BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR
EDINBURG — PSJA High sophomore Marco Guajardo picked up his first career two-touchdown game to lead the Bears to a 45-28 win over Edinburg High on Thursday night at Richard R. Flores Stadium.
“It felt pretty good,” Guajardo, who had 4 catches for 94 yards and those two touchdowns in the game, said. “That was my goal since the beginning of the year, to score two touchdowns in a game. So it really made me happy to get that second touchdown.”
“He’s a hell of a receiver, as a sophomore,” PSJA High coach Lupe Rodriguez said. “He has a lot of talent and a lot of potential. Tonight was big for his confidence to get a couple scores.”
Marco is the younger cousin of junior quarterback Trey Guajardo.
“I try to be like a big brother to him out there,” Trey, who finished the evening with 366 passing yards and 5 touchdowns, said. “He’s growing up, and he is becoming one of my go-to guys, as well.”
After a scoreless first quarter that saw the teams trade punts, Marco caught a 12-yard pass from Trey to give the Bears an early lead, and they never looked back.
The Bears defense was stifling in the first half, heading to the locker room with a zero on the scoreboard. Normally unstoppable Edinburg High junior running back Hearlin Benavides couldn’t find any running room early.
“Our defense came out tough in the first half,” Rodriguez said. “I challenged them to come out and hold them to no points in the first half. They did that, and I was very proud of it.”
The Bobcats weren’t going to go away quietly, though. Sophomore Erik Cano was moved to running back, and senior Danny Shawnee came in at quarterback. The switch worked, as Cano broke his first carry for an 81-yard touchdown.
The Bears then scored on their first play from scrimmage, a 71-yard connection from Trey to Marco.
“I pictured it in my mind when they called that play,” Marco said. “I knew this was the one. It was perfect. The ball was right in my hands, and I just took off as soon as I caught it.”
Edinburg responded with a 5-play, 78-yard drive that was capped off with a 15-yard touchdown run from Hearlin Benavides.
Again, the Bears needed just one play. Trey dropped a 70-yard bomb into the arms of senior Nathan Sanchez for a touchdown.
“That was really exciting,” Marco said of the series of scores. “On the sideline, you could just hear everybody yelling. You don’t see that often at all, two drives of one play. That was really good to see.”
The game slowed back down a bit after that exchange. The quarter break helped the Bears defense catch its breath, and the unit got back to its first-half form, allowing the Bears to cruise to the win.
“I feel like this is one of the best offensive games that we have had,” Trey said. “Everything was clicking at the right time.”
Sanchez had five catches for 193 yards and a touchdown. Senior wide receiver Nathaniel Miranda had four catches for 58 yards and a score.
For Edinburg High, Benavides finished with 137 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Cano compiled 207 rushing yards on 10 carries to go with two touchdowns.
Marco and Trey grew up together. Beyond being cousins, their families are very close. Last year, they played baseball together.
“Off the field, we are really close,” Marco said. “We see each other all the time. We are always connected. We are family.”
The connection they have off the field is very valuable on it as well.
“My sophomore year, which was his freshman year, we knew this time would come,” Trey said. “Now that we are in this situation, it is exciting. We trust each other, and we have a really good relationship on the field. We work well together.”