GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
With running back Matt Whitesides sidelined due to a sprained ankle, Edinburg North picked up just 142 total yards last week in a 42-0 loss to PSJA North.
Fortunately for North, Whitesides is expected to be back in the lineup for Friday’s game against Edinburg High. He was cleared to return to practice on Monday.
“We’ve got him going,” Edinburg North coach Rene Saenz said. “We don’t want to give him a full workload, but you never know how we come out.”
Despite missing a game, Whitesides ranks as the third-leading rusher in District 31-6A with 616 yards and two scores.
Last season, Whitesides ran for 1,621 yards to go with 17 touchdowns.
Saenz had hoped North would be able to produce without him, but he found that Whitesides was sorely missed.
“I’d like to say it wasn’t that much of an effect, but he’s the team leader on offense,” Saenz said. “We saw what happens when he’s not in the game as far as our level of intensity, our level of commitment to start and finish a play. We look for a different result this week, with him in the lineup.”
WORK IN PROGRESS
After consecutive blowout wins against Mission High and La Joya High, McAllen High earned seven points in the most recent AP poll, good for a 15th-place ranking in the state.
Regardless, coach Kevin Brewer is far from satisfied with his team, which sits at 4-2 overall and 2-0 in District 30-6A.
“I don’t feel like we’re where we need to be,” Brewer said. “We have a lot of things to get better at. Offensively, we’re still not being as efficient as we need to be. … I’m not at all content or satisfied with where we’re at right now.”
Throughout the year, Brewer has been focused on improving the passing game. Quarterback Fred Hover entered last week completing just 44.2 percent of his passes, but he was 12-of-16 passing for 105 yards and three touchdowns in the win against La Joya.
Hover and the Bulldogs have done a better job of limiting turnovers in recent weeks, and the group should only get better with wideout Justin Gonzalez returning from injury last week. His presence will complement McHi’s leading receiver, Ryan Puente, who has 19 catches for 195 yards so far this season.
Puente made just seven catches for 95 yards last season.
“He’s done nothing but step up and do what we need him to do,” Brewer said. “He had a great spring, a great summer and he’s just a little worker, man. He works his tail off to make himself a good football player.”
AIR COYOTES
Quarterback Julio Garcia and wideout Joel Casas have formed the most prolific passing combination in District 30-6A to this point in the season, and coach George Espinoza said the biggest key for both has been the confidence that comes with varsity experience.
Garcia, a second-year starter who ranks second in the district with 698 passing yards, has increased his completion percentage from 39.6 percent last year to 50.5 percent this season. Those completions have averaged 12.9 yards this season, compared to 11.1 yards per completion last year.
“He’s getting his reads,” Espinoza said. “He’s not holding on to the ball as long as he used to. He’s getting a little bit more confident as far as his passing game.”
Casas has been the primary beneficiary, leading the district with 348 yards on 20 catches. He was La Joya’s second leading receiver last year, but with just six catches for 92 yards. Espinoza said Casas’ best attributes are his size, quickness and mentality.
“He’s one of those guys that plays with a lot of confidence,” Espinoza said. “He’s motivated and he wants to do good. He says, ‘Just get it close to me, coach. I’m going to get it.’”