Cruz Castillo rushed for a career best 240 yards and four touchdowns to lead Brackenridge to a 47-22 victory over Lanier on Friday at Alamo Stadium.
The senior running back led a Brackenridge rushing attack which gained 406 yards on the ground and had two runners go over 100 yards, including sophomore quarterback Joshua Garcia, who finished with 124 yards.
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After dropping its first two district games, Brackenridge (3-2 overall, 2-2 in District 14-5A-II) has bounced back in winning two league games in a row, including a 53-19 rout of Edison last week. With the loss, Lanier (3-4, 2-3) fell for the second straight game in district.
“Cruz (Castillo) is an epitome of a student athlete,” Brackenridge coach Steve Garcia said. “He’s the first guy in the building and the last guy to leave. I mean we even put him at defense there, we needed some big stops. He’s our go to senior, he’s a tough kid.”
The win kept Brackenridge in the tight District 14-5A-II playoff hunt. The Eagles will try to extend their winning streak when they play Burbank Thursday at SAISD Sports Complex at 7 p.m. Lanier will try to end its losing skid when it hosts McCollum, which is tied with Harlandale for first, next Friday at 7 p.m. at SAISD Sports Complex.
Joshua Garcia came in for starting Brackenridge quarterback Ahmir Thompson, who left the game early because of an injury. Besides having a solid game running the ball, he also threw for three scores, finishing with 93 yards passing.
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“He’s (Joshua Garcia) kind of a switch blade,” Steve Garcia said. “He plays everything for us. He was our starting corner (back), so we took him out of there. He was ready for the task of being the starting quarterback for Ahmir (Thompson) and he did great.”
Castillo credited his offensive line and the game plan prepared by the Brackenridge coaches for his career rushing night.
“First, I want to shout out to the lineman, shout out to the coaches and shout out for everyone for trusting me,” Castillo said. “I was just following the blocks, be patient and as soon as I saw grass (field) I was going.”
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Lanier got off to a fast start, going up 8-0 in the first quarter as they got their points on a safety and on a 4-yard scoring run by quarterback Erick Esparza.
Castillo then took over, scoring on a 10-yard run with over a minute left in the first quarter and then dashing up the middle on a 51-yard touchdown run, which put Brackenridge up 14-8 with 10:27 left in the second quarter.
Lanier struck back, as Torres ran for 40 yards to the Brackenridge 7-yard line, setting up his 4-yard scoring run which helped the Voks regain the lead at 15-14 with 8:17 left in the second quarter.
Brackenridge answered the Lanier score by going on a 12-play, 68-yard drive, capped off by a 12-yard touchdown pass from Joshua Garcia to Sebastain Garza with 3:38 left in the first half, putting the Eagles up 20-15.
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On the ensuing possession, Lanier drove to the Brackenridge goal line, but the Voks were denied as Esparza fumbled the ball while trying to get into the end zone. Castillo pounced on the fumble at the 1-yard line, preserving Brackenridge’s lead at halftime.
Brackenridge broke the tight game open in the first two minutes of the third quarter. On the first play of the second half, Castillo rumbled for a 72-yard score. The Eagles then recovered a pooch onside kick, and they capitalized on the opportunity with a 55-yard scoring passing from Joshua Garcia to Jarred Jones, extending Brackenridge’s advantage to 33-15 at the 10:08 mark of the third quarter.
“It was a close game, but we just needed a spark,” Castillo said of his 72-yard scoring run. “I wanted to put my team on my back, and I saw the grass and I was gone.”
Joshua Garcia later tossed his third touchdown pass, an 8-yarder to Daniel Rincon on the first play of the fourth quarter, to extend Brackenridge’s lead to 40-15.
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Ten seconds later, Torres, who finished with 173 yards rushing, scored on a 57-yard run to bring Lanier within 40-22 before Castillo capped off his big night with a 7-yard touchdown run with over eight minutes left in the game.
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This article originally published at Cruz Castillo’s four touchdown runs spark Brackenridge in win over Lanier.
