By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
Slowed by a bruised right forearm, Roma’s Ramon Espinoza was limited to two carries for 11 yards during last week’s 28-7 loss to Edinburg Vela.
Gladiators coach Max Habecker Jr. said Espinoza’s status is “day to day,” as his team prepares to go on the road to take on Mission Veterans Memorial (3-2 overall, 0-1 district) at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Even with limited action in Week 6, the junior running back held his spot as the district leader in carries (174), yards (1,355) and touchdowns (17). With Espinoza out, senior Rene Ramirez and sophomore Bryan Garcia helped shoulder the offense last week.
Ramirez, a 5-foot-11, 220-pound back, is the team’s second-leading rusher with 199 yards on 15 carries. He had 71 yards after six plays Friday. Garcia, who made his varsity debut against Vela, assumed most of the carries in Espinoza’s absence, picking up 110 yards on 23 attempts.
“He was prepared,” Habecker said of Garcia. “He knows our offense. He knows our protection, and he does a good job. He runs hard.”
Early on, Habecker noticed Garcia was “tentative” against Vela, trying to adjust to the speed of the game. But by the third quarter, he said Garcia was “hitting the holes harder.”
“As the game went on, he got better,” Habecker said, “and that carried over (into practice this week).”
WAIT AND SEE
Sharyland Pioneer will have a better understanding of where it stands with its quarterback situation, after backup quarterback Christopher Melendez (concussion) and Alejandro Ramirez (hip contusion) are evaluated after injuries sustained during last week’s game against Rio Grande City.
The Diamondbacks (6-0, 2-0) rallied to beat RGC 20-10 with Tyler Bulthuis, a receiver, as their third option under center.
Should Ramirez and Melendez be unavailable Thursday, when Pioneer takes on Edinburg Vela, the Diamondbacks are expected to go with Bulthuis as their starter, possibly promoting a JV player to back him up on varsity.
During limited action in Week 6, Bulthuis completed 1 of 6 passes for 4 yards and an interception. He also had one reception for seven yards, while carrying the ball 10 times for 39 yards. Bulthuis played quarterback on the freshman team last year.
“Tyler showered a lot of composure for a sophomore,” Wheeler said. “He took maybe five snaps all (of last) week at quarterback. He’s a good runner, and our offensive coordinator did a good job of calling plays that suit him.”
Before his injury, Ramirez had completed 52 of 90 passes for 647 yards, five touchdowns to one interception.
BACK TO WORK
Following a bye in Week 6, Valley View (0-4, 0-1) returns to action when it travels to Rio Grande City (2-4, 0-2) at 7 p.m. Saturday.
During the break, Tigers coach Carlos Saenz said his team stressed fundamental pass protection with his offensive line. The snaps have also been a concern this year, considering their costly fumbles. Part of that stems from losing their starting center, Manny Lozano (torn ACL), and backup center, Albino Mendez (high ankle sprain), to injuries.
Saenz believes Mendez’s snaps “are a little softer” than his predecessor’s, which should bode well for Jorge Aguilar, who the team converted from middle linebacker to starting quarterback this year. Valley View is hoping that kickstarts an offense that has produced a district-low 176.8 yards per game.