Diamond Hill-Jarvis boys fall 3-0 to San Elizario in 4A Region I championship

The Diamond Hill-Jarvis Eagles fell 3-0 to the San Elizario Eagles on Saturday in the UIL Class 4A Region I Final.

San Elizario junior Eduardo Marquez hit a rocket from 28 yards out off a free kick in the 40th minute of the first half to score the first and most crucial goal in the game.

The superb shot by Marquez belied how much his team struggled to put away opportunities against the Diamond Hills defense.

San Elizario had multiple quality chances that were rebuffed by a combination of stout defense and superb goalkeeping from Diamond Hill that kept San Elizario off the scoreboard for most of the first half.

However, Diamond Hill struggled more to create and finish opportunities throughout the game.

A breakaway chance by senior Ricardo Gonzalez in the second half that was stopped by San Elizario would be Diamond Hill’s best chance to score on the day.

“We had a few, definitely wished we could’ve kept our nerve a little bit and created a few more. Their goalkeeper was fantastic and he had a great game and made no mistakes back there,” said Diamond Hill head coach Kyle Reopelle.

Even while leading in the second half San Elizario missed out on multiple chances to increase their lead, including one sequence with two shots on goal that were both sent away by Diamond Hill senior goalie Ceaser Ortiz.

“Ceaser, our goalkeeper, made some massive saves to keep us in this game for about 20 minutes in the second half,” said Reopelle.

San Elizario’s last two goals would come in the waning moments of the game as Diamond Hill was forced to press aggressively on offense in an attempt to equalize the game.

Diamond Hills loss prevents them from making states for the second time in three years, following their State title loss during the 2021 season.

Diamond Hills’ loss, while so close to returning to the state title tournament, had players, coaches and fans teary-eyed as their season came to a close.

Reopelle said he was proud of his team and what they had accomplished over the past several years and lamented that his senior class fell short of their goals.

“Sophomore year they jelled really well with our class of 2021 and made it all the way to the state championship that year. They’ve been working hard for two years to get back. I feel for them falling one step short of state,” says Reopelle, “ If it was on merit we’d be there.”