By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
The Falcons earned their wings
After losing to Edcouch-Elsa in Week 1, Los Fresnos had two weeks to think about it after a bye in Week 2. The Falcons took it out on McAllen High in a 45-6 home victory that showcased its offensive firepower. Nicholas Valencia scored three touchdowns in three different ways in the first half. The sophomore receiver scored his first touchdown on a 15-yard run in the opening quarter. He opened the second quarter with a 95-yard kickoff return and midway through the second, he caught a 24-yard pass from senior quarterback Charles Chapa. Valencia has already caught 13 passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns and has two others on a run and a kick return. Chapa is 22 of 31 with no interceptions on the season for 349 yards and a pair of scores to Valencia. Junior running back Albert Banuelos has led the ground attack with 222 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. While the rest of District 32-6A takes a break before district play, Los Fresnos gets ready with a tough test on the road Thursday at McAllen Memorial.
Lopez’s offense is pretty good, too
The Lopez defense was one of the best units in the Rio Grande Valley last season. The Lobos have been pretty dominant again, allowing less than 15 points and 167 yards per game. But the Lopez offense is pretty good as well. The Lobos piled up 507 yards, including 398 on the ground in a 61-7 rout of PSJA Memorial in Week 3. Senior running back Jose Echavarria led the way with 195 yards on just 11 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns. Echavarria leads the team’s rushing attack with 478 of the teams 994 yards rushing through three games. Echavarria and Christian Gamez each have three touchdowns apiece. The offense was second in District 32-5A with 356 yards per game last week, but that will climb with the offensive production against PSJA Memorial. If Lopez can dominate on both sides of the ball, opponents in District 32-5A will have its hands full when the Lobos are on the schedule.
Hanna’s defense gets timely
With the game tied at 21 at the break, Hanna needed to make the necessary adjustments against Mission High. The defense certainly did in the second half, it forced two fumbles and allowed just one touchdown, giving the offense plenty of opportunities in between and the Golden Eagles puled away with a 45-28 non-district victory. While the Hanna offense has stolen the show during the last two weeks averaging 40 points per game, the defense has quietly been stout, doing its part too. The unit allows 272 yards — which is second in the District 32-6A standings — and 18 points per game. The Eagles get a bye this week as most of the district does before district play starts in Week 5. If Hanna continues to play like it has during the last two games on both sides of the ball, the Eagles are going to make some noise in the gauntlet District 32-6A.
Brownsville Veterans Memorial spoiled its great effort late
Last year, Brownsville Veterans Memorial struggled on the road against Edinburg Vela. Last week, Brownsville Veterans hoped to even the score and went toe-to-toe with Edinburg Vela, taking a 20-17 lead early in the third quarter. A field goal by Edinburg Vela kicker Austin Garza tied the game at 20. But the Chargers, who had the momentum on their side in a game that seemed like it could come down to a final possession, allowed that momentum to slip away with three consecutive turnovers. Brownsville Veterans threw a pair of interceptions and a fumble that allowed the Sabercats to score a pair of touchdowns and push their lead to 34-20. Brownsville Veterans had a couple more chances to cut the deficit, but the Chargers weren’t able to complete the comeback, hurting themselves with the trio of miscues. Brownsville Veterans knows that it a gave the game away with mistakes at the worst time, but the Chargers will likely have a short memory with district play coming up in a couple weeks and a chance to earn another district crown.
St. Joseph Academy just scores and scores and scores some more
In Week 3, St. Joseph Academy senior quarterback Kai Money helped his team build a big lead with an offensive outburst that is more commonly seen playing video games. Money threw for 433 yards and five touchdowns and added 160 yards on the ground with a pair of touchdowns. Unfortunately, the Bloodhounds couldn’t win the shootout against Rio Hondo as it overcame an early deficit and won 52-48. Despite the loss, St. Joseph seems to have an offense that is as good, if not better than it had last season, especially passing. Last year, Money had just a few targets, but this season, the senior quarterback has more receivers to spread the wealth and it showed. Against Rio Hondo, three receivers topped the century mark in yards; Andres Martinez finished with six catches for 149 and a touchdown, Pablo Zolezzi had five for 109 and two touchdowns and Keaton Cackley added four and 119 and a pair of scores. If Money and Co. can continue to put up these types of offensive numbers, the Bloodhounds are going to rebound from a 1-2 start and be tough on any given night.
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.