DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — As they prepare for Friday’s season-opener meeting at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, Edcouch-Elsa and McAllen Rowe are essentially in the same boat.
Both teams are made up of mostly young, but raw talent. Both have position battles still ongoing.
And both are tired of the doubts being heard because of such uncertainty.
“Our kids are eager to get these Friday night games under their belt,” E-E coach Joe Marichalar said. “Let’s get that stuff of us being young and having doubt in the past. Let’s get to that next chapter. You get that vibe with our guys.”
Rowe may have a slight advantage Friday, however. The Warriors’ new defensive coordinator is Michael Uribe, formerly head coach at Mercedes, the Yellowjackets’ longstanding rival. Uribe was reassigned in February because of “professional issues” after five years as head coach and is now bringing his physical 4-3 defense to Rowe.
“I’ve sat with our staff and talked about what Edcouch brings that you don’t see on film — tradition, toughness, community support,” said Uribe, whose defensive line might be the strength of the Warriors. “You have to focus on the details, being aggressive.”
Rowe coach Paul Reyes said Uribe has been a boon, especially since Rowe has only seen one film on E-E.
“We’re able to not only watch film, but we have somebody who dealt with them for nine-plus years,” Reyes said. “We’re able to pick up some things we may not see on film. We find out more about their athleticism and size, and he’s able to provide info on who may have been on the JV level that may be a key guy for them now.”
Marichalar said the big thing against an Uribe-coached defense is taking care of the ball.
“Turnovers will come back to haunt you,” Marichalar said. “We tell our kids to take care of the little things — tuck that ball, throw with precision.
“If we can control those things, I feel we can play sound Edcouch-Elsa football.”
Both teams are sure what they show Friday won’t be anything like they will look like by season’s end.
Rowe still has a quarterback battle going between runner Hector Bosquez and pocket passer John Perez. Reyes may go with both, if each continues to play well, or will go with whoever distances himself.
He’s also looking for more stability on the offensive line.
E-E recently settled its own quarterback competition, kind of, by going with dynamic sophomore Marco Aguinaga after his stellar play during last week’s scrimmage against Weslaco East. But junior Andrew Segura, who just last week was No. 1 on the depth chart, is strong enough to win the spot back if Aguinaga struggles.
Marichalar dismisses any concern about his starting signal-caller’s youth.
“He’s not just a sophomore. He’s a sophomore at Edcouch-Elsa,” Marichalar said of Aguinaga. “He’s got more reps than some young people, playing since he was wee tiny. He’ll adapt quickly to the environment and he’ll find a way to overcome.”
Marichalar is still evaluating his linebackers and secondary. But, really, all eyes will be on the quarterbacks.
“It was a very tough decision,” he said. “Any decision I make, we make as a staff. Marco just seems comfortable when it came time to make something happen. We try to be balanced, 50/50 pass-run. We think he’ll put us in position to win the ballgame.
“It was a close race, and hopefully it turns out great for us.”