DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
Everything is expected to be normal again this week for Mercedes.
Last week, the Tigers were upset by McAllen Rowe, 24-21, in a game which junior quarterback Zach Gomez did not play. Coach Roger Adame Jr. said Gomez was “unable to make the game, but will be back this week.”
On his Facebook page, Gomez confirmed he will play this week against Weslaco High and also vaguely acknowledged last week’s absence.
“I messed up and I learned from it,” Gomez wrote in response to a friend.
Fortunately for Mercedes, it proved against Rowe it has a capable backup quarterback in Marc Ledesma, who completed 23 of 32 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns to two interceptions in spot duty last week. However, Gomez is expected to resume the role of signal-caller against the Panthers.
The Tigers are 0-2 and have one more game before starting District 32-5A play. Mercedes was projected to be the preseason favorite in 32-5A.
“We know our schedule is going to be a grind here in the preseason, and we do it for a reason,” Adame said. “This is going to prepare us for district. We felt that if we could stay healthy, we’d have a shot at the district. We just want to see these guys getting after it. That’s what we’ve gotten. There may be bad plays, but they line up and get ready to go at it again.
“Every game is going to be a battle. Rowe tested us in a lot of areas and I like that we fought to the end and we gave ourselves a chance to win. There are going to be games like that. We showed a lot of heart, and even missing a key component we gave ourselves a chance.”
MAKING STRIDES
Two games into the season, this year’s Valley View team is a considerable step ahead of the 2015 Tigers.
After a winless campaign last season, Valley View is 1-1 following a 20-16 win against Hidalgo last week. There were more firsts that came along with that game.
For the first time, the football program swept an opponent at all three levels: freshman, junior varsity and varsity. Valley View’s freshmen beat Hidalgo 41-0, and the JV won, 39-0. Also, for the first time, the general admission seating for a Valley View home football game was full.
“We got that monkey off our back, that sour taste out of our mouths,” interim coach Eli Esquivel said of the win that snapped a 15-game losing skid. “We’ve got seniors that have won one game in three years. We’ve got juniors that hadn’t won one game. We had nothing to lose.
“We’re having fun, we’re working hard, and good things happen when you work hard.”
A primary culprit behind Valley View’s win last week was the emergence of a young defense, returning just one starter, that gave up only 94 total yards to the Pirates. The effort was ignited by standout play from seniors Chez Gonzalez (eight total tackles, one fumble recovery, one interception) and Juan Pimentel (nine total tackles, two sacks).
“We were behind when the year started, but we’re keeping it simple and the kids are working hard,” said Esquivel, whose defensive scheme is a modified multiple front. “They’re committed and it’s paid off. The defense keeps getting better and better.”
RUNNING OVER THEM
Through two games, Donna North is 1-1, already equaling its win total of the previous two years combined, and averaging 37 points on 436 yards per game.
“It’s a pleasant surprise,” first-year coach Matthew Rokovich said. “I felt we could be pretty good offensively. We’ve got some good kids. There is a lot of stuff to grow on. It’s one day at a time. The kids just play hard. Our motto this year is, ‘Win the day, win the war.’ That’s the mindset — how much can we get better each day?”
Spurring the Chiefs’ offense is a dominant running game averaging 380.5 yards. The star playmaker in Rokovich’s multiple I-formation has been senior Dominic Ochoa, who has torched PSJA High’s and Laredo Martin’s defenses for 440 yards and eight touchdowns on 40 carries. Ochoa is averaging 11 yards per carry.
But he’s not doing it alone. Senior linemen Juan Martinez, Israel Cerda and Luis Costilla have awarded Ochoa plenty of room to operate.
“He’s obviously a special back, but we’ve got some pretty good guys blocking in front of him,” Rokovich said. “He has great vision and he runs real hard. But we have an offensive line that’s blocking really well right now, so we feel pretty good about that.”