La Joya Palmview found itself in a shootout in Week 2 against the spread attack of Rio Grande City. For a run-heavy offense like the Lobos, the question was would they be able to keep up?
Palmview’s Carlos Peña answered those questions as the junior running back totaled 332 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the District 16-5A DI opener. Even in the 43-36 loss, Peña proved Palmview could light up the scoreboards just like spread offenses of Mission Veterans, Brownsville Veterans and RGC do in the 10-team district.
His scoring runs came off of distances of 62, 80 and 92 yards, which sent the Lobos’ home crowd on its feet in a back-and-forth game at La Joya ISD Stadium. The Lobos’ offensive line cleared the way up the middle for the powerful and elusive running back to break free on multiple occasions as he finished with an average of 18.4 yards per carry.
Next up for the Lobos is a road trip to take on Brownsville Porter at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
EDCOUCH-ELSA MAKING STRIDES
Although the Yellow Jackets sit at 0-2 after two weeks of play, there’s plenty to be positive about for “La Maquina Amarilla.”
In Week 2, Edcouch-Elsa went down to the wire against the No. 10-ranked Weslaco High Panthers, according to the latest RGVSports.com top 10 rankings, falling 45-35.
Weslaco won last year’s meeting in dominant fashion as the Panthers cruised to a 58-7 victory.
This year, the Yellow Jackets found a way to put up a fight until the end. Edcouch-Elsa held an 11-point lead with 1:12 to play the third quarter, but Weslaco bounced back as its high-powered, big play offense took control late.
Edcouch-Elsa’s offense combined for 432 total yards as running back Jay Cardneas led the way with 15 carries for 170 yards and one touchdown. Meanwhile, Edward Cardoza came through with 56 yards and two scores of his own.
Even in defeat, the Yellow Jackets showed signs that they aren’t the same 2-8 team as a year ago. This group is desperate to turn things around, and with the way Edcouch-Elsa played against one of the Rio Grande Valley’s top teams in Weslaco, they appear to show signs of growth.
Edcouch-Elsa will travel to to take on the Los Fresnos Falcons at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
CISNEROS LEADING MERCEDES ‘O’
Just two weeks into the season, Mercedes’ Michael Cisneros has emerged as one of the top playmakers in the RGV as the sophomore quarterback has the Tigers’ offense rolling. The Tigers are averaging 489 yards per game, the top mark in District 16-5A DII, which features the likes of Sharyland Pioneer and Sharyland High.
Cisneros has accounted for 586 passing yards, 198 more on the ground, and three touchdowns in two games for Mercedes. Under the spotlight last Thursday, Cisneros shined in The Monitor’s Game of the Week against McAllen Rowe as the signal-caller posted 454 yards of total offense in a 28-25 loss. Mercedes has one of the top receiving corps across the RGV and it was on display against Rowe as three receivers finished with 95 yards or more.
Cisneros now ranks second in passing and rushing yardage in District 16-5A DII, just behind Sharyland Pioneer quarterback Eddie Lee Marburger and Edcouch-Elsa running back Jay Cardenas.
Mercedes is now set to square off against La Feria in Week 3 at 7:30 p.m. Friday.