JJ Acosta, Josh Suarez lead Taft to district-opening win against rival Odem
ODEM — The last time Odem and Taft played each other, a power outage at Owl Stadium kept both teams off the field for more than two hours.
The lights were shining bright Friday night in the District 16-3A Division II opener for both teams and just in time for quarterback J.J. Acosta and wide receiver Josh Suarez to put on a show.
The two Taft teammates accounted for more than 500 yards and four touchdowns, including Suarez' go-ahead 23-yard touchdown run with less than two minutes to secure a 33-26 come-from-behind win against the Owls.
The Greyhounds overcame a 26-19 deficit in the fourth quarter to win their third game of the season and first against their rival Odem since the 2011 season.
The Owls attempted a game-winning drive before Acosta sealed the win with an interception on defense with 50 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Key Moments
Josh Suarez' 23-yard, go-ahead touchdown run and J.J. Acosta's interception with 50 seconds remaining in the game proved to be the winning ingredients for the Greyhounds, who erased a 26-19 deficit in the final minutes. Odem completed a comeback of its own after overcoming two first quarter touchdowns from Acosta, who connected with a pair of touchdowns to Suarez on throws of 11 and 60 yards. Trailing 13-0, Hunter Dawson scored two second quarter touchdowns on runs of 8 and 1 yards. Dawson gave Odem its first lead on a 31-yard touchdown pass to Leon Brown and added some insurance with another 23-yard touchdown pass to Josh Chavira, which gave the Owls a 26-19 advantage in the fourth quarter.
Key players
Acosta passed for a game-best 311 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 138 yards and a touchdown and recorded an interception on defense. Suarez caught seven passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns and ran 23 yards for the go-ahead score in the final minutes. Enrique Rodriguez finished with nine catches for 75 yards and Efrain Ozuna had seven catches for 80 yards for the Greyhounds. Odem running back Bryce Galvan finished with 17 carries for a team-best 113 yards and Dawson had 13 carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns.
What the coaches said
Taft coach Joe Castellano on opening district with a win against Odem: "I was super proud of the effort they gave throughout the fourth quarter. It was very easy to throw in the towel in there late with things not going our way and that's how it's been the last couple of years against Odem. I'm proud of our seniors... this was for them and they did an excellent job."
Odem coach Armando Huerta on the Owls moving forward after Friday's loss: "They have a lot of fight and a lot of heart, but we continue to make critical mistakes in critical moments... Coming in, we knew Taft was a high-powered offense and we wanted to slow them down, keep the ball away, that kind of stuff. We gave them three extra possessions and that ends up being the difference... I like to think we're getting better. Our kids our playing hard and we're not quitting. We just have to learn how to win and we're still in that process."
What the players said
Taft quarterback J.J. Acosta on the Greyhounds fighting back in the fourth quarter: "First and foremost, all glory to God, we wouldn't be here without Him. Our team stuck together, our receivers did their jobs and our defense stepped up in the end when adversity was against us. We were the underdogs since they've beaten us in past years, but our team felt confident and they stepped up in a big way."
Taft receiver Josh Suarez on his go-ahead 23-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter: "The whole team's connection was there. We didn't stop fighting and we knew we had a chance in the fourth quarter when we were down. I'm glad we got the win."
Up next
Santa Rosa at Taft, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7; Odem at Santa Rosa, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Acosta, Suarez lead Taft to district-opening win against rival Odem
