Sotomayor advanced to the second round of the Class 6A Division II playoffs with a dominant 25-0 shutout victory against Eagle Pass on Thursday at Gustafson Stadium, as detailed in “Sotomayor shuts out Eagle Pass to advance to second round of 6A-II playoffs”.
With senior star Cameron Grady nursing an ankle injury suffered the previous week against O’Connor, the Wildcats turned to sophomore Dominique Wells and senior Xavier Victor for rushing production.
The standout duo combined for 141 rushing yards and two touchdowns to propel Sotomayor past its opening-round opponent.
“That’s the way it’s been all year long,” Sotomayor coach Juan Morales said, according to reporting in “Sotomayor shuts out Eagle Pass to advance to second round of 6A-II playoffs”.
Junior Jemarco Brooks helped the Wildcats start quickly by intercepting junior Alex Ruiz on the Eagles’ opening drive.
That turnover set up a long possession that ended when junior Brayden Luna kicked a 37-yard field goal.
Sotomayor extended its lead before halftime when sophomore quarterback Isaiah Pena connected with senior Alexander Lujan for a 21-yard touchdown pass.
Coming out of the break, Wells broke off a 34-yard rush to put the Wildcats deep inside the red zone.
Victor then punched in an 11-yard score, and a successful two-point conversion pushed the advantage to 18-0.
“I really wanted that touchdown. I’m not going to lie,” Wells joked, as documented by “Sotomayor shuts out Eagle Pass to advance to second round of 6A-II playoffs”.
Victor later iced the contest by dodging a pair of defenders for a two-yard touchdown.
Despite his ankle injury, Grady contributed significantly by stepping up as a key blocker for his teammates.
“He knew he wasn’t getting the ball,” Morales explained, as featured in “Sotomayor shuts out Eagle Pass to advance to second round of 6A-II playoffs”.
“He knew he was instrumental to the team as a blocker. And boy, he went out there and did that.”
With the opening win secured, Sotomayor advances to face the winner of the bi-district matchup between Edinburg Vela and Brownsville Veterans Memorial.