Fette Fuels Del Valle’s Wild Comeback in 40-30 Shootout Win
EL PASO — Six lead changes. Nearly 800 combined rushing yards. And one quarterback who refused to let his team lose.
Jake Fette put on a clinic Friday night, throwing for 349 yards and adding 100 on the ground as Del Valle stormed back to beat Franklin 40-30 in a game that had just about everything.
Fette Takes Over
Trailing 23-13 late in the third quarter, the Conquistadors turned to their senior leader — and he delivered. Fette led back-to-back touchdown drives, including a 1-yard keeper that gave Del Valle its seventh and final lead of the night. Then, with just 3:30 remaining, he put the game away in style, breaking free for a 77-yard sprint down the sideline to send the home crowd into a frenzy.
Ground Game Duel
Franklin running back Ernie Powers nearly stole the show with 342 bruising rushing yards, but Del Valle’s defense tightened late, forcing punts and key third-down stops to give Fette and the offense repeated chances.
Earlier in the night, Dylan Gonzalez opened the scoring for Del Valle with a 12-yard reverse to give the Conquistadors their first lead. After a defensive slugfest in the second quarter, Del Valle carried a slim 13-10 edge into halftime.
Key Moment
The biggest defensive stand of the night might have come just before halftime, when Franklin stuffed Del Valle on fourth-and-1 inside the red zone. That stop kept Franklin within a field goal, setting the stage for the back-and-forth fireworks in the second half.
What It Means
Del Valle improves to 2-0 on the young season, proving they can win in both shootouts and defensive battles. Franklin drops to 1-1 but showed they have a weapon in Powers who can keep them in any game.
