Lions have plenty of courage
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LA FERIA - The La Feria Lions proved to everyone - including themselves - that they can win on the big stage.
They can thank their surprising 31-14 win over Bandera last week at the Alamodome in San Antonio for that.
Of course, they weren't the ones that were surprised.
Now, heading into the state quarterfinals, the Lions (7-5) have another huge stage to perform on when they face 9-1 Cuero Saturday at Buccaneer Stadium in Corpus Christi.
Against Bandera, La Feria did it with solid play all around.
Leading the charge was running back Randy Rodriguez (141 yards, 2 TD) and defender Adrian Ibarra (2 INTs, 1 fumble recovery).
Big-time plays in a big-time situation.
However, the Lions also did it with a relaxed attitude after getting comfortable with their surroundings.
That made a huge difference then and could also help this week, La Feria head coach Elifonso Esquivel said.
The Lions made the awe-inspiring Alamodome their personal playground. In more ways than one.
Before the win, Esquivel let his squad take a long look around to get acquainted.
"We showed up early just for that. We let them be kids for a while," Esquivel said. "It was like a big ol' picnic. They were taking pictures and throwing the ball around. We didn't want to be satisfied with just going to the Alamodome. They were relaxed, and that was helpful."
Rodriguez, who time and again burned the Bulldogs with nifty runs, said the informal session did, in fact, help.
"No one thought we could win. But we just had fun," he said. "Our coaches are always stressing to us to have fun. By game time, everyone was ready to play."
The Dome, where several Valley teams have gone to end their seasons, has no scare factor for the Lions now.
The Lions now hope to carry this same fearlessness over to Buc Stadium.
"I prefer it now (the big stage)," Rodriguez said. "I kinda wish we could play again at the Alamodome."
Ibarra, whose three-turnover effort helped the Lion defense shut out Bandera in the second half, put things into perspective.
"We were excited to be at the Alamodome because not many Valley teams get to play there," Ibarra said. "But a field's a field. They're all the same size."
It's that kind of mentality that will help against the heavily favored Gobblers.
"We didn't get here by luck," Ibarra said. "We got here with good players, good teammates and we know our potential. We know we have a chance to win."
Armando Garza covers sub-4A football for Valley Freedom Newspapers. He can be reached at armandog@valleystar.com.
