Team Stars and Stripes suffered a 24-12 loss to the Tec Monterrey All-Stars despite a rousing fourth quarter comeback attempt to overturn a 17-point deficit in the Tazon de Estrellas at the Tec de Monterrey Campus Estado de Mexico
A delayed webcast of the game will be available at GlobalFootball.com from 8pm ET on Saturday, December 19.
Trailing 17-0 in the final quarter and starting with the ball at their own 29-yard line, Team Stars & Stripes went to the air to move the ball downfield and the passing game paid dividends as quarterback Mike Isgro (Delaware Valley College) moved the chains steadily.
First Isgro hit wideout Riley Curry (Trinity University) for a 22-yard gain and then went long to Patrick O’Connor (Dickinson College) to eat up 45 yards, taking the ball to the six-yard mark.
Another flag backed the Americans up 15 yards, but Isgro reclaimed ten yards with a pass to Orlando Webb (North Carolina Wesleyan College) before hitting O’Connor for a touchdown. A missed extra point attempt by running back and stand in kicker Jake Parke (Augustana College) left coach Manlove’s team trailing by 11 points with 8.26 to play.
Defensive back Corry Stewart (Hanover College) then recovered a fumble at the Tec 20 to continue the revival.  Quarterback Aaron Fanthorpe (North Central) rushed for five yards, found O’Connor for ten more and then hit Steve Austin (Fitchburg State College) for a five-yard touchdown on third down with the clock down to 5.48 to play. The two-point pass attempt failed, leaving Team Stars & Stripes down 17-12.
Tec added another score with 1.22 remaining to go 24-12 ahead and then Rodrigo Esbobar intercepted quarterback Fanthorpe with a second on the clock and the Americans only inches from pay dirt.
The first quarter ended scoreless with Team Stars & Stripes forced three and out on both possessions, while amassing 35 yards in penalties before the Tec Monterrey All-Stars took a 3-0 lead.
Defensively and on special teams the visitors impressed early on, producing a blocked field goal and interception to shut out the more productive home team offense.
The Mexicans’ first drive ended with a 29-yard Adolfo Medellin field goal attempt blocked by Kendall Wade (Univ. Wisconsin-Sout) and when Tec was within scoring range, the Stars & Stripes defense came to the rescue
Receiver Duane Michel Mejia and running back Carlos Guillermo both made sizeable gains on the ground as the hosts’ rushing game proved effective. But when Jorge Martinez Salazar looked for a receiver in the end zone, defensive back Tim Cornish (Bethel University) produced a timely interception at the goal line.
Tec’s third drive began at the 50-yard line and a 45-yard connection between Salazar and Manuel Garza Arias led to a chip shot field goal attempt. Monterrey was denied a first quarter lead when Medellin’s kick sailed wide of the uprights.
Starting its fourth possession from the home 20-yard mark, Tec moved the ball quickly downfield as Dwein Juarez Gracia stepped in under center and twice connected with Enrique Novelo. The Stars & Stripes defense held, forcing Medellin to attempt a 40-yard field goal, which this time split the uprights for a 3-0 lead with 6.54 remaining in the first half.
The Americans put together their most productive drive of the first half leading into the break. Quarterback Kyle Paulson (Univ. Wisconsin-Au Claire) hit receiver Curry for a 23-yard gain and with head coach Bill Manlove regularly switching his signal callers, Isgro produced a 23-yard pass to tight end Brett Schreiner (Lebanon Valley College) to take the ball down to the Tec six-yard line.
The officials threw a flag at the conclusion of the play to move the ball back 15 yards for an apparent unnecessary roughness infringement. With the clock ticking down on the half, Tec Monterrey defensive back Javier Gonzalez produced a timely third down sack to back Stars & Stripes up 10 further yards from the end zone. An attempted fourth down conversion came up empty, leaving the visitors shut out at the halftime break.
Team Stars & Stripes again faltered, going three and out on three third quarter possessions and Tec took advantage by opening the gap to 17 unanswered points.
The Mexicans drew three flags to face a first and 25 situation at one point in the scoring drive, but quarterback Salazar twice hit receiver Alejandro Yanez for first downs and gains of eight yards and 20 yards to keep the chains moving. With the ball on the Americans’ 31-yard line, running back Jose Raul Reyes lined up in a wildcat formation and took a direct snap 31 yards for a touchdown and a 10-point advantage with 4.46 remaining in the third quarter.
Reyes continued to torment the visiting defense as he rushed for gains of 8, 10 and 20 yards before punching the ball into the end zone for his second touchdown from five yards out on third down with 10.59 remaining in the contest. A second Medellin extra point increased the lead to 17-0.
After the visitors reduced the deficit to five points, Salazar found Jorge Balli for 52 yards in the air on a time-consuming drive that ended with Reyes breaching the end zone on first and inches with only 1.22 available for Team Stars & Stripes to make up 12 points.
Their chances looked good as Fanthorpe sought out Austin and O’Connor, each for 15-yard gains. He then went to Austin again to take the ball to the one-yard mark with a second to play after a 17-yard catch before an interception ended the contest.