FREDDY GONZALEZ | Valley Morning Star
Match intensity, reduce turnovers, minimize penalties and don’t give up the big plays defensively. Those are the keys that La Feria head coach Oscar Salinas identified as must-haves to beat Santa Rosa tonight in the Battle of FM 506.
The Lions enter the game with a record of 2-2 after handing the Port Isabel Tarpons their second loss of the season last Friday. However, tonight’s matchup presents a new challenge.
“In rivalry games like this you can throw winning records out and you can throw everything out because that night it all comes down to who plays better and who wants it more,” said Salinas. “That’s what we’ve been preaching to the team. We have to be ready to play from the beginning until the end because it’s going to be a four-quarter game and we’re going to have to play as close to flawless as we can.
“They’ve (Santa Rosa) got a good team and they’re doing a good job over there. We’re going to be challenged and we’re looking forward to that challenge.”
Offensively, the Lions enter the game having racked up 1,496 total yards with Julian Trevino leading the team in receiving yards. Thus far, the senior leads with 424 yards on 30 receptions ahead of junior Noah Conde, who has 159 yards on 11 receptions.
“Julian is our go-to guy and a four-year letterman,” said Salinas. “He’s our playmaker and he’s accepted that roll. He plays on offense, defense and special teams, and we’re hoping to have another big game from him this week.
“Other guys are starting to come around like Noah Conde, Manny Sanchez and Eli Vela, who really played well last week.
Another player that has really grown over the past four games is quarterback Dorian Hernandez. This season the sophomore has stepped into the coveted QB position and thrived. Hernandez has thrown for 790 yards and eight touchdowns on 62 of 88 passing, maintaining a 70.5 percent passer rating.
“Now you can’t call him a beginner now that he’s got some games under his belt,” said Salinas with a chuckle. “He keeps getting better every week and that’s a positive sign for him. He had a really good game against Port Isabel and didn’t turn the ball over. He did a good job of managing the offense.”
Defensively, the Lions will have to contain Santa Rosa’s running game, which has amassed 1,100 yards this season. Ryan Mesa leads the Warriors with 528 yards on 98 carries and Christian Castillo is second with 221 yards on 20 carries. In total, the Warriors have four rushers with more than 100 yards rushing.