SOUTHSIDE 21, SOUTHWEST LEGACY16

Quick take: The twopronged formula that carried Southside to an undefeated start was equally effective against Southwest Legacy on Saturday afternoon, as the Cardinals continued to lean on the combination of their stout defense and shifty running back Caleb Camarillo in a 21-16 victory over the Titans.

Southside limited Legacy to 43 rushing yards on 27 carries, while Camarillo rushed 20 times for 140 yards and a touchdown as the Titans couldn’t manage to take away either of the Cardinals’ strengths.

Highlights: Legacy (4-4, 2-2 District 14-5A-I) capitalized on a Southside (7-0, 4-0) mistake to record its first touchdown of the game, using a hard count to cause the defensive line to jump offsides as quarterback Zezar Tovar launched a pass down the sideline to Jeremiah Sifuentes, who won the one-on-one battle in the end zone.

The Titans evened the score, 7-7, on a power run in between the guard and tackle from Michael Tamayo, who lowered his shoulder and bulldozed over the goal-line for the touchdown.

The Cardinals took their first lead of the game when Tovar threw a backward pass to Camarillo, who in turn sailed a pass 28 yards into the end zone to Matthew Reyes, who stepped in front of two Titan defenders to secure the touchdown grab to make it 14-7.

Southside had a chance to create more separation with a first-and-goal from the 2-yard-line with one minute left in the half, but committed three consecutive penalties to push itself out of field goal range, leaving the Cardinals to settle for a 14-7 halftime lead.

After a scoreless third quarter, Southside extended its lead on a 25-yard sweep to Camarillo with under sixminutes left to play in the game. Trailing 21-10, Legacy managed to trim the deficit with a short 7-yard touchdown pass from Tovar to Javier Murillo, who beat his man on a slant route for an easy score. The ensuing onside kick was recovered by Southside to end the

game.

What it means: With the victory, Southside is tied with Eagle PassWinn atop the District 14-5A-1 standings at 4-0. Until a team proves it can solve the Cardinals’ suffocating defense or contain their dynamic running back, Southside will have relatively little difficulty securing a district championship.

Legacy found itself in yet another game decided by one possession, and while the Titans have generally had success in close contests, Saturday’s matchup went the other way.

Game balls: Camarillo’s 188 all-purpose yards with a rushing and passing touchdown carried the Southside offense to victory, but quarterback Richard

Torres did well to protect the football and keep several drives alive through timely completions or successful quarterback sneaks. The junior finished 10-of-12 passing for 119 yards, and if you take away a 20-yard sack, six carries for 29 yards.

Tovar led the Legacy offense with 138 yards on 12-of-24 passing with two touchdowns, in addition to 13 carries for seven yards.

Up next: Southside is off next week before taking on Laredo Cigarroa at 7 p.m. on Nov. 27, at Shirley Field. Southwest Legacy faces Laredo Cigarroa at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Shirley Field.