Panthers Lose to Eagles in Very Close Homecoming Game
By John Earp
Friday night in Panther Stadium, the Jal Panthers Varsity Football Team (1-3) took on the Van Horn Eagles (2-1) in the JHS 2026 Homecoming Game. On the Panthers’ first offensive drive of the game, Eloy Herrera took the ball down 9 yards to the 5-yard line. With about 6 minutes remaining in the first quarter, Zaine Vega ran the ball in for a touchdown. Emilio Carranza’s attempted point-after attempt was blocked by a big Van Horn rush. Carranza kicked a long and high kickoff, with the Panthers Special Teams Unit taking the receiver down on the Eagle 24-yard line. With 5:01 remaining in the first quarter, the Panthers led 6-0.
The Van Horn Eagles performed better on their second offensive drive, primarily with a strong running game. With 2:20 remaining in the first quarter, the Eagles had advanced down to the Panther 25-yard line. Van Horn struggled to gain ground over the next few plays, but with 17 seconds remaining in the first quarter, they completed a touchdown pass followed by a successful point after.
With 8:15 remaining in the second quarter, the Van Horn Eagles completed a touchdown pass from the Panthers 18-yard line; however, a holding penalty negated the touchdown and brought the ball back to the 18. Subsequently, a delay-of-game penalty against the Eagles would have driven the ball back further, but the penalty was waved off by the officials. With 7:07 remaining in the first quarter, the Eagles successfully scored their second touchdown. After a failed kick on the point after attempt, the Eagles led the Panthers 13-7.
Zaine Vega received the ensuing kickoff, running it back from deep in Panther territory to the Eagles 44-yard line. Panthers quarterback Jayden Cervantes took the next play all the way into the end zone on a quarterback keeper. Two-point conversion was successful, giving the Panthers a one-point lead with 6:44 remaining in the second quarter. With 3:26 remaining in the second quarter, the Van Horn Eagles completed a touchdown pass from the Panther 21-yard line. Point-after attempt was successful, just barely clearing the crossbar of the goalpost. After the ensuing kickoff, Cristian Rangel took a handoff, running it through the line all the way down to the end zone. Point-after attempt was unsuccessful. The game was tied at 20 with 3:06 left on the clock before halftime.
One excellent addition to the 2026 JHS Homecoming Game was the Van Horn Band, which did a great job playing all the standard high school football songs throughout the game. Since their school district is a bit smaller than Jal School District, enrollment wise, it is even more remarkable that they are able to sustain a band program. One can only wonder if the Jal High School Band might ever be brought back to life in the future.
With 1:15 remaining in the first half, the Panther Defense were successful in shutting down the Eagle Offense, forcing a turnover on downs near midfield. Unfortunately, quarterback Jayden Cervantes was unable to advance the ball on a keeper, and it appeared the half was over, with 0:00 on the scoreboard. Unfortunately for the Eagles, a face-mask penalty was called on them, giving the Panthers another play deep in Eagle territory, which was capitalized on by a touchdown quarterback keeper on the ensuing play. Two-point conversion was successful. At halftime, the Panthers were in the lead 28-20.
Following the kickoff, the Panther Offense was ineffective in their first drive of the second half, punting from deep in their own territory. The Eagles returned the punt for a touchdown, but failed in their two-point conversion. The Panthers held the lead 28-26. Cesar Gomez returned the ensuing kickoff with a 55-yard run, giving the Panthers excellent field position on the Eagle 12-yard line. After several close but failed plays as well as a face-mask penalty against the Eagles, a quarterback keeper around the left side resulted in a Panther touchdown. The point-after attempt was unsuccessful. With 6:37 remaining in the third quarter, the Panthers led the Eagles 34-26.
Cesar Gomez sacked the Eagle quarterback near midfield with 1:40 left in the third quarter. The Panther Defense held the Eagles to 4th and five on the Panther 47-yard line with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter. After calling a timeout, the Eagles chose to run the ball. The quarterback successfully completed a 7-yard run for the first down, keeping their drive alive. The Eagle quarterback was on the ball, running a keeper around the end, all the way down to the 2-yard line before taking it into the end zone on the next play. After a successful two-point conversion, the game was tied once again with 26 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
The game went back and forth throughout the fourth quarter, with neither team scoring until 1:27 was left in the game, at which point the Eagles completed a short pass into the end zone. After the point-after attempt was good, Van Horn was ahead 41-34. The outcome of the game would be determined in the Panthers’ final drive. Vega returned the kickoff to the Panther 25-yard line.
The Panther Offense was then able to advance the ball to their 40-yard line, calling a timeout with just 26 seconds remaining in the game. It was a do-or-die situation to be sure. With just 9 seconds remaining on the clock, the Panthers attempted what would have been what Roger Staubach used to call “hail Mary pass,” but a fumble resulted in a turnover. Final score was 41-34, with a tough loss, ending a very good game by both teams.