Brahlon Gonzales’ interception in the final seconds helped Southside secure a 27-25 win over Jay in a District 14-5A-II game that ended in a wild finish Saturday at Gustafson Stadium.
Gonzales’ interception capped off a frantic last four minutes of the game, in which Southside went up 27-19 after Joelijah Pritchard scored on a 5-yard run.
But two crazy plays within the last minute of the fourth quarter put Jay in position of tying the game and sending it into overtime. The first one came as Jay’s Wallace Wellington returned a punt 76 yards to the Southside 6-yard line, setting up Drew Skelton’s 4-yard touchdown run with 37 seconds remaining.
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Jay went for two, but a Skelton to Wellington pass was unsuccessful. The Mustangs still had some fight left as Noah Blanco recovered the onside kick. Two plays later, a pass interference call put Jay at the Southside 34. On the next play, Gonzales sealed the game for Southside as he picked off Skelton’s floating pass at the 5-yard line.
The win helped Southside (2-3, 2-1) stay in the District 14-5A-II playoff picture, putting it in a three-way tie for second with MacArthur and Laredo Nixon, while Jay fell to 1-5 overall, 1-2 in district.
Pritchard, who rushed for a career-best 194 yards and three scores, said the dramatic win over Jay came at the right time for Southside, which was coming off last week’s 62-7 loss to first-place Medina Valley.
“It feels good,” Pritchard said. “After every week, we’ve been in these nailbiters and to finally come out victorious, it’s just a great feeling. I think it’s just my team wanted it more. We came in, showed up, dominated in the trenches. I couldn’t have asked for a better O-line and these wide receivers, these dudes can block.
“I don’t think I’ve rushed for that many touchdowns or that much yards at all in my career,” Pritchard added. “So, it’s a very big accomplishment for me.”
Southside coach Ricky Lock was also relieved that his squad was able to pull out the victory over Jay.
“It’s a barn burner for sure,” Lock said. “It was a pretty exciting game, and it didn’t need to be that close, but great for the fans and also great for the coaches.”
Lock said Pritchard was due to have a big game like he did against Jay.
“This is his best night,” Lock said. “This is what I expected. He started for three years, and I expected him to have this kind of game, this kind of year. I’m happy that he got that. The offensive line played a lot better tonight. Hats off to the line and him. He had a good night.”
Southside quarterback Jessiah Escobar put the Cardinals up 6-0 on a 1-yard scoring run in the first quarter.
Southside’s Brahlon Gonzales celebrates catching the game winning interception during the fourth quarter of a District 14-5A Division I game against Jay on Saturday, October 10, 2026 at Gustafson Stadium in San Antonio. (Charlie Blalock/For the Express-News)
Jay struck back, as Brennan Oliver scored on a 66-yard toss sweep, putting the Mustangs up 7-6 with 2:42 left in the first quarter following Nate Ikenna’s point after kick. Jay got a safety as a result of a Southside fumble on a punt snap to go up 9-6 at the end of the opening quarter.
Pritchard scored on a 32-yard run midway in the second quarter to help Southside regain the lead at 13-9. Jay narrowed the margin to 13-12 on Ikenna’s 23-yard field goal with 57 seconds remaining, which was set up by a fumble recovery by Christopher Allen that stopped a Southside drive at Jay 21.
Jay scored on a big play to start the second half, a 90-yard Skelton-to-Wellington scoring pass which put the Mustangs up 19-13, 30 seconds into the fourth quarter.
On the ensuing drive, Southside regained the lead for good as Pritchard got his second score of the game on a 5-yard run with 7:10 left in the third quarter.
Each team committed three turnovers, but Jay hurt itself as they were penalized 11 times for 102 yards.
Both teams resume district play Friday as Southside hosts South San at Southside Stadium at 7:30 p.m. while Jay squares off against Eagle Pass Winn on the road.
“Every week for us is going to be a grind,” Lock said. “I know that. We just got to be prepared to go after it and protect the football, stay as healthy as possible. Those are the keys moving forward, four games left.”
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This article originally published at Brahlon Gonzales nabs game-sealing pick as Southside defeats Jay in wild finish.