By ANDREW CRUM
Staff Writer
On paper, Brownsville Veterans Memorial has an advantage against Week 3 and District 31-6A opponent Edinburg High.
Then add in that the Chargers are playing host to the Bobcats at their own stadium on campus instead of the usual shared home field with the five other Brownsville schools at Sams Memorial Stadium.
Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu insists no one should take Edinburg High lightly.
“They’ve played two of the best teams in the Valley, so you have to take that into consideration,” he said. “Sometimes being 0-2 can be misinterpreted or not clearly understood properly. There are some really good 0-2 teams that have just happened to play really good teams, and that describes Edinburg High at this point.
“It’s too early to pay attention to records.”
Edinburg High lost 53-7 in Week 1 to San Benito and 32-6 in Week 2 to McAllen High.
First-year Edinburg High coach Joaquin Escobar and his team have struggled on both sides of the ball, but Cantu thinks its only because the Bobcats are in a changing mode.
“They play very hard, their effort is extreme, they get after it,” Cantu said. “They’re transitioning to a new system. They’ve had some bumps in the road.
“We have a lot of respect for what Coach Escobar is doing over there, and we feel like we need to play a great game to beat them.”
The Bobcats and Chargers are both run-first teams, but the key may be on the defensive side of the ball.
Edinburg High has struggled against the run on defense, allowing 329 yards per game on the ground. Led by running backs Derrik Rodriguez and Carlos Garza, the Chargers’ rushing attack averages nearly 320 yards per game. The Bobcats have been more efficient on the ground, averaging nearly 100 yards per game, and the Chargers’ defense has allowed 188 yards per game.
But if the Bobcats can’t contain the Chargers’ offensive tendencies, it could be another long night for Edinburg High.
There is also a bit of pride at stake for Brownsville Veterans, playing its only true ‘home’ game of the year.
“The fact that it’s here on our campus, we don’t want to disappoint our fans,” Cantu said. “I feel more excited, I feel our school and our fans are going to come out in high numbers and make it a memorable night.”
Most important to Brownsville Veterans is to have momentum as district play starts in two weeks.
“The only way to truly feel that we’re doing that is by winning the game,” Cantu said. “It’s our goal to be 2-1 by the end of the week, and we’re all focused on doing what we need to do to do that.”
Escobar could not be reached for comment despite multiple attempts.
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.