on track next week against La Joya at home, then travel to Edinburg to take on an athletic Jaguar team Nov. 2. Moreno’s men finish with Lincoln Nov. 9 and then begin worrying about bi-district. Shary and Donna, both headed for school district splits here before too long, know that 2012 might be a great time to make a long journey into the postseason, and both have the talent to do it.

It will be Big School bracket for these two rivals, against Laredo schools United and Alexander if things hold the way they are breaking right now. After the show that No. 1 and No. 2 put on Friday…well, it might end up sucking to be from Laredo come November.

Ya think?