By MARIO AGUIRRE AND GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITERS
Given the inexperience of his defensive backs, Edinburg High coach J.J. Leija said he wasn’t too sure what to expect when his team scrimmaged against Roma last week.
But after his team came away three interceptions and two fumbles, Leija said he’s encouraged about what the secondary can potentially do this season as the Bobcats prepare to take on McAllen Rowe on Friday.
“That scrimmage left us with a good feeling,” said Leija, whose team tied Roma in both phases of their scrimmage. “Our kids didn’t back down. Roma’s a very powerful team. They’re experienced. So for us to be able to compete with them, it was a big accomplishment. It was definitely a boost of confidence for our kids.”
That Edinburg High, which finished 1-9 last year, tied Roma, the No. 9-ranked team in the latest RGVSports.com poll, was something of a moral victory for Leija, the first-year coach. Since the opening of nearby Edinburg Vela in 2012, the Bobcats have failed to produce a winning season amid shrinking numbers.
Yet, Leija came away pleased with his secondary, many of those first-year varsity players. Senior Freddy Sifuentes, who played on the JV team last year, had two interceptions, and sophomore strong safety Manny Salinas had another. Salinas impressed the coaching staff with his physical play, and teammate Roli Martinez, a cornerback and free safety, made his case for a starting role going into Friday.
Though only a junior, D’Anthony Alvarez is Edinburg’s most experienced player in the secondary with one varsity season under his belt.
“We’re just happy to see how they’ve been executing,” Leija said. “Those are the guys we were banking on as potential starters for us (going into two-a-days), and they came out and performed better than we expected.”
STEPPING UP
Linebacker Rey Hernandez was hailed as a leader at La Joya High from the time he became a varsity starter midway through his sophomore year, but he said he always knew his place. He wasn’t shy if he had something to say, but he deferred to the older players around him.
“I accepted that as a junior. But now, as a senior, it’s my chance to be more vocal than ever,” Hernandez said. “I’m just trying to be a better leader now. Trying to step up. Be more vocal, be louder, and take care of my defense and my teammates.”
Last year, Hernandez led the Coyotes with 79 tackles and 3 sacks as the defense ranked in the middle of District 30-6A, allowing 325.3 yards per game.
Hernandez said the group was not satisfied with its performance last year and that he’s working to make sure the players don’t get down after giving up big gains. New coach Reuben Farias has seen Hernandez help along some of his younger teammates.
“He’s a very emotional player, and he has a lot of leadership,” Farias said. “Very knowledgeable of the game. He’s another coach on the field a lot of times. He’ll make adjustments and tell the boys you need to do this or that. I’m pretty pleased having him at middle linebacker.”
SALINAS SET TO START
After auditioning three quarterbacks during two-a-days, PSJA Southwest has named Joe Salinas its starter ahead of Thursday’s opener against Brownsville Pace.
In his first varsity season last year, Salinas played sparingly under center, throwing for 250 yards and two touchdowns. Most of his time was spent at receiver.
Salinas had roughly 60 percent of the snaps last week when Southwest scrimmaged against Hidalgo and Laredo Martin. Coach Jesus Reyes said he believes the senior’s “excellent leadership qualities” and poise under center make him an ideal fit to run their wing-T offense this year.
“He can do a lot,” Reyes said. “He can drop back, three or five steps, roll out. If a play’s broken, he’ll keep it and make it a positive play. He’s played under the Friday night lights before, so he has that experience and he knows what to expect.”
Aside from serving as backup quarterbacks, senior Michael Maravilla will play receiver and running back, and junior JC Zamora will suit up at linebacker.
STILL SEARCHING
McAllen High coach Kevin Brewer entered Friday’s scrimmage against San Benito hoping to find a starting quarterback. He left with an unsettled competition and even more points of concern.
The Bulldogs enter 2016 having to replace Josh McGowen, who graduated after setting schools records with 1,891 yards and 26 total touchdowns last year. Down the player who accounted for 60.8 percent of the team’s offense, McHi is still looking for answers.
“We didn’t run the ball like we needed to. We didn’t throw and catch like we needed to,” Brewer said. “All of our skills players on offense are new, and that’s what it looked like.”
Brewer said last week that he wanted to be able to name either returning backup Ruben Rodriguez or varsity newcomer JR Cortez the starting quarterback after the scrimmage, adding that it was unfair to ask them to split reps.
But with no clear frontrunner emerging, Brewer said he is yet to decide who will start Friday’s season opener against Harlingen South.
“We’re still looking. We’ve got to, got to, get it decided before we start district play,” Brewer said. “We’re going to keep looking at both of them until somebody steps up and really takes control of it.”