DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
During last week’s bye, Edcouch-Elsa did something it has rarely had to do during the program’s illustrious tenure.
It went back to the basics.
The Yellowjackets are 1-2 entering their District 32-5A opener Thursday at PSJA High, but, because of inexperience, too many plays have been left on the field. Too many gaffes, too many head-shakers.
Things are coming together, sure, particularly after a big Week 3 overtime win over Edinburg North, but now that the games matter, nothing can be left to chance.
“Back to fundamentals is the main thing,” E-E coach Joe Marichalar said. “Re-teaching. Defensively, we had to go over things with the linebackers, who are steadily progressing. Our secondary, everything is starting to gel. Offensively, it was about getting the guys to feel comfortable and confident about carrying out a play.”
Interestingly enough, “back to square one” was the theme for the Bears (2-1) during their bye week as well.
“We went back to fundamentals and doing a better job of taking care of little things — penalties, lack of focus, taking care of the ball,” PSJA High coach Steve Marroquin said. “Things like that. Defensively, we wanted to make sure we keep aligning correctly.”
The Yellowjackets are one of the top offensive teams amongst 32-5A and one of the poorer defensive units, by the numbers. PSJA High is the exact opposite, the top defensive team and a not-so-good offensive team.
But stats don’t tell the whole story, and realistically these are two teams in the same boat. Both are defensive-minded. Both have potential-laden offenses that have a long way to go because of inexperience at skill positions.
Each coach speaks complimentarily of the other. Where others might see E-E off to a bad start, Marroquin sees otherwise. And where PSJA High has what some see as a quarterback issue, Marichalar sees differently.
“They’re Edcouch-Elsa for a reason,” Marroquin said. “If history repeats itself, they only get better as the season goes along.”
“They’re peaking at the right time,” Marichalar said. “Those three quarterbacks do a great job moving the ball, whether passing or running. Defensively, they have good guys in the box, with good size. Offensively, we have to play an ‘A’ game. We can’t be flat against a defense like that.”
Marroquin desires consistency on offense. His Bears move the ball just fine; he wants finishes.
Edcouch-Elsa is chasing a complete game. Marichalar has preached “playing four quarters,” and that’s only happened once, the overtime win over the Cougars. He wants more. He sees an offensive line, led by Gabriel Armendariz and Jared Cantu, that has blossomed considerably, and changes made to the kicking game are expected to pay significant dividends.
Now would be the ideal time to see everything click.
“Obviously, there’s more of a sense of urgency now, but on our end I stress not focusing on our opponent,” Marichalar said. “We have to take care of our family first. Once we’re where we want to be, we’ll start worrying about our opponent.”