By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — Plenty of thought is put into even the most mundane of things at Edinburg Vela, like start times and dates for football games.
The SaberCats didn’t go the conventional route with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff to start the season on a Friday. They scheduled their opener for 1 p.m., on a Saturday, in case they faced similar circumstances in the playoffs.
That Vela anticipated that underscored its expectation to make the postseason. And now that it finds itself in the UIL regional quarterfinals, it will have a sense of familiarity when it takes on Austin Vandegrift at 1 p.m. today at Alamo Stadium in San Antonio.
The game could be delayed or rescheduled, given there’s a 50 percent chance of rain and possible lightning. The SaberCats, though, enter prepared.
They’ve played early afternoon games, as they did with their 1 p.m. Saturday opener on Aug. 29, beating Brownsville Pace 72-27. And last week, Vela played another early afternoon game, with 30 mile per hour winds, and was able to throw the ball with pinpoint accuracy.
“We had a tough run in district, and these guys continue to find ways to win,” SaberCats coach Michael Salinas said. “We challenged them that they could be as good as they wanted to be. We brought to light that they could be one of the better teams in the region, and we had to practice that way. They bought into that, and hopefully we continue to stay focused and be mentally where we need to be.”
Edinburg Vela (12-0) is one of four Valley teams still alive, having beaten Victoria East 42-33 last week to avenge last year’s area-round playoff exit.
The SaberCats now face Austin Vandegrift (10-2), which tied Vela for No. 12 in the Associated Press high school football poll for Class 5A teams in Texas.
Both teams boast balanced offenses, with strong featured backs and standout quarterbacks. Salinas lauded Vandegrift for its versatility and discipline, saying his team would need to “execute at a high level to be successful” today.
“I think just the experience that we have back and just believing in each other, knowing that we have to make a commitment, helps,” Salinas added. “I think the road trip and any time you get to this point in the playoffs, it’s going to test the maturity level of your football team. We’ve challenged our guys to try to do a good job with the maturity level, and make sure they understand they’re on a business trip and try to do things that gives them the best opportunity to be successful.”