Porter was down at the half but surged back to overcome a determined PSJA High squad.

The Cowboys, who clinched a playoff berth with a PSJA Southwest loss earlier this week, started slow but held off the Bears 34-27 in overtime Saturday in a District 32-5A game at Sams Memorial Stadium.

Porter’s Ernie Martinez found Jonathan Gonzalez for a 4-yard touchdown pass to take the lead in overtime and the defense knocked down a pass on fourth down in the end zone to seal the win, but it wasn’t easy.

“It seemed we were satisfied to know we made the playoffs and this game didn’t matter, which came back to bite us in the butt in the first half,” Porter coach Tom Campos said. “I told them at halftime, ‘That was the worst half of football we played all year.’”

Jorge Gutierrez ran for 261 yards and scored three touchdowns to lead the way for the Cowboys.

“We weren’t finishing runs, so I challenged the two backs to step it up and they did,” Campos said. “The offensive line did their job, and defense came up with some plays when we needed them.”

Both teams held steady on defense early on until Porter finally broke a scoreless tie late in the first quarter. Gutierrez scored on a 2-yard run to give Porter a 7-0 lead.

PSJA High answered in the second quarter. Marc Castillo got the Bears on the board with a 2-yard run, but the extra point was missed and Porter led 7-6.

The Bears took the lead just before halftime as Joachim Almaguer posted a 2-yard touchdown run and PSJA High took a 13-7 advantage.

“Their players were ready to play,” Campos said of PSJA High’s quick start. “They’re a talented ballclub that tries everything they can but can’t get a win. It’s like us three years ago.”

After halftime, Porter took control. The Cowboys took the lead after Martinez scored on a 1-yard run and extended it to 20-13 when Gutierrez found the end zone after a 5-yard run.

During the fourth quarter, PSJA High wasn’t finished. The Bears pulled within one point of the lead at 20-19 when Castillo scored for the second time on the day with a 2-yard run.

Porter answered quickly as Gutierrez scored on an 8-yard run, and the Cowboys took a 27-19 lead.

The Bears wouldn’t be denied and tied the game at 27 with 15 seconds left in the quarter when Andrew Castaneda hit Anthony Dunaway on a 4-yard touchdown pass.

But the Cowboys scored on their possession in overtime to complete the comeback win.

It was another tough loss for PSJA High, which is still looking for its first win of the year.

“I told them I love them and they’ve been working their tails off all year,” PSJA High coach Steve Marroquin said about what he told his team after the game. “I know our record doesn’t say that, but these kids have been here since Day 1. They give us everything they’ve got, each other everything they’ve got, our school everything they’ve got and we’re proud to be Bears.”

Despite another loss, Marroquin was proud of the continued effort his team has given every week.

“I’m proud of the kids, they fought a good Brownsville Porter team,” he said. “Coach Campos and his staff has done a tremendous job. Kudos to them, they’ve done a heck of a job this year. It was a tough loss, but they’re in the playoffs for a reason.

“We gave it everything we had, a couple of bounces here and there (didn’t go our way). We made some mistakes, but that’s the game of football.”

Campos was happy to get the win but knows his team needs to play better next week and during the upcoming postseason.

“They came through when we needed to,” he said. “But we need to get back on track, and (our game against) Mercedes is going to be a hell of a game.”