EDINBURG — When Raul Salas took over as Edinburg Economedes’ head football coach in 2022, he knew he had some work to do.
Salas, who was the third head coach hired by Economedes in as many years when he took over, inherited a team coming off five straight losing seasons.
Year 1 and Year 2 at the helm proved challenging, with the team going a combined 2-18 during Salas’ first two years at the helm.
This year, however, the Jaguars look different, sporting an unbeaten 3-0 mark through the first three weeks in the regular season. The record marks ties best start to a season since 2016, when they won three straight to start the regular season en route to a 7-4 overall record and their last playoff appearance to date.
“I took this program over in July over two years ago,” Salas. “That first year was about what do we have and what we could do. I spent pretty much that first year evaluating everybody and seeing where we were at. That year was kind of on the run. … Fast forward two years, we’ve turned over some coaches, brought in some new coaches. The kids are a little bit older. They’re still fairly young. I think that is paying off for us right now. They’ve had it all along. This group was just young.”
The Jaguars’ success this season comes as no surprise to Salas. Most of the players starting for the program have been with him since he took over in 2022.
The experience, combined with a bought-in mentality to Salas’ vision has Economedes playing with a different energy in 2024.
On paper, Economedes’ opponents haven’t been the toughest, with wins over Donna North, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln and Brownsville Porter. Don’t let the strength of schedule fool you. The Jaguars have handled their opponents with ease, winning their first three games by a combined score of 122-13.
“Having those players that have been in this system is big,” Salas said. “They’re pretty much the same kid, except now they’re stronger and a little bit more mature. … I’ll put it this way. My first year when we move that group of freshmen up, our subvarsity lost a lot of games. Now, two years later, this is the first year I don’t touch a single freshman. All three levels are undefeated now. It goes to show the process and the growth we have now because of the fact we no longer have to take the young ones and allow them to win at those levels. The system is kind of in place now.”
On offense, the Jaguars are bullying defenses, with four different players rushing for at least 175 yards. Each also has found the end zone multiple times.
Junior Johan Nunez leads the pack with 36 carries for 365 yards and four touchdowns. Slow down Nunez, and three other players are ready to step up in sophomore quarterback Jon Carreon (24 carries, 285 yards, four touchdowns), junior running back Carlos Garcia (25 carries, 264 yards, three touchdowns) and junior running back Max Reyna (23 carries, 197 yards, five touchdowns).
Defensively, 2023 District 31-6A defensive newcomer of the year Jaime Eguia leads a physical defense. The sophomore linebacker leads the team with 27 total tackles through three games and has added three tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.
Senior defensive lineman Joel Salinas and Josh Cameron add experience in the trenches, giving Salas and the Jaguars a formidable defense alongside their ground-and-pound offense.
The Jaguars still have two more games to go before they start district play. Up next is a matchup against another unbeaten squad, the Brownsville Pace Vikings (3-0).
A win over the Vikings would tie their win total from the past three years combined while also giving the Jaguars their best start in program history.
Salas knows the real games that matter are down the stretch, however, with he and his team having their sights set on a return to the postseason or the first time since 2016.
“We had this conversation this morning in practice,” Salas said. “I try to be up front with the guys and speak the truth and not sugarcoat stuff. I tell them if they don’t come to work every day, they’re going to get beat by teams they aren’t supposed to get beat by. If they show up every day and do what they’re asked, then they have a chance on Friday nights.
”My thing to them is don’t let that head get real big. We haven’t beaten anybody yet. We haven’t started district. Those are the games that really count. These games right now prepare you for district. Now it is just about keeping them at ground level, keeping them at base.”
BOUNCEBACK
Brownsville Veterans and Weslaco High delivered bounceback performances in Week 3, both picking up dominant victories.
The Chargers, who were coming off a Week 2 loss to Brownsville St. Joseph, responded to the defeat with an impressive 49-10 victory over Rio Grande City on the road.
Senior quarterback Storm Montoya led the offensive charge for Veterans during the win, completing 3-of-6 passes for 39 yards and a score, and he added 13 carries for 158 yards and five touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Panthers got in the win column for the first time this season thanks to a convincing 27-8 victory over Laredo LBJ on Friday at home.
Senior do-it-all athlete Chris Luna powered the Panthers to the Week 3 victory, racking up 104 total yards and three total touchdowns during the win.
Both teams will look to continue righting the ship with district play quickly approaching.
STOCK RISING
The Los Fresnos Falcons have risen quickly in the RGVSports.com 5A/6A poll, moving from No. 7 to start the season all the way to No. 3.
A big reason for their ascension has been the play of third-year starting quarterback Robert Pineda.
The junior signal caller has been among the Valley’s best dual-threat options this season, throwing for more than 600 yards and seven touchdowns, and adding more than 200 yards and four scores on the ground.
Last week, Pineda demonstrated his clutch ability, leading a last-minute drive for the win, capping it with a 2-yard touchdown run as time expired to give the Falcons the 33-32 victory.
Up next for the Falcons is a tough road test against No. 4 PSJA High at 7 p.m. Friday at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.