By ANDREW CRUM | The Brownsville Herald
Hanna continues rolling, impressing
Facing a first-half deficit, Hanna regrouped at halftime and held off Weslaco High 38-35 in a District 32-6A thriller in Week 6. Not lost in the back-and-forth contest was that the Golden Eagles were impressive on both offense and defense and continued their great start on the season, pushing their record to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in District 32-6A. The Hanna offense received a spark to begin the second half as senior receiver/running back Joe Cavazos III made his presence felt with 181 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns, the latter put his team in front for good. But he wasn’t the only one that made an impact, sophomore quarterback Victor Campos continued to show his maturity with three touchdown passes, each to a different target. The defense made its mark as well. The unit forced five turnovers — one fumble and four interceptions — the last pick sealed the 3-point victory as Weslaco High had one last shot to try and tie the game or win it in the final minute. With a complete game effort, Hanna showed how much it has improved from last season and how much of a threat it is to earn a postseason berth. Anything can happen in the next five weeks, but the Eagles look like a team on a mission this year.
Ramirez blossoms in Lopez’s offense
It feels like a broken record to consistently repeat the continued dominance of the Lopez defense. Once again the Lobos’ defense shined after it allowed just 148 yards and 10 points to Donna North in a District 32-5A victory. This season, it’s been the Lopez offense that has shown the most growth. In the Lobos’ 54-10 win, the offense continued to showcase its weapons. Probably most impressive was senior quarterback Alex Ramirez. He was 10 of 15 for 217 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for 42 yards. Ramirez’s breakout game shows how dangerous the offense can be. The unit already averages 423 yards and nearly 43 points per game, but the ground game has been its biggest weapon with senior running back Jose Echavarria leads the way with 797 yards and six touchdowns. The Lobos (5-0 overall, 2-0 in District 32-5A) have averaged 319 yards per game on the ground and there’s nothing that has slowed that down just yet. But the further emergence of the passing game, makes the Lopez offense that much tougher to stop.
The Chargers’ Vasquez has guts
Brownsville Veterans Memorial needed someone to step up after it trailed by a touchdown in the early fourth quarter on the road at Mercedes. The Chargers senior quarterback Gustavo Vasquez answered the call and the Tigers’ defense couldn’t stop him as the senior scored a pair of touchdowns in the final quarter to claim a 24-17 District 32-5A victory and stay unbeaten in district play. The last score was with just over a minute to play as Vasquez finished with a monster outing, 254 yards on 30 carries and a trio of touchdowns. In fact, the Chargers’ offense finished with 334 yards of offense and every bit was from their ground game. Brownsville Veterans (4-1 overall, 2-0 in District 32-5A) attempted just four passes and were without a completion. The Chargers’ running backs Abel Martinez and Alexis Gomez were held in check for the most part, combining for 80 yards on 9 carries by the Mercedes’ defense. But the Tigers couldn’t stop Vasquez down the stretch and the senior quarterback kept Brownsville Veterans on the path toward another district title, although there are a few obstacles still in the way during the next five weeks.
Porter freshman makes an impact
Porter has had a tough season thus far. The Cowboys are winless through the first half of the season, but elements of their potential continue to show through. Porter dropped to 0-5 overall and 0-2 in District 32-5A with a 56-34 loss to Pace (2-3, 1-1). Freshman quarterback Kevin Garcia put up some impressive numbers against the Vikings and continues to show his team and District 32-5A how much better the Cowboys can be with him under center. Garcia made the most of his opportunities with 144 yards on the ground and a touchdown and 108 yards through the air and another score. While only a freshman, Garcia hasn’t played like one, handling the pressure during his first varsity season. The 34 points weren’t enough for the victory, but Porter has to optimistic with its highest point total of the season. Likewise, the offensive output didn’t lead to a win, but if Garcia can continue to put up similar numbers, Porter is going to break through and get that first victory of the year sooner than later.
After tough loss to San Benito, Los Fresnos takes flight again with convincing victory
After opening District 32-6A with a tough loss to San Benito, Los Fresnos needed to bounce back. The Falcons (3-2 overall, 1-1 in District 32-6A) did just that, getting a 35-7 victory over Harlingen South. Los Fresnos senior quarterback Charles Chapa made sure of that and made a statement in the process: the Falcons were down, but not out and are ready to compete for both a postseason berth and in the mix for a district title. Chapa led an offense output with 38 yards on the ground and three touchdowns and he threw for another 107 yards through the air. Backup running back Matthew Medina filled in for an injured Alberto Banuelos and made a name for himself with 159 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown. The Los Fresnos defense did its part by yielding just one touchdown, but that wasn’t until midway through the final quarter. The Falcons still have a few tough tests over the next five weeks, but it seems that Los Fresnos is ready to prove to the rest of District 32-6A that it will be a force to be reckoned with.
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter, he’s @andrewmcrum.