It was a case of missed opportunities for Champion Thursday when the Chargers hosted Laredo Alexander at BISD Stadium.
Champion held a 28-20 lead late in the third quarter but didn’t score in the final period, while the Bulldogs tallied the final two TDs of the game to win 35-28 and spoil the Chargers’ home opener.
Thursday’s contest closed out non-district action for the Chargers (2-1). They’ll open district play Friday at the stadium vs. the defending 5A-DI state champs Smithson Valley.
Champion had pulled ahead 28-20 after the Chargers scored with 4:04 left in the third quarter on a 50-yard pass from Julian Navarette to Brogan Dempsey, their second TD connection of the night.
But the Chargers were kept off the board in their final four possessions. They punted twice, went for it on 4th and 2 from the Bulldogs’ 3-yard line and were stopped and then Alexander came up with an interception on Champion’s final possession of the night.
Another missed opportunity for the Chargers came right before the half when they lined up for a 35-yard field goal attempt but changed their mind and instead went for it on 4th and 13 at the Bulldogs 18.
Champion threw the ball on the play and the receiver was open in the end zone, but the pass was off, and the Chargers came away empty as the game went into halftime.
Laredo Alexander was trailing 28-20 late in the third but scored on a 43-yard pass play from Karlo Tenorio to Jayden Gonzalez where it looked like Tenorio was going to run and drew in the defense but tossed it at the last second on a heads-up play to Gonzalez, who scored.
The Bulldogs went for two points and ran the Philly Special where QB Tenorio handed the ball to Gael Rubio and then Tenorio became the receiver and caught the throw from Rubio to tie it up.
Alexander pulled ahead on its next possession after Tenorio hit Gonzalez again, this time on a busted coverage that went for 65 yards for Laredo’s first lead of the game at 35-28.
Alexander did a great job of burning the clock and held onto the ball for six of the final seven minutes and ran 12 plays compared to just 3 for the Chargers.
On their last drive, the Bulldogs took over with 2:34 left and picked up two first downs to seal the victory.
NOTES: Caleb Farias
ran it in from the 5 early in the first quarter to give Champion a 14-7 lead.
Farias also hauled in a 29-yard TD pass in the third from Julian Navarrete, who tossed three scoring strikes in the game. The Chargers scored all of their points in the first and third quarters and were shutout in the second and fourth.
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