WESLACO — The Weslaco East Wildcats made a statement heard across District 32-6A and the whole Valley even before late arrivers were able to find their seats.
On a direct snap in the first quarter, J.C. Vargas only needed a sliver of green in front of him before he was gone for 50 yards and his Wildcat’s first score of 2017.
Before Friday night was done, Vargas would celebrate in the end zone four different times on the way to a 62-0 shutout of Sharyland High at Bobby Lackey Stadium.
“It felt good,” Vargas said. “I just saw the hole open up, and I used my speed and vision just to get through it. It’s good to have speed, but shout out to my linemen, they’re hell of a blockers.”
Vargas added a receiving TD and a second quarter interception to help Weslaco East dominate Sharyland on the opening week of the season.
“J.C.’s JC, that’s why he was all-area (all-purpose) player (of the year) last year,” East coach Mike Burget said. “He’s something, but he’s still getting into shape.”
East moved the chains 14 times in the first half, imposing their will on the ground. East’s rushing attack was a multi-headed monster, with three different rushers scoring TDs.
J.C. Vargas rushed for two scores, Freddy Gonzales added a pair, and Roy Pedraza scored once. Even QB Richard LeFevre got in on the action with 19 yards and a first down.
“We have a lot of experience back. That makes it easy,” Burget said. “Plus we got two scrimmages in and they didn’t. (Sharyland) Coach (Ron) Adame is one of the best coaches in the Valley and has been for a long time. He’s going to get that team rolling, and you’ll see them in the playoffs again.”
LeFevre had mixed results throwing the ball. He hit three touchdown passes, two of them over 30 yards. He also fumbled away possession on the opening drive and missed some open targets, only completing 52 percent of his passes.
“I’m really disappointed with myself in this game,” LeFevre said, “but I’m really proud of our O-line and our skill guys. We’re going to pick up the intensity for the next week because McAllen Memorial is going to be a tougher team to beat.”
The explosive, high-scoring offense was only half the story. East’s defense did not allow a single red zone trip and forced two turnovers.
One of those turnovers was a fumble that ended up in the hands of linebacker Mike Gonzales. He said his defense was playing the right way from start to finish.
“I saw a lot of hustling. Everybody was flying to the ball,” Gonzales said. “Nobody stopped, no matter what the score was. That’s it, that’s what we’re playing: Wildcat defense.”
Vargas, whose impact was felt on defense with an interception in the first half, praised the aggressiveness without the ball.
“Our defense is big, and they’re full of killers,” Vargas said. “All they want to do is hit and run to the ball, and that’s good for the team. Hopefully, we can get more shutouts this year.”
Sharyland will try to pick up the pieces before facing Edinburg North, another team looking for its first win, in Week 2. Blake Klein was QB Diego Vela’s favorite target both on the ground and in the air on Friday.
Even with a lopsided score, East won’t call Friday a flawless performance. The Wildcats will aim to get better in the upcoming week to prepare for a battle with No. 4 McAllen Memorial.
“It wasn’t a perfect game, but we’re going to hit it tomorrow, watch the film, see what we got to do and just turn the page,” Vargas said. “This is just another game. All eyes forward toward McAllen Memorial.”