MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — It had been nine months since Edinburg Vela ended 2013 in disappointment, and quarterback Ebher Lopez still carried with him that sting in August.
“Honestly, we should’ve made the playoffs last year,” Lopez said. “But we can’t look back. We just have to look forward.”
Two months later, Lopez and his SaberCats can look back on last season, if only to appreciate how far the third-year program has come — second in district and ranked fourth in the latest RGVSports.com top 10 poll — with a playoff berth looking more and more like a possibility.
“It’s a great feeling,” Lopez said. “We’ve worked hard on it. But we’re not satisfied. We want more. We want to keep pushing each other.”
After last season, Lopez led an effort to gather his teammates for voluntary workouts. From spring to summer and into two-a-days, the group worked together on the field before going out to eat and then hanging out. Asked what’s helped in the SaberCats’ turnaround, Lopez answers with one word — trust.
“More trust in the (offensive) line, more trust in the receivers,” he said.
It’s part of Lopez’s evolution as a leader. This year, Edinburg Vela coach Michael Salinas sees a more composed quarterback — one who doesn’t get as flustered in difficult situations, as when the team went 5-5 and missed the playoffs.
“I think now he just understands that sometimes you have to play the next play,” Salinas said. “There’s going to be some bad plays and there’s going to be some good plays. We try to get him to stay on an even keel and understand that you just have to play.”
The numbers prove it. Lopez leads Valley quarterbacks with 16 touchdown passes, doubling Mission Veterans Memorial’s Santos Villarreal, who is second in District 31-5A with eight. Lopez has completed 55 percent of his attempts for 813 yards.
He’s also rushed 50 times for 339 yards, providing the SaberCats with the type of dual threat that leaves opposing defenses scrambling.
“He’s a competitor,” Sharyland High coach Ron Adame said. “He’s shown some true grit and toughness. He’s somebody you have to account for.”
Twice this season, Lopez has thrown for five touchdowns. In another game, he threw for four in just three quarters of action.
With the added experience, the game comes slower to Lopez, who admits to being nervous at times before games last season. Now, he’s more poised, taking his time in the pocket.
“I feel like more of the team trusts me more,” he said. “Now that they’ve seen me out there perform, they’re like, ‘Maybe this guy can do stuff.’ I believe in them and I’m glad I have their trust.”
Already, Vela (5-1, 1-1) has matched its win total from a year ago, with four games left in the regular season. Lopez has certainly been at the forefront of that, but he deflects the praise.
“It’s not about me,” he said. “It’s the team.”
That’s certainly true in the manner in which the SaberCats get their offense. They have five reliable receivers this year to go with four workhorse running backs, Lopez included. They’ve outscored their opponents 272-102, by far the widest point differential in the Valley.
And they sit in second place in district, behind top-ranked Sharyland High, a team they lost to 27-24 to open district.
Having transferred from Edinburg High following his freshman year, Lopez admitted to having his doubts initially about how fast the program would be able to take off. They went 0-10 in their first season and split their games last year.
Now, the SaberCats appear primed to take the next step in their evolution, with Lopez guiding them.
“We’ve grown a lot, we’ve matured a lot,” he said. “First year, probably not as much. It was a new school. Last year, it was a little iffy. This year, everyone’s all in.
“We just believe in each other.”