DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
Friday’s District 32-5A bout between Edcouch-Elsa and PSJA Southwest in Pharr bears significant consequences for both teams.
The Yellowjackets need a win to keep their district title hopes alive. The Javelinas need a win to simply stay alive in the playoff race.
“The kids know it’s big,” E-E coach Joe Marichalar said. “They know Southwest is trying to get in the playoff hunt. We’re trying to get back on our path to our destiny. We understand there will be a lot at stake.”
E-E is 3-1 (5-2 overall) in district and coming off a disappointing loss to Mercedes. Southwest is 2-2 (3-4 overall), but the Javelinas are the healthiest they’ve been all season since Week 2 against Grulla.
“We’ve got three games left and this one is huge,” Southwest coach Jesus Reyes said. “They’re coming off a loss and they want to play better and we need to play great to survive Edcouch-Elsa. We stress Edcouch-Elsa more than the playoffs. Play tough, play error-free and play emotional. That means more than anything else.”
The 17-14 defeat to Mercedes last week was tough on the ‘Jackets. Though the Tigers made the big plays at big times, the Yellowjackets were partly responsible for their demise as well.
E-E employs a read-and-react system, particularly on defense and even on offense. The run game is not a strength, but if a defense is giving up the run, the ‘Jackets will take it. That’s what happened early during the game against Mercedes, and it cost E-E.
By the time E-E turned to its passing game fulltime, it was too late. Penalties and poor effort during situational downs only stymied the offense more so during the game’s closing moments.
Tonight’s game will provide the same temptation. Southwest surrenders 246 rushing yards per game, and if that’s what it gives E-E, that’s what E-E will take.
“We want to establish ourselves offensively early,” Marichalar said. “Whatever they’re giving us, we’re going to expose that.”
The flip side is E-E’s read-and-react philosophy has been a success over the bigger picture. The Yellowjackets have fought through a plethora of injuries this season, and continue to do so with running back Tey Valdez (high Achilles strain) and starting safety Victor Valdez (knee) expected to sit out tonight, but that read-and-react way of playing allows others to step in seamlessly.
“It’s the mentality that if other teams do something, we know what to do,” Marichalar said. “Our kids tend to play better and more comfortable reacting and not thinking as much. So we just let them make plays.”
The ‘Jackets will need all the playmaking they can get against a Javelinas team coming off their best game of the season, a 40-0 rout of Donna North. Reyes said he saw a complete effort for the first time this season. Better yet, he returned two starting offensive linemen to the field, and running back Jesus Acosta, playing with a broken bone in his hand, is getting more confident and comfortable every week.
But Southwest’s defense will be put on the spot Friday. Both teams are strong offensively, but E-E’s defense ranks second in the district and Southwest’s ranks fifth. The Javelinas give up 28 points on 323.1 yards per game.
“You can’t make mistakes,” said Reyes, who added his defense must stay in its lanes and force E-E quarterback Andrew Segura to make quick reads and go to his second and third options. “They have that 7-on-7 mentality on offense. They have good skill position players and they just go at you. We’ve got to have the same effort and production we had last week.”