High school football: Flour Bluff defensive stand holds off Veterans Memorial in classic

Flour Bluff had pressured Veterans Memorial quarterbacks all night.

So it only made sense the Hornets sent pressure after Elijah Durrette with the season on the line.

Jacob Rose and Dylan Shaw pulled down the Veterans Memorial signal caller on fourth and goal from the 6-yard line to secure Flour Bluff's first ever regional championship with a 13-7 win at Hornet Stadium in the Class 5A Division I state quarterfinals.

"We took a timeout and coach sat us down on the sideline and said 'Look, we're playing for the region now,' " Flour Bluff senior Ben Escamilla said. "We all got that in our heads and we put everything out on that field and we ended up victorious."

Nash Villegas' 8-yard touchdown run with 1:20 left in the third quarter stood as the Hornets' lone touchdown of the night and capped a drive that was enabled by a Flour Bluff fumble recovery.

Veterans Memorial lost the handle on a handoff and Flour Bluff recovered at the Eagles' 38.

Villegas score capped a six-play drive for the go-ahead score and the Hornets defense made the score stand.

"Two great teams were playing and it was going to come down to turnovers," Steinbruck said. "Turnovers are huge and it came down to that, and we were fortunate. I thought we had one earlier, but they blew the play dead and said he was in the grasp."

Durrette, getting his most extensive playing time since being injured against Flour Bluff in the teams' first meeting, marched the Eagles 69 yards to the 5 in a last-minute drive.

"We were fired up (after the missed field goal)," Veterans Memorial coach Ben Bitner said. "We fought to the very end. We never gave up. There were a lot of times they could have gotten down and they didn't. These kids are tough. They are winners.

"It didn't come out on the scoreboard, but these kids can look at themselves in the mirror."

The junior rushed for 56 yards before the Hornets defense came up big with two negative plays to seal the game, capped by the Rose and Shaw tandem sack.

"The offense was down at halftime, and I told them 'You scored 47 for us to win last week, now it is defense's turn," Flour Bluff coach Chris Steinbruck said. "Those guys stepped up. I'm really proud of our guys and they way they played and the coaches.

"A lot of coaches came before me and this has been a goal of mine for several years. It feels really good."

Flour Bluff's defense controlled the game early, winning the field position battle and holding Veterans Memorial to minus-1 yard in the first quarter.

But Veterans Memorial's defense, which had limited three playoff opponents to 7 total points, was up to the task.

The Eagles forced the Hornets to kick two field goals with good field position and limit the damage to a 6-0 deficit to Flour Bluff for most of the game.

The Eagles put their first real drive of the game together early in the second quarter, reaching the Flour Bluff 9 before settling for a Connor Rye field goal attempt.

The Hornets came across the line early and blocked the Rye field attempt, but given a second chance at fourth-and-goal, Veterans Memorial coach Ben Bitner elected to go for it and it paid off as Durrette connected with Cameron De La Pena for a 4-yard touchdown.

The 7-6 lead lasted for nearly two quarters before Villegas' touchdown, which helped the Hornets make history.

"We had never been in a situation like this before," Villegas said. "That tight of a game in the fourth round. We believed in each other. We had a lot of mistakes, dropped balls, a fumble, penalties, but we had each other's back. We're a brotherhood and that is why we won.

"I had confidence, but you always have the thought in the back of your mind. I had faith — everyone had faith — and Dylan Shaw, he did it again. He did it against Moody and he did it against Vets and I love him for it."

Flour Bluff (12-2) advanced to face Katy Paetow in the Class 5A Division I state semifinals next week at a time, date and place to be determined.

Veterans Memorial saw its season end at 12-2.

TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

CLASS 5A DIVISION I STATE QUARTERFINALS

FLOUR BLUFF 13, VETERANS MEMORIAL 7

What this game means: Flour Bluff claimed its first regional championship in program history after falling to Veterans Memorial in the same round last season. The Eagles came up just short in their bid to return to the state semifinals, ending their season at 12-2.

Friday's highlights: Flour Bluff's defensive pressure came early and often. The Hornets were regularly in the Veterans Memorial backfield forcing quarterbacks Elijah Durrette and Aiden Hinojosa to throw on the run to avoid lost yardage. The Hornets dominated field possession early, but the Eagles matched the defensive energy, forcing two Kyler Meschi field goals to trail 6-0 early. Vets took the lead after a penalty on a field goal attempt paved the way for a touchdown pass from Durrette to Cameron De La Pena, but Flour Bluff's Nash Villegas scored the game-winner. Villegas' 8-yard keeper with 1:20 left in the third was all the scoring the Hornets defense would need in the defensive slugfest. Jacob Rose and Dylan Shaw combined for a sack on fourth-and-goal to seal the historic win for the Hornets.

Friday's stars: Connor Tyler had a big second half on the ground to finish with 112 yards rushing to lead both teams. The Hornets defense held Veterans Memorial to 30 carries for 66 yards rushing. Durrette threw for 85 yards and ran for 35 yards for the Eagles, giving Vets a spark on a late drive, where he ran for more than 50 yards and nearly had the game-winner before it was ruled he stepped out at the 9-yard line. Villegas had 89 yards passing and 39 yards rushing and Flour Bluff's lone touchdown. Meschi hit field goals of 43 and 37 yards for Flour Bluff.

Next: Flour Bluff vs. Katy Paetow in a Class 5A state semifinal matchup, 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, San Antonio Heroes Stadium.

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: HS Football: Flour Bluff defensive stand beats Veterans Memorial