Edna holds off Hallettsville 28-21 to advance to state semifinals

By Jeremy Shapiro
Special to the Herald-Tribune

ROSENBERG – At the end of an emotional week and a hard-fought game against a tough opponent, the Edna High School coaches just asked for two more first downs.

The Cowboys jumped ahead of Hallettsville 28-0 Friday in a Class 3A, Division 1 state quarterfinal game at Traylor Stadium in Rosenberg. But the Brahmas had whittled the lead down to 28-21 with 2:40 left on the clock.

The Cowboys (9-5) figured if they could just get two more first downs, Hallettsville would never see the ball. Edna’s quarterback Landon O’Connor got one of them on a 12-yard run. The Cowboys didn’t get that second one, but they did get rid of all but 13 seconds on the clock before the Brahmas got the ball back.

A last-ditch pass from Hallettsville quarterback Brent Motal to wide receiver Trenton McGee was incomplete, sending Edna players and fans into jubilation. The 28-21 victory put the Cowboys into the state semifinals for the first time in 23 years.

“I’ve been coaching a long time, and I know these opportunities don’t come around very often,” Edna coach Huey Chancellor said. “Our kids played their hearts out. Everyone knows Noah [Ortiz] is with us. He is watching over us. God bless these kids and this community, and all the people who have done what they’ve done for the family.”

Ortiz was on the minds of many at Traylor Stadium on Friday. A sophomore starting defensive lineman, Ortiz was killed in a Edna mobile home fire on Nov. 25 with four of his siblings, Nicholas, 13, Julian, 9, Areyanah, 6, and Lilyana, 5. The youngest sibling, Johnny Hernandez III, 4, survived the fire along with his parents Annabel Ortiz and Johnny Hernandez Jr.

Before the game, Hallettsville community leaders presented a $19,721.02 check to the Ortiz and Hernandez family. Many of the donations came directly from Hallettsville students. Many Edna fans wore T-shirts with No. 50 on them, which was Ortiz’s uniform number.

“We have an angel looking down from heaven,” Chancellor said. “He’s pushing some buttons. We loved him, and we’re thankful he’s looking after us.”

Both offenses moved the ball in the first quarter, but neither team could sustain drives. The Cowboys got a break on its third drive when a 9-yard pass from O’Connor to DeOntae Jones turned into a 24-yard gain after a Brahmas face mask penalty.

Marquis Broussard moved the ball down to the Brahmas 31 with a 21-yard run right up the middle. Two plays later, O’Connor faked a handoff to Broussard and took off for a 25-yard touchdown run.

The rest of the article will be published in the Dec. 10 Jackson County Herald-Tribune.