DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
The Donna Redskins may have found themselves Friday night.
With junior starting quarterback Amonte Bowen sidelined for at least six weeks, the Redskins didn’t know what to expect going into Friday’s home season-opener against Brownsville Veterans Memorial. But what they saw — not only a 28-24 comeback win, but the way they won — pleased coach Ramiro Leal.
“We had defining moments for team character. That’s really key,” said Leal, whose team trailed 21-7 early. “The easiest thing is to find excuses and start hanging your head. But we got tested and we were resilient.”
Junior quarterback Edward Dougherty, forced into the starter’s role just last week, was solid, completing 7 of 12 passes for a touchdown and running 18 times for a team-high 94 yards and another TD. It was his throw on a fade to Paul Guerra on 3rd-and-10 late that awarded Donna a lead it would never surrender.
“Edward looked nervous at the beginning, but he did well,” Leal said. “We expected him to be good. Once he got settled in, he had a heck of a game.”
The defense, led by crucial late interceptions by Jarod Garza and Jon Marty, only allowed three points in the second half and 281 total yards.
It was a big night for a program that starts eight juniors on offense and six on defense.
“They grew up,” Leal said.
The offense ran so smoothly under Dougherty that Leal never had to stray from his new-look two-back I-formation.
“I think we just had to settle down,” Leal said. “We got inside the 30, 20 and just couldn’t score in the first half. But in the second half, we settled down.”
‘JACKETS HAVE WARTS
Edcouch-Elsa coach Joe Marichalar did not mince words when he reviewed Friday’s 48-28 season-opening loss at McAllen Rowe.
“They came to play and we didn’t,” Marichalar said. “Holy smokes, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Where do the Yellowjackets start? E-E surrendered 539 yards, and it could have been worse if the Warriors had not removed starting quarterback Hector Bosquez midway through the third quarter to give time to backup John Perez. E-E totaled 305 yards of offense, but turned it over twice and committed 15 penalties for 125 yards, including a delay-of-game miscue before kicking off to Rowe to start the game.
Defense, or the lack thereof, concerned Marichalar the most. The Warriors had 292 yards rushing and 247 passing. They had touchdowns of 35, 37, 81 and 83 yards.
“We haven’t seen something like that defensively,” Marichalar said, specifically noting the subpar play of the outside linebackers. “We take pride in it. We can say it’s the youth or inexperience, but I don’t care. I take pride in our coaching, and I told our coaches it’s on us. We take full responsibility.
“We weren’t in proper areas and our linemen were lining up wrong and Rowe took us apart.”
Changes are likely coming on defense, starting with Marichalar being more hands-on coaching the linebackers. Offensively, the Yellowjackets showed enough promise in the second half to thwart serious concerns, at least for now. Sophomore quarterback Marco Aguinaga erased an ugly first half to throw for a touchdown and run for another in the second, showing off the speed and elusiveness that coaches were raving about this offseason. E-E outscored Rowe 21-14 in the final two quarters, leading Marichalar to praise the team’s fight as the game wore on.
Marichalar credited Aguinaga’s supporting cast, like running back Lino Sanchez and receiver Chon Hernandez, and the offensive line for helping Aguinaga get more comfortable.
Still, the second-year coach will continue to evaluate the quarterback situation. As of now, Aguinaga remains No. 1. But if a better fit is needed, Andrew Segura, the No. 2, or Moses Gomez, the No. 3, could find themselves No. 1.
Who starts at home against Los Fresnos on Friday could be determined Tuesday or Wednesday.
JAVS START STRONG AGAIN
PSJA Southwest is now 3-0 in season-openers after dismantling Valley View 42-0 on Saturday night.
“The kids played well,” Southwest coach Jesus Reyes said. “It was well deserved. It was execution. We talked about it all week, and we did it.”
As usual, the Javelinas ran the ball successfully, as the ground game accounted for all but one of their touchdowns. But it was the passing game that saw growth.
Southwest threw for 105 yards and scored on a 60-yard pass.
“We want to do more passing,” Reyes said. “We had a lot of receivers that worked hard this summer and we have a veteran quarterback in Carlos Portales. They’ve evolved a lot and we’re thinking it will pay off.”
Reyes said the defense was aggressive and is simply a matter of kids having a better understanding of his 3-4 concept. Improved understanding is essentially why Reyes thinks this season will be better than years past.
Southwest is 1-17 in games after the season opener.
“Our kids are more focused, more mature,” Reyes said. “They’re more responsible. It goes along with growing and getting older. The school is young, but we’re beginning to take on responsibility and work harder.”