He wears white road jersey #20, trimmed in gold and brown. After last Friday night’s 29-24 victory over Chapin, the Husky players are probably convinced that Austin QB Ernest Raya was actually wearing a red caped, blue jersey, with a gold “S” emblazoned on the front of it. Superman!
Raya certainly turned in a “Superman” type of effort in Austin’s win over Chapin last Friday night in giving the Panthers a second straight District 1-4A Championship, the school’s 15th such title in tts 78 year old football history dating back to 1930..
A review of the 2008 Austin-Chapin District 1-4A Championship game bears out the “Superman” comparison of Raya, without a doubt. For example, the 5-9 inch Raya scored four rushing touchdowns against a very good Chapin defensive unit in leading the Golden Panthers to yet another District 1-4A crown.
It is the way Ernest Raya defeats Austin’s opponents, not the fact that he hit pay-dirt for 24 points against a very good Chapin football team! Early in this contest, Chapin grabbed a 14-0 lead over the defending District 1-4A Champion Austin Panthers. Raya quickly brought the Panthers back dead-locking the game at 14-14 at halftime, thanks to rushing TD’S of 3 and 9 yards.
Most of the second half, Raya and his teammates found themselves trailing Chapin by a TD or more. With 3:51 left to play in the game, Raya and the Panthers were down 24-17. At this stage of the battle, Raya had to take over the game, or else his team was going to lose. WR Marcus Calhoun has managed to whip the defensive coverage all year long and he came up huge against Chapin when the game was on the line. Calhoun caught two crucial passes from Raya moving the ball to the one yard-line. It did not take Raya long to run the ball into the end zone cutting Chapin’s margin to 24-23. Austin Head Coach Ruben Batista decided to roll the dice at this juncture of the game by ordering his offensive unit to go for the win and successfully execute a two point play The reason?
Austin was running out of time with slightly over two minutes to play in the game. Batista perhaps felt his defensive unit was worn out and could not stop the explosive Chapin offensive unit if he kicked an extra point knotting the game at 24 all. Instead, he decided to gamble, putting Austin’s District 1-4A Championship hopes on the line.
Luck deserted the Golden Cats on this two point pass play as Raya’s aerial harmlessly fell to the ground incomplete. Chapin withstood the Panthers onslaught successfully protecting a 24-23 lead.
With two minutes and change left to go in the game, all Batista could do, as a coach, was to order his special team’s unit to execute an onside kick and pray that it worked.. Luck, skill, and a lot of magic rediscovered the Austin Panthers as the game clock rolled on becoming the Gold and Brown’s enemy. Only a great football team recovers a “do or die” onside kick! Only a very lucky team also recovers an onside kick. Austin proved it was both great and lucky as star RB Ben Sustaita proved to be in the right place, at the right time covering the desperate kick for his team giving his teammates new life.
It did not take the fearless Raya long to lead the Panthers right down the field firing pass completions to his teammates. The key pass completion found Raya drilling the ball into Marcus Calhoun’s chest at the Chapin three yard-line. With 26 seconds left on the clock, Raya hit pay-dirt on a three yard run to glory giving the Panthers a 29-24 lead. Austin went for two points again, and again the Cats failed to convert. The Panthers were 26 seconds away from winning the 2008 District 1-4A Championship.
Chapin could do nothing with under 30 seconds to play. In fact, Chapin QB Anthony Campuzano ended the battle by tossing an interception picked off by the dependable Marcus Calhoun.
In this game, Raya scored four rushing TD’S picking up 35 yards on 14 carries. He completed 10 passes on 17 attempts for 186 yards and no scoring strikes. However, several of Raya’s shots were crucial, allowing Austin to keep scoring drives alive.
For the game, Raya touched the ball 24 times good for 221 yards and 4 TD’S. He averaged 9.2 yards per successful offensive play.
In performing his brand of magical greatness, Ernest Raya will go down in Austin’s 78 year old gridiron history as one of the school’s greatest players in leading the Panthers to a couple of improbable District Championships in back-to-back seasons. Austin went 41 years without a football championship, until Raya started playing QB. Austin has claimed 19 wins in Raya’s 20 career starts, good for a 95% winning percentage.
More than that, Raya has restored the pride and greatness in Austin’s football program.
R.E. Mc Kee Stadium on the Austin campus will be the site of the “78th Battle For The Claw” against arch-rival EPHS and new coach Ronnie Hernandez. Hernandez led the Tigers to its’ first win of the year whipping Bowie 14-6 giving his club some momentum.
Although, Austin leads the City of El Paso’s oldest high school football rivalry 51-24-1, as a rule you can throw out the record books.
Congratulations are in order and go out to Montwood High School for winning its’ fifth District 1-5A Championship in the last six years. Montwood football coach Chuck Veliz is a “winner” and is the architect of the Rams football tradition. The Rams play host to the Bulldogs of Socorro this Thursday night at the “SAC” to close out the regular season.
The Sun Bowl will be the site of the 14th annual clash between the Franklin Cougars and the Coronado Thunderbirds in a fierce rivalry that the Cougars lead 10-3. This game will be played Thursday night.
Get your tickets early for the District 2-4A Championship Game pitting the Riverside Rangers against the homestanding Canutillo Eagles in a contest that will be played at Lowenberg Stadium. This is the biggest game in Canutillo football history. A history that Canutillo Head Coach Scott Brooks has carefully crafted over the last decade.
Last, but not least, Bowie will tangle with arch-rival Jefferson in the “57th” renewal of “The Battle For The Southside Of El Paso.” This heated rivalry finds Bowie in the lead 32-23-1 and Bowie’s Baty-Simmang Stadium will be the site of the game on Friday night.
Finally, I correctly picked 12 winners in 16 games last week winning 75% of the time. For the year, I own a 90-18 record for an 83.3% guessing total. In the final week of the 2008 regular season, I’ll pick Montwood to whip Socorro on Thursday night, while Franklin will dispose of Coronado. Las Cruces Onate will clobber Gadsden on Thursday night at the Field of Dreams in Las Cruces.
On Friday night, Bel Air will blast Eastwood winning its’ third game in a row, while El Dorado stops Americas. District 1-4A’s Friday night action will find Austin clobbering EPHS in the “77th Battle For The Claw” while, Jefferson defeats Bowie in the “57th Southside El Paso Championship Game”. Chapin will recover against Andress, and Burges will blast Irvin.
Canutillo wins the District 2-4A crown stopping Riverside. Meanwhile, Del Valle will crush Mt. View, Parkland rebounds over Horizon, and Ysleta whips San Elizario.
Cathedral wins its’ 7th game of the year on the road at Van Horn, and Santa Teresa should drop Chaparral.
In District 4-3A play, Fabens will top Tornillo, Ft.Stockton will rip Anthony, and Pecos will clobber Clint. In the New Mexico game of the year, I will take Jim Miller’s Las Cruces Bulldogs to upend Michael Bradley’s Las Cruces Mayfield Trojans at Aggie Memorial Stadium.
In a closing note, Happy Birthday to my brother Charles, who is the reason that I am alive and well, and able to write this column. All of my respect, love, and thanks!