By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — If there’s one thing Pablo Treviño has picked up as a three-year lettermen at Edinburg Vela, it’s that “speed kills.”
The SaberCats learned that painful lesson last year, when they collided against a faster Austin Vandegrift squad in the third round of the playoffs. Nine practices into the spring, however, Treviño has seen improvement in his defense’s quickness off the line.
“It’s the nature of the game,” Treviño said. “If you’re not fast off the ball, you’re not fast enough to chase someone down.
“You’re not going to go anywhere.”
As the school prepares to graduate its first four-year class, the football team is making way for a host of changes. That means plugging in new players at key positions — including quarterback, receiver, among others — and modifying their approach on both sides of the ball.
With six starters back on defense, Edinburg Vela coach Michael Salinas is comfortable with his players’ understanding of schemes, which is why he has made a concerted effort to have them focus on running and tackling.
“Fast and physical,” defensive lineman Jesus Castillo said. “That’s what we live by.”
With Nick Enriquez, Ryan Rodriguez and Jeremy Ruiz back on the line, the SaberCats feel they have the foundation in place to improve a defense that allowed 22.8 points per game last year.
Where Vela will also surely see a stark difference is on offense, after graduating Fabian Pedraza, one of the more accurate passers in the Valley last year, and Michael Arguelles, a 6-foot-2 wideout.
Nate Garcia, an incoming junior, is battling for the starting quarterback role, along with Mark Buhidar, a sophomore-to-be. Garcia played sparingly in a backup role last year, while Buhidar picked up most of his experience on the JV team.
Salinas lauded Garcia for his ability to extend plays, and throw the ball downfield. And he commended Buhidar for his adjustment to the varsity level through spring practices.
“Everything’s looking good,” Garcia said. “I’ve been working on my arm strength, my accuracy and my speed. Got to be quick out there.
“You always have to stay on your feet, always have to be prepared to get out of the pocket, run around, look for the open man. Keep your eyes up.”
Only one Valley team (McAllen Memorial, 600 points) scored more than Edinburg Vela (473) did last year, and they’re hoping to sustain that level of attack with Robert Guerra back in the fold. Through nine regular season games, Guerra rushed for a district-high 20 touchdowns and 8.1 yards per carry on his way to capturing the 31-5A MVP.
Guerra, clocking in at 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash, will once again be counted on to shoulder ignite the offense, with sophomore Christian Flores expected to provide some relief. They’ll play behind returning starters Jaime Alaniz, Joey Carreon and Caleb Luna.
“We lost a big graduating class (with 33 players), so most of this offseason is focused on helping these guys develop an identity,” Salinas said. “We believe culture will beat talent, so we’ve spent a lot of time developing a team culture and trying to enhance that with spring football.”
FILLING HOLES
In graduating Michael Arguelles, Eddie Luna and Elijah Reyna, the SaberCats lost their top three wide receivers.
They’ll look to make that up with Brandon Guzman, Marco Parodi, Nico Rodriguez and Marcos Santos.
“We’ve sort of put a lot on their plate early to see what they can handle,” Salinas said. “We’ve moved forward in spring with our regular installation, knowing that we have some growing pains at that position. But luckily for us they’ve responded very well.”
Last year, Vela’s aerial attack accounted for 47.3 percent of its offense.
NEW SURROUNDINGS
Edinburg Vela had the second-largest enrollment number (1,962) in district last year, when it went undefeated through the regular season and into the third round of the playoffs.
Now in 31-6A, the SaberCats face a set new of challenges, moving up a classification and finding themselves as the fifth-largest school in an eight-team district.
“I think there’s a little bit of excitement level for our guys,” Salinas said. “We’re back battling with the Edinburgs and the PSJAs. There is going to be some adjustments. Those will be week to week. We have a lot of respect for everyone in our district. And right now we’re just trying to do the best we can to control what we can control, and try to be as good as we can as a football team, day in and day out.”