BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
The PSJA North Raiders host the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers tonight at PSJA ISD Stadium for tonight’s 6 p.m. match-up that features a pair of dual threat players under center.
Last week during a 78-26 win over PSJA High, Raiders senior quarterback George Olivarez was outstanding. He rushed for 208 yards and five touchdowns and went 6-of-7 through the air en route to 145 yards and a pair of scores.
“He’s a very talented young man,” Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu said. “He’s just a strong athlete who is very poised and obviously has improved in running a real balanced attack. He’s their main weapon.”
The Chargers are led by a senior QB as well in Marcus Castillo, a three year-starter who threw for 118 yards, rushed for 278 yards and collected five touchdowns of his own during a Week 1 win over Donna.
“He’s really improved as a passer since he was a sophomore,” Canut said. “He’s worked on it really hard and it shows. But he doesn’t force the issue. He does a real good job of taking what the defense gives him, and if it’s not there, he’s not afraid to tuck it and run it. He makes a lot of big plays that way.”
Big plays appear to be inevitable tonight. Each of these teams are accustomed to lighting up the scoreboard. Last year, the Raiders averaged 33 points per game while the Chargers averaged 35.
But while both offenses are known for their prolific proficiency, their respective defenses can allow just as many points. Combined, PSJA North and Brownsville Veterans allowed opponent to score more than 40 points on five different occasions a season ago.
The Raiders will be without starting defensive ends Matt Garza (groin) and Thor Hernandez (achilles). Both look to be out for one week.
“That’s a work in progress for us,” PSJA North coach Jorge Pena said. “We know we’re an offense first kind of team, but our defense is always a big play away from getting a big stop or a takeaway.”
Takeaways have been hard to come by for defenses looking to halt the Raiders’ up-tempo offense. Pena says the team lost only two fumbles last year, and didn’t commit a turnover last week.
“During practices, our defensive players have free range to punch the ball out,” Pena said. “When I first got here, turnovers were a big issue. If a player fumbles during practice, that’s 10 finger push-ups they have to do. They started hanging onto that ball pretty tightly after that.”
For Brownsville Vets, Cantu says the team is trying to get better in all facets of the game and isn’t focusing on side of the ball at the expense of the other.
“It’s still early in the season,” he said. “We’re just looking to improve in every aspect. The kids are working hard, and they know the goal of getting into the playoffs doesn’t happen in Week 2.”