(Mission, Texas)-The “Battle of Conway” filled Tom Landry Hall of Fame Stadium with more than 9,000 fans as the 16-5A DII Mission Veterans Patriots gave head coach Dave Gilpin his 100th career win by defeating Mission 42-30 on Friday night. Patriots senior QB Braden Luedeker led his team with four scoring touchdowns for 261 yards passing on 12-of-24 attempts and he also rushed for another 86-yards to lead the team. Overall, the Patriots totaled 464 yards offensively, to give Gilpin a big smile. For Gilpin, he was elated. “It’s a good win for us. It’s always a good win for us. I’m really happy for our boys and coaches,” said Gilpin.
The Patriots watched Mission take a 7-0 lead in the first quarter after stripping the ball on a catch by Mission Veterans WR Obed Marin. The 31-6A Mission Eagles QB Diego Salinas would take it up the middle for a 44-yard score and he would do it again in the second quarter from 39-yards out to tie the game at 14-14. In the second half, with the game tied again, at 21-21 in the third quarter, Salinas found WR Shelby Sital for a big gain inside the ten-yard line. A field goal capped that drive. The Eagles still had its opportunities after a late hit by Mission Veterans that gave the Eagles great field position, down 24-35 in the fourth quarter, Salinas would throw a TD pass to narrow the Pats lead. The Patriots defense sacked Salinas twice along with 19 QB hurries.
Offensively, the Patriots were led by Marin with five catches for 168-yards and two scores and RB Pablo Lopez added another 100-yards on the ground. The Mission Eagles out gained Mission Veterans 489-464 in total offense. The Eagles rushed for 290 yards on the ground. “This 100th win is a program milestone. These 100 wins happened because of every coach and player involved in the last 14 years of Patriot Football,” said Gilpin. (HSSMImages/Ruiz)