BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
Weslaco High coach Tony Villarreal will have no problem getting his Panthers excited for Friday’s game against longtime rival Donna High. The annual game between the teams is a Valley football tradition that dates back to the Jazz Age.
“Come Friday, if any of those kids aren’t ready to play, they’re in the wrong room,” Villarreal said.
But as the Panthers prepare for their touted Week 2 matchup, Villarreal is also trying to keep the season in perspective and remind his team of their true aspirations.
“Playing Donna is a big game, sure,” he said. “But the kids play four or five big games a year. We have other rivalry games besides Donna. It’s a big deal when we play Harlingen (High), the kids get up for that game. It’s also a big deal when we play Weslaco East and PSJA North. So, for me, it’s hard to stress the importance of a game this early in the season.”
While a win is always nice, Weslaco will treat Friday’s game the same way it will for the rest of its non-district schedule — as a learning experience to prepare for a run at a District 31-6A crown.
“It’s a process,” Villarreal said. “We’re trying to build on the good things. There’s still a lot of work to be done. We need to sure up our ability to finish a game and close things out in the second half.”
The Panthers had a hard time doing just that during their 28-14 Week 1 win at Harlingen South. The team’s customary running attack looked strong during the early going. Senior running back Brian Guerra rushed for 138 yards and one of four first-half Weslaco touchdowns. In the second half, however, the offense stagnated, gaining just 54 yards and losing a fumble.
While Weslaco’s ground attack dissipated, their vaunted defense showed signs of improvement from their preseason scrimmage against La Joya Palmview.
“I really thought our D-line played a much better ball game than they did against Palmview,” Villarreal said. “We didn’t have any gap integrity and we weren’t taking care of our assignments. Those are things that get better in the first two or three games, and I thought our guys did a good job and helped us get the win.”
Though a disjointed effort won the day against Harlingen South, Villarreal knows a more unified approach will be needed against Donna.
“We’ve got to execute in all three phases of the game in order to get to where we need to be,” Villarreal said. “If we take care of the little things, and everyone does their job, we’ll get to where we want to be come October and November.”
RUNNING RHYTHM
The Edinburg Economedes Jaguars pride themselves as a running team, but will have to do better than their 101-yard performance during a 21-14 Week 1 loss at Brownsville Hanna. The Jaguars had 41 attempts in that game, equating to a lowly average of 2.5 yards per carry.
“We need to be able to establish a rhythm,” Econ coach Gabe Pena said. “By establishing consistency, we’ll be able to attain that rhythm. That’s what we’re working and striving for.”
Pena says the Jaguars must focus on finishing plays and maintaining the ability to go all out for a four to six second period on every play.
“If we do that,” Pena said, “we’re going to get better immediately. That’s what we’re looking for.”
Economedes will play McAllen Memorial at 2 p.m. Saturday at Cats Stadium in Edinburg.
I GOT A FEVRE
Hidden in the box score of Weslaco East’s 53-21 opening-night win over Brownsville Rivera was the performance of sophomore quarterback Richard LaFevre. Though he saw limited time on the field given his youth and East’s knack for running the ball, LaFevre was efficient, completing 4-of-4 passes for 36 yards and a touchdown.
LaFevre is a 6-foot-4 transfer from Ben Bolt, and will split time under center with senior Ciro Rojas and J.J. Garza. Mike Burget was coy regarding his long-term plans for LaFevre.
“We got three quarterbacks that are great at running the ball,” Burget said. “Well, at least we got two. The other one can go out there and rumble around a little bit.”