• BY WES BLOOMQUIST - WBLOOMQUIST@VICAD.COM
• Originally published November 21, 2009 at 11:57 p.m., updated November 22, 2009 at 1:03 a.m.

• Calhoun 47, Mercedes 39

KINGSVILLE - Calhoun's Albert Ureste left Javelina Stadium exhausted, but excited.

"I'm not going to lie, I was really tired out there," Ureste said on the sidelines after the Sandcrabs won a 47-39 Class 4A, Division II area contest over Mercedes. "I was running a sprint on every play trying to get to the quarterback. I'm drained now."

Ureste wasn't just running sprints for no reason. The defensive tackle and the Sandcrabs' defense were up against a Mercedes team ready to play and ready to throw. The Lions threw 43 passes in the game and ran the ball 27 times.

"I was just going hard and coming off the ball like our coaches teach us," said Ureste, who had three sacks in the game. "I stayed low and tried to blow up the tackle and get to the ball. We all played with a lot of effort and came out with a win."

Calhoun (9-3) advances to play Austin McCallum in a Class 4A, Division II regional game at 8 p.m. on Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Mercedes ends its season with an 8-4 record with its first and last loss of the season coming at the hands of the Sandcrabs.

Brandon Sanders led the Sandcrabs with 206 yards rushing and four touchdowns. The senior scored on runs of 3, 12, 4 and 53 yards in the game. Michael Mullins ran for two touchdowns and Jeremy Loya the other for the Sandcrabs.

Alex Trevino also stepped up for the Calhoun defense. The sophomore linebacker had three sacks, two pass breakups and also blocked an extra point attempt.

"If you're going to win big games, your big-time players have to step up," said Calhoun head coach Richard Whitaker. "They both stepped up for us. They played great on defense and even played on offense in our double-tight formation."

Mercedes finished the game with 410 yards of total offense, but also had minus-33 yards on sacks. Albert Chavez threw for 349 yards and four touchdowns in the game.

"He was a phenomenal quarterback," Whitaker said. "There were tons of times I thought we had him sacked and he got out of it and delivered a great pass. You don't face many like him and we stayed in there."

Calhoun's offense was on the flip side of Mercedes'. The Sandcrabs threw only two passes and ran the ball 57 times for 413 yards.

"We may not have the biggest lineman and linebackers, but we are all playing with heart," Ureste said. "The effort we show is what makes our defense."

Notes

Momentum shifter: Mercedes held a 32-27 lead late in the third quarter after a Raymond Vela recovered a fumble and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown. Trying to capitalize on the recovery and score, the Lions tried an onsides kick. It failed and Calhoun took advantage.

The Sandcrabs took over at the 41, scored three plays later and never trailed again.

"Our kids were so pumped when we got the ball back," Whitaker said. "They were so excited that they were telling me what plays to run. We were very prepared for this game. We knew we were up against it, but our guys played really well."

Inside pounding: Mullins ran for 105 yards on 15 carries for Calhoun. He scored on runs of 16 and 5 yards.

Team field trip: The Sandcrabs left Port Lavaca early in the morning and spent the day in Corpus Christi. The entire team went to the movies to watch "The Blindside" before the game.

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