Bryan Jasso's late field goal sends Brackenridge over Jefferson into playoffs

With Brackenridge trailing Jefferson by 1 with under two minutes left, Eagles coach Steve Garcia had one question for his team.

"How bad do you want it?"

The Eagles offense answered the call by driving 22 yards in six plays before sophomore Bryan Jasso kicked the go-ahead, 29-yard field goal, securing a 23-21 win over Jefferson on Friday at SAISD Sports Complex.

In 2023 and 2024, the Eagles were winless. Now, for the first time under Garcia, they're heading to the playoffs. The accomplishment drove him to tears.

"When I took this job, we were 0-20," Garcia said. "There were a lot of naysayers. Being an SAISD product, I knew Brackenridge was going to be back. We're not officially back just yet, but we're almost there."

Brackenridge leaned on senior Cruz Castillo to kickstart its offense early. Castillo churned out 34 rushing yards on the Eagles' opening drive before sophomore Joshua Garcia flipped the script and launched a 31-yard touchdown pass to senior Jarred Jones.

Jefferson tried a similar approach on its first drive, riding senior Michael Bejar for 29 yards, but the Mustangs turned the ball over on downs in Eagles territory.

The Mustangs snatched possession back after senior John Fernandez nabbed a tip-drill interception on Joshua Garcia. Senior Daniel Rincon returned the favor on Jefferson's ensuing drive, picking off Mustangs senior Noah Hernandez after Hernandez overshot his target.

Brackenridge squandered Rincon's big play, but Rincon gave his team another shot.

Battling through an offensive pass interference, Rincon hauled in his second interception.

"Hard work pays off," Rincon said.

After a 1-yard loss from Castillo, Steve Garcia rewarded Rincon by drawing up a play for him. On second-and-11, Joshua Garcia hit Rincon on a quick slant, and Rincon did the rest, shaking a tackler and outrunning defenders for a 71-yard score to put the Eagles up 14-0 with 6:12 left in the half.

"Daniel stepped up today," Steve Garcia said. "He earned that. He earned his wings tonight."

With 12 seconds left in the half, Hernandez found sophomore Randy Badillo Jr. for a 12-yard touchdown. A successful 2-point try made it a one-possession game at halftime.

Jefferson took its first lead of the game late in the third quarter after Bejar connected with senior John Fernandez for a 19-yard double-pass touchdown.

Now trailing 15-14, Brackenridge settled in and continued pounding the rock with Castillo. The Eagles rushed eight times to get Jefferson keyed in on the run. The plan worked, and Joshua Garcia took a low snap to bait Jefferson before finding Rincon for a 27-yard score. A missed extra point left the Eagles leading 20-15 with 10:19 remaining in the game.

A quick turnover-on-downs seemed like the end for the Mustangs, but a missed 39-yarder from Jasso gave them life late. Bejar capitalized on Jefferson's second play after the missed field goal, breaking loose for a 73-yard touchdown.

Brackenridge began its final drive in plus territory after a pivotal kick return. Despite starting at the Jefferson 32-yard line, the Eagles were still forced into a fourth-and-10 situation. With the game on the line, Brackenridge went to Rincon to get the first down, and he converted.

Even after Jasso's earlier miss, Steve Garcia wanted to give him another shot to win the game. This time, Jasso delivered and secured his team's first playoff bid since 2021.

"These games are won in the offseason," Steve Garcia said. "Our guys bought in. I told the guys, ‘Just believe in us, believe in yourself. We're good. We're a playoff team.' And they showed that tonight."

Subscribe

This article originally published at Bryan Jasso's late field goal sends Brackenridge over Jefferson into playoffs.