BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
Weslaco High coach Tony Villarreal said that “nothing really was resolved” in the days following Friday’s 28-21 win against Weslaco East, after which there was no postgame hand shake.
Before the game, Weslaco High’s players huddled at midfield, some of them taunting East as the Wildcats warmed up.
When the game ended, Weslaco High’s players again gathered at midfield. Many of them looked toward the East sideline, and a few mocked the Wildcats by flexing. Linebacker Michael Torres ran to the Weslaco East Wildcats logo, stomping and wiping his feet on it. Villarreal said his team’s behavior was a result of the exuberance that comes from winning a district title against a sister school. Villarreal made an attempt to get his team lined up, but East had already broken off into its team huddle.
“I’m happy with what happened,” Villarreal said. “We tried to line our kids up. That’s it. Kids were excited. That’s it. There was nothing that I saw that I’m disapproving.”
Weslaco East coach Mike Burget declined to comment on the decision to forego the handshake when asked after the game, and again chose not to elaborate on his thought process when asked Wednesday.
“Nobody bothered to ask me why I did that last week. They made assumptions that it was all my fault,” Burget said. “I’m going to leave it like that. It happened in the past. I’m going to let it go, and I’m looking forward to playing a heck of a bi-district game against San Benito.”
LA JOYA UNDERDOGS
La Joya High and La Joya Palmview are entering their playoff matchups this week, the first for both teams since the La Joya ISD split following the 2007 season, looking to prove themselves.
The Coyotes know that Laredo United is the heavy favorite in their matchup. United boasts a prolific passing offense that pushed Sharyland High, the Valley’s best team, to the brink in a 28-23 loss.
“We’re going to come in with the role of being the underdog, and they’re going to be predicted, but that’s not going to change anything with us and the kids,” La Joya coach George Espinoza said. “Our mindset is going in there to take care of business.”
Palmview is looking to extend the best season in program history with yet another first: a playoff win. In scouting Laredo LBJ, Palmview coach Margarito Requenz sees a team that is “exactly like us.” In a battle of ground-and-pound offenses, Palmview will get a boost from the return of 1,000-yard backs Freddy Villarreal and Jose Bernal, who are back at 100 percent after nursing injury the past couple of weeks.
“I just keep throwing that if you want to keep making history, you have to win this week,” Requenez said. “If you guys win, it’ll be memories that you guys are going to talk about from now until probably you guys dies.”
FAMILIAR FACES
Weslaco East, Weslaco High and Edinburg North all have bi-district matchups against teams they faced during the non-district schedule. And all three coaches agree that those experiences are only so valuable two months down the road.
Edinburg North and coach Rene Saenz face Los Fresnos, a team North beat 22-19 in Week 1. When Saenz looks at Los Fresnos now, he sees a team that has eliminated mistakes and boasts a dominant offensive line. He anticipates Los Fresnos entering the matchup with confidence.
“They’re probably thinking, ‘If the Cougars come out and start making mistakes, we can jump on them and maybe bury them early,’” Saenz said.
Weslaco East faces San Benito, which East defeated 42-14 in Week 2. But Wildcats coach Mike Burget says the game was far from a blowout. East outgained San Benito just 427-402, and the Greyhounds have only gained confidence since.
“(Our kids) know that this team that they’re going to play Friday night is capable of beating us if we don’t play East football,” Burget said. “We don’t look at the score.”
Weslaco High will go up against Harlingen, which beat the Panthers 30-29 in Week 4 after Weslaco turned the ball over deep in its own territory on a fourth-quarter punt attempt. Villarreal said both teams have improved substantially since that game, especially on offense. He and the Panthers are treating this week as a chance at revenge.
“That’s kind of been the model for the whole playoff season,” Villarreal said. “Everybody has a second chance against everybody.”