Whitefaces dominate in second half
ANDREWS - After Saturday afternoon's Class 4A Division II area-round game, Hereford running backs coach Charlie Garza was running from two of his players, juniors wide receiver Christian Garza (his son) and defensive back Eddie Rincon.
They were chasing the coach with a water bucket.
It was the biggest challenge for any Hereford player after halftime.
Rincon and the younger Garza eventually doused Charlie Garza, which put the exclamation point on Hereford's 45-13 victory against El Paso Parkland at the Mustang Bowl.
Hereford will face Aledo in a regional semifinal at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Midland's Grande Communications Stadium.
If there was an occasion for the Whitefaces (11-1) for everyone to get involved in the celebration, it was the rout of Parkland (8-4). Hereford racked up 604 yards total offense and was dominant defensively, surrendering only 219 yards and eight first downs.
In spite of the water bucket baptisms of the coaching staff, head coach Don DeLozier was subdued.
"The feeling we have is that we're not too overly elated with the way we played," DeLozier said. "We turned the ball over too many times, but it's a playoff win."
Despite dominating statistically, Hereford managed only a 17-13 halftime lead. The best news was quarterback Parker Bridwell showed no ill effects from a right knee injury as he threw for 354 yards and two touchdowns, doing most of his damage in the first half.
DeLozier had said Bridwell's status was day to day during the week, but when push came to shove, the senior quarterback wouldn't be denied.
"I'm just pleased that our team came out on top. There's nothing like another playoff win," said Bridwell, who completed 24-of-40 in just more than three quarters. "I practiced Thursday without any pain, so I knew I was good to go."
The first-half lead could have been larger. Hereford had five trips inside the red zone, including four inside the 10-yard line.
After Parkland held Hereford on downs and took over at its own 5 on the first possession, the Matadors struck first, sparked by a 60-yard run by Mike Davis which put the ball at Hereford's 1. Two plays later, quarterback Carlos Maldonado snuck in for a 7-0 lead.
Hereford struck back on the next possession, going 80 yards on 11 plays to tie the game as the Herd converted on a fourth-and-goal with Bridwell throwing a 6-yard score to Christian Garza. But subsequent trips inside the 10 resulted in turning the ball over on downs and a Bridwell interception.
The Herd took the lead for good at 14-13 on a 24-yard scoring pass from Bridwell to Zack Lopez.
It was defense and running which sealed it in the second half. The Herd ran for 233 yards, as junior Daymien Garcia had a game-high 139 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, and while Davis had 118 yards on 15 carries, Parkland's offensive production was otherwise negligible.
"I think there's no doubt that's the strength of our team the last six weeks," DeLozier said of his defense. "They give the offense a chance by giving them the ball so often."