GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — When Edinburg Economedes lost leading rusher Michael Medellin to a hamstring injury on its second play from scrimmage, fullback Allen Arredondo saw that it was his time to become the workhorse.
“I’m ready for anything,” Arredondo said. “I know I’m a senior, and I have to step it up. I know if my number is called, I have to get to work.”
Arredondo carried the ball 20 times for a team-high 97 yards and a score, spearheading Economedes’ dominant ground game in a 23-16 win against Weslaco East on Thursday at Bobby Lackey Stadium.
The Jaguars are 3-0 after knocking off the previously unbeaten Wildcats, who had climbed to No. 4 in the latest RGVSports.com Top 10.
“We play fearlessly and we take chances. We gamble,” Economedes coach Gabe Peña said. “I’m just tickled to death for our coaches and players, because they really worked hard for this.”
The Jaguars jumped out 7-0 early in the first quarter, as Medellin took his first carry 73 yards for a touchdown. But Medellin tweaked his hamstring during the play, leaving Economedes without the player who had racked up 309 yards and five scores in the team’s first two games.
Lacking the explosiveness of Medellin, the Jaguars turned to Arredondo and his methodical, plodding style.
Economedes used a 12-play drive that spanned 5 minutes, 32 seconds to take a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, capped by quarterback Roger Barrientos’ 16-yard scoring run on 4th-and-11.
On the next possession, Arredondo carried the ball seven times for 46 yards and the 3-yard touchdown, ending an 11-play drive spanning 4:54 that gave the Jaguars a 21-7 advantage.
“He’s a returning all-district fullback, and people sometimes forget that,” Peña said. “He’s a true fullback. Everybody is running this spread stuff, and he’s probably one of the true fullbacks that’s out here. He knows his role. Three yards is great.”
For the game, Economedes gave carries to seven different players, racking up 46 rushes for 281 yards. Barrientos completed just 3 of 7 passes for 35 yards with an interception, but that was all the production the Jaguars needed.
“It was the o-line,” Arredondo said. “They’re getting us in the trenches. You control the trenches, you control the game, and most likely you win the game. Big shout out to our o-line. They got it done.”
Economedes’ defense held up its end of the bargain, holding Weslaco East’s vaunted rushing attack to 153 yards on 41 attempts.
The Wildcats entered the night averaging 228.5 yards per game on the ground.
“If there’s anything that needs to come out of this game, it’s that offense and defense complemented each other and played off each other,” Peña said. “We don’t have captains, because we play so many people on both sides of the football.”
Economedes carried a 21-13 lead into halftime, and East had opportunities to close the gap down the stretch.
On their first possession of the second half, the Wildcats took the ball down to the 1-yard line before quarterback Richard LeFevre was stripped while fighting to get across the goal line on a sneak. Economedes recovered to end the threat.
Economedes extended its lead with a safety late in the third quarter, but Weslaco East notched a field goal to pull within 23-16 early in the fourth.
The Wildcats got the ball back with 5:49 to play, but the possession ended with an interception when LeFevre was hit as he threw.
Then, East’s defense forced a punt, giving the offense new life at its own 20 with 2:59 remaining. LeFevre, who finished an overall strong game 13-of-19 passing with 165 yards and an interception, drove East 47 yards to Economedes’ 37 before taking a sack on fourth down with 21 seconds to play.
J.C. Vargas was East’s standout both rushing and receiving, carrying 11 times for 58 yards and hauling in six passes for 72 yards.
“We had a hard time getting momentum on our sideline tonight,” Weslaco East coach Mike Burget said. “The kids fought and fought. If we had a little more time, we had a receiver running down the sideline wide open. They did a good job getting to Richard and getting him on the ground. We’ll give them this one and wait for them next year.”