In a highly-anticipated match-up, the Madera South Stallions had trouble holding onto the ball while the Hoover Patriots scored 54 first half points to put a damper on Homecoming night festivities.
The Patriots scored 40 points in the second quarter, and was aided by a scoop-and-score (fumble recovery for a touchdown) and a pick-6 (interception return for a touchdown) Friday night. Madera South had five turnovers in the first 16 minutes of the game, and six overall.
There were some bright spots for the Stallions. They forced a fumble on Hoover’s first drive of the second half, and turned that into points. The Stallions scored a touchdown on the final play of the running-clock second half for a 54-14 final at Stallion Stadium.
Hoover managed 298 yards of total offense, but three of their six touchdown drives began inside Madera South’s 31-yard line, and five of the six began inside the Hoover 45.
Meanwhile, Madera South rushed for 161 yards, led by Diego Reyna-Navarro.
The first four Madera South possessions resulted in turnovers and six of their seven first half drives ended in turnovers.
Hoover had its longest sustained drive to open the game. They went 69 yards on nine plays while converting two first downs. On third down from the nine, Hoover scored on a quarterback keeper. The Patriots connected on a pass for the two-point conversion, and an 8-0 lead with 9:23 left in the first quarter.
Reyna-Navarro gained 14 yards on Madera South’s first play of the game. However, the next snap went over his head, and Hoover recovered at the Stallions’ 14.
The Patriots scored on the next play on a run for two touchdowns within 29 seconds of each other.
The Stallions then went on a long, time-consuming drive. It went 16 plays all the way into Hoover territory. Efren Cosio-Garcia gained eight to the 12 for a first down. Two plays later, Hoover picked off a pass, and returned it 55 yards to the Hoover 43.
The Patriots drove the final 43 yards on six plays, converting on fourth-and-13 from the 29 with a long pass to the five. The Hoover receiver shook off two Stallions at the five, and ran into the end zone for a 22-0 lead, after a two-point conversion, 40 seconds into the second quarter.
Madera South’s next drive lasted just three plays with another fumble.
Hoover scored on the next play with a 29-yard touchdown run, less than two minutes after its previous score. The conversion pass fell incomplete for a 28-0 lead.
Four plays into the next Stallion drive, Madera South fumbled, and this time Hoover picked it up, and ran it in for a 51-yard touchdown, and a 35-0 lead with 8:23 left in the half.
Reyna-Navarro went for 14 yards to open the next Madera South drive. John Ledesma carried for 10, and a first down, but the Stallions were forced to punt after a personal foul penalty.
The Patriots completed a 16-yard pass to get inside the Stallions’ 30. Hoover finished the drive with a pass to the right, the receiver cut across the field, and scored inside the left pylon for the touchdown, and a 41-0 lead with five minutes left in the half.
Ledesma gained 12 for an initial first down for the Stallions. Two plays later, Ledesma tried to throw on the run, but was picked off. Hoover returned the interception the other way for an 85-yard interception return, and a 48-0 lead.
Three plays into the next Stallions’ drive, Madera South fumbled, and Hoover recovered. Seven plays later, the Patriots found the end zone on a quarterback scramble from 18 yards out for a 54-0 lead with 17.9 seconds left in the half.
After the Stallions went three-and-out to open the second half, Madera South punter Orlando Flores sent the ball to the Hoover 15.
On the next play, with Reyna-Navarro holding up the ball carrier, Jesus Sepeda took the ball away from the running back, and took the ball to the one-yard line.
Reyna-Navarro scored on the next play for Madera South’s first score.
Hoover then took the ball into the fourth quarter with a 12-play, 44-yard drive that ended in a fourth-and-one stuff by Luis Deleon for no gain.
Reyna-Navarro hit Ledesma for a 36-yard gain with time running down in the fourth quarter.
Cosio-Garcia gained 10 for a first down, and Ulysses Chiquito ran the ball twice for 23 yards to the 10. Chiquito scored on the final play of the game off the right side. Flores hit the extra point before time ran out for the 54-14 final score.