By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
After the first scrimmage of the season, it’s apparent Brownsville Veterans Memorial has two solid quarterbacks in Marcus Castillo and Gustavo Vasquez.
It also appears each of the two athletes is quite capable as a receiver as well.
Having those players in dual roles could be a big concern for Brownsville Veterans’ opponents during the upcoming football campaign. Chargers coach David Cantu said the team plans to rotate the two at QB and receiver in an effort to give them as many touches as possible.
Castillo, a senior, and Vasquez, a sophomore, each rushed for a touchdown on a 1-yard keeper Friday as the Chargers edged La Joya High 2-1 in a scrimmage at Sams Memorial Stadium.
When asked if Castillo and Vasquez would alternate at the signal-caller position going forward, Cantu said, “Absolutely. We had so much fun doing it today, I don’t see any reason why we should stop. They’re both such team players and so unselfish (that it’s something that will work). They don’t care (what position they’re playing). They just want to be on the field and helping out the team.
“They’re dual threats, not just as quarterbacks but as playmakers,” Cantu added.
The scrimmage was divided into a controlled portion, with three possessions for each team followed by two quarters of limited game conditions.
Brownsville Veterans scored on the seventh play of its initial possession as Vasquez went in from 1 yard out on a third-and-1 situation. Two plays earlier, Castillo had dropped back to pass and wound up scrambling for 49 yards and a first down at the Coyotes’ 6-yard line, thanks to the addition of a face mask penalty on the Coyotes.
La Joya High scored on the final play of its third possession, just before the teams took a halftime break. The TD came when quarterback Irving Garcia dumped off a screen pass to Victor de Hoyos on the right side. De Hoyos sped down the sideline and avoided several tackles on his way to the end zone as he did most of the work in completing a 70-yard scoring play.
“It was the first scrimmage, and there were a lot of mental mistakes and things, but what I liked personally was that our players competed and they didn’t back down,” Coyotes coach George Espinoza said. “Our program is turning around. This is my fourth season (as head coach). We started from scratch, and we’ve rebuilt the program. We’re getting to the point where our kids are starting to believe (they can be successful).
“Yes, it was the first scrimmage and we made mistakes, but I like what I see,” Espinoza added. “I like the execution we had and the communication. Our guys are talking and working together, and that’s a big plus. Another thing is we were physical on both sides of the ball, so I liked that.”
Some of the Coyotes’ mistakes involved turnovers, which halted a couple of promising drives. The Chargers intercepted a pair of La Joya High passes and recovered a Coyotes fumble at the Brownsville Veterans 6-yard line. The Chargers had some mistakes, too, as they threw an interception and fumbled the ball away once.
The winning score for the Chargers came when Castillo scored on a 1-yard keeper on the final play of the opening quarter of game conditions. It capped a seven-play, 47-yard march that was set up by a short La Joya High punt.
“Overall we felt that it was a good scrimmage for us,” Cantu said. “Many of our young guys got some opportunities (to show what they can do), and many of our No. 1s (the starters) did, too. I was pleased with our skill position play. Defensively, we had a lot of good plays. Our No. 1s on defense didn’t give up any points, so yes, overall, it was a successful scrimmage.”
Brownsville Veterans will play host to PSJA High at 7 p.m. Thursday for its next scrimmage before opening the season Aug. 27 against Donna High at Sams.
La Joya High next scrimmages at home at 7 p.m. Friday against Mission Veterans. The Coyotes open the season Aug. 28 at Roma.
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.