SONORA, TX — The Ozona Lions and the Sonora Broncos went to battle last night in what was likely the district championship game.
The Lions took the opening kickoff and marched down the field and scored on a 4-yard pass from Michael Preddy to JP Garza. After an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt, the Lions led, 6-0, with 7:04 left in the first quarter.
The Broncos had to punt on their first offensive possession and, on Ozona’s next, superstar running back Christian Villarreal did what he does and scored from 72 yards out. This time, the Lions' two-point try was good and they led, 14-0.
With 1:47 left before halftime, Villarreal rushed into the end zone from 10 yards out, giving the Lions a 22-point lead.
On the next Broncos' possession, Acea Gomez ran 78 yards for a TD, making the score 22-6, with 1:17 left before the break. With just over a minute left in the first half, Bronco defender Evan Arredondo nearly stripped the ball from Preddy, but Ozona maintained possession with 8 seconds on the clock.
Preddy took the opportunity to try and put one in the end zone, but Sonora’s Aaron Segura came up with an interception to take the game to halftime with the Lions leading 22-6.
Into the third, the Lions took over, and Villarreal scored from 11 yards out for his third TD on the night, giving Ozona a 28-6 lead. When the Broncos took over, they used Armani Coronado in a wildcat type of role and moved the ball down the field to striking distance. Broncos running back Jose Guerra bashed in a score from 1 yard out, cutting the Lions' lead, 28-12.
One of the concerns for the Broncos was the size Ozona has on its offensive line, along with the size of Villarreal. The Lions were bigger than the Broncos and used it to grind on the Sonora defense, especially in the fourth quarter.
Villarreal would score for a fourth time with 10:22 left in the game from 5 yards out, again from 61 yards out with 8:42 remaining, and a final and sixth time from about 20 yards out with 4:30 to play, to give the Lions a 50-12 lead.
With three minutes left in the game, Ozona’s Jay Borrego ran in a score from the 14-yard line.
In the end, the Ozona Lions defeated the Sonora Broncos, 57-12. Villarreal finished the game with 34 carries for 410 yards and six touchdowns, giving him 2,478 rushing yards on the season.
He remains on pace to break the state's single-season mark of 4,045 yards by the second round of the playoffs. The record has stood for 78 years since the Sugar Land Express, Kenneth Hall, set it back in 1953.
Sonora could not get anything going through the air Friday, making it difficult to sustain drives. This put the Bronco defense on the field for much of the game. While the final score doesn’t reflect it, the defense consistently had several guys involved in tackling the ball carrier. But the experienced Lions group used its upperclassmen and size to wear down the Broncos.
The Lions (7-0 overall, 2-0 in District 3-2A Division I), play the Colorado City Wolves (0-7, 0-2) in Ozona next week. The Broncos (5-2, 1-1) travel to Reagan County (2-5, 0-2).
MORE: Ozona's Villarreal Continues March Toward State Record
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