By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
It was a battle of defense, as in which side was going to break first.
The defensive units for Rivera and Edinburg North held the other’s offense in check until the second half.
Edinburg North scored quickly to take the lead early in the third quarter and held off Rivera 23-7 in a Week 2 non-district game Thursday at Sams Memorial Stadium.
“It was kind of a repeat of last week, we started real strong and we couldn’t comeback,” Rivera coach Tom Chavez said. “I think the inexperience hurts us a lot. But every time we play a good team and every time we practice, we’ll get better.”
Rivera got on the board first. Quarterback Angel Tolentino hit receiver Sammy Orive on a 23-yard strike for a touchdown to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead during the first quarter. But that was all Rivera got against Edinburg North.
“We’re not doing much on offense,” Chavez said. “We just have to look at the film and go back and evaluate our kids and see what we’re doing, see if we can correct it, help them out as coaches.”
Edinburg North got even during the second quarter. Quarterback Cristian Espinoza connected with running back Justin Guerra on a 6-yard pass for a touchdown to tie the score at 7, and that’s how it stayed at the break.
The Cougars opened the second half with a long pass followed by a long run that totaled 68 yards to get them deep in Rivera territory. Jaime Guerra scored a touchdown on a 7-yard run a few plays later to give Edinburg North a 13-7 lead early in the third quarter.
“We just told them in the locker room (at halftime) to relax,” Edinburg North coach Rene Saenz said. “See what’s happening in front of you, make your blocks, make your runs. Especially our quarterback, (we told him to) settle down and let’s make some good throws.
“(The team) came out and that’s exactly what they did.”
Edinburg North’s Eduar Escobar kicked a 28-yard field goal in the third quarter to increase the lead to 16-7.
After that the Edinburg North defense took over, intercepting Tolentino twice and forcing the Raiders to punt on a number of other drives.
“We were happy with our front seven. The kids can hold their own when it comes to that,” Saenz said. “They had some fourth-down stops. I liked 53, Bryan Hernandez, was bringing some good pressure off the end, and that’s giving us time to let our secondary mature a little bit. … They’re getting confidence as we go, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Rivera never looked comfortable during the second half. The Raiders hurt themselves with penalties and didn’t take advantage after the Edinburg North punter fell down at the Cougars 12-yard line on fourth down, giving Rivera the ball with a chance at a score in the third that would have cut the deficit to two points.
During the fourth quarter, Espinoza hit Ubaldo Pequeno on a 20-yard pass for another score that gave the Cougars a 23-7 lead.
Despite the loss, Chavez is confident in his team.
“I keep saying we’re going to get better with this team,” he said. “As long as we stick together and as long as the boys know that and want to be coached, we’ll be all right.
“I don’t think we have to do anything differently, we just have to stick with what we have and get a little bit better at it.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.