DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
Mercedes grew up last week during its 35-6 loss at Calallen. The speed and power the Wildcats had, Tigers coach Roger Adame Jr. said, will only help down the line. Moving ahead, Adame wants to see his defense get off the field on third downs and his offense sustain drives.
And the Tigers can’t help but look forward, if only because a new home looms. Mercedes’ new stadium is scheduled to be ready for the Tigers’ home opener next week against La Feria.
The elevator is 80 percent done, there’s paving that needs to be completed in the parking lot, and it may take another 10 days to finish the track around the field (workers are planning to work Sunday to get it done in time). But the hope is that by Wednesday or Thursday of next week, the Tigers can hold a walkthrough practice and be ready to play Friday.
“These kids know it’s there and they’re anxious,” Adame said. “As coaches, we try to use it as it doesn’t matter where we play. We control only what we can. Our job is to show up and play.
“But there’s no question they’re excited.”
The stadium’s completion has to be approved by the city and the school board before the Tigers step on the field. If that doesn’t happen in time by Sept. 11, the Tigers will play at La Feria.
The fieldhouse at the new stadium, however, won’t be ready until, at best, late October, and, at worst, after Thanksgiving.
THE RIGHT DIRECTION
The signs of progress are evident. A win still eludes Donna North’s varsity football program, but coach Tommy Sauceda knows his team is headed in the right direction despite a 34-23 loss to La Feria in Week 1.
“We were flying to the football defensively,” Sauceda said. “Our passing game is improving. We did a better job establishing our run game.
“We had a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter, and that’s all we can ask for.”
It’s baby steps for the second-year program, which went 0-10 in 2014. But Sauceda has a promising bunch in quarterback Alex Saenz, running back Dominic Ochoa and receiver Richard Gomez, and a quintet on defense that includes Mark Ochoa, Carlos Hurtado, Alex Gonzalez and Manuel Lerma.
Putting it all together means doing what often eludes young teams, sometimes no matter how hard they try: consistency.
“Get a couple of first downs on offense, seize the moment offensively,” Sauceda said. “We force a fumble on the opening kickoff and don’t put any points up. We have to be able to put plays together.
“The guys we expect to make things happen, did. We just need some more to come on, and we’ll get there.”
MOVING FORWARD
PSJA High suffered its worst loss since 2000 last week with a 78-26 handling at the hands of PSJA North.
“We’re replacing 10 starters on defense, and we know we have to find the right mix and do things properly, like lining up correctly and knowing assignments,” PSJA High coach Steve Marroquin said. “They were just more prepared than we were, and they took advantage of some things we’re not doing well right now.”
Those things include knowing where players are supposed to be and where they’re supposed to go. “Assignment football,” as Marroquin calls it, which he said is the foundation of a good defense.
Offensively, the Bears looked strong, particularly quarterback Andrew Castaneda. The offense is further along than the defense, but for the Bears to make the playoffs a second straight season they will need to be able to stop people.
“We took it on the chin,” Marroquin said. “We did. But I like the fact that we played hard. We didn’t hang our heads.
“We found a way to fight, and this team is going to have to scratch, fight and claw.”