RGVSports.com
Entering Week 3, La Joya High coach George Espinoza knew his team was facing a “meat grinder.”
La Joya was set to play Edinburg Vela, Weslaco East, McAllen Memorial and McAllen High — four teams consistently ranked in the RGVSports.com Top 10 poll, usually in the top five — during consecutive weeks.
Predictably, La Joya is 0-3 through the first three legs of that stretch. But, perhaps surprisingly, the Coyotes have kept the most recent games close. They fell 21-20 to Weslaco East — La Joya’s missed extra point proved to be the difference — before losing 21-17 to McAllen Memorial. In both contests, La Joya was ahead entering the fourth quarter.
“We don’t have the W on the column, but they understand that they can play with anybody in the Valley,” Espinoza said. “Weslaco East was a high-powered offense. They’re going to muscle it down, and we hung with them. McAllen Memorial, we know the numbers they’ve been putting up and the points they’ve been putting up. They’re the No. 1 team in the Valley, and they’re there for a reason.”
Part of the key for La Joya has been getting healthy. Free safety Gabriel Rios and running back Jose Tapia have both returned to the field in recent weeks. Espinoza also highlighted the offense, which has “started clicking” and is “getting more confident.”
The promising results show the continued buildup of the program. Espinoza is in his third season, and he remembers when he took over a team that had just 24 kids in the varsity and JV athletic period.
The Coyotes played a lot of sophomores last year, finishing 1-9. None of the losses was by fewer than 10 points. Espinoza said he thinks getting those young players experience is “paying off for us this year,” even as a difficult schedule leaves the team sitting just 1-4.
“The key thing is the kids are believing in the program,” Espinoza said. “The kids believe in themselves and what we’re doing.”
McHI’S PASSING STRUGGLES
McAllen High’s Fred Hover entered his senior season — his third year as a starter — expected to be one of the Valley’s top passers. Through five games, the numbers haven’t been there.
Although Hover threw a pair of touchdown passes in a 48-7 win against Mission High on Friday, he also threw a pair of interceptions.
“We’ve got to eliminate those types of mistakes,” McAllen High coach Kevin Brewer said.
Hover entered Friday’s game averaging less than 100 passing yards per game on just 46 percent completions. For the year, he has three touchdowns and four interceptions.
Last season, Hover threw for 129.4 yards per game on 56 percent completions, with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions.
“It’s still not where it needs to be, still a work in progress, but we’re headed in the right direction,” Brewer said. “We’ve got to be able to throw the football, because defenses are going to load the box on us. We have to be able to execute the passing game. We’re making strides in that area.”
Although Hover has struggled somewhat as a passer, his rushing numbers have been stronger than ever, and Brewer said Hover had another good rushing game on Friday.
Hover ran for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns last season and entered Friday with 500 yards and five scores through the first four games of 2014.
DONNA’S MISSED CHANCES
Donna High lost its District 32-5A opener 21-14 to upstart PSJA Southwest on Friday night, but it didn’t have to be that way.
The Redskins (1-2, 0-1 32-5A) had a couple opportunities in the first half to gain separation on the Javelinas (3-1, 1-0) if not for penalties, and many of them.
Yellow flags stunted a drive deep in Donna territory midway through the second quarter that resulted in junior quarterback Edward Dougherty’s first interception, putting Southwest at the Redskins’ 21 and eventually producing the Javelinas’ only score of the first half moments later with 5:03 left in the second quarter. Jorge Cantu’s takeaway led to a Jesus Acosta 2-yard TD run.
The Redskins could have had at least a field goal — and likely a touchdown with the way they were moving the ball in the first two quarters — when they ventured deep into Southwest territory in the final seconds of the first half before losing a fumble and having to settle for a 7-7 tie at the half.
In all, Donna was whistled seven times for 75 yards. The calls included everything from false starts to clipping.
“That’s big,” Donna coach Ramiro Leal said after the game. “You don’t want to give teams cheap ones — we throw an interception in our territory, we fumble at the end of the half when I thought we’d get at least a field goal. That’s a 10-point swing. And that’s critical in a game like this.”