BY NATE KOTISSO | THE MONITOR
WESLACO — Heavy rains may have flooded several intersections in town earlier Friday, but it couldn’t damper the turnout for the sixth annual Tinaco Bowl between the Weslaco High Panthers and the Weslaco East Wildcats. Weslaco East took it to Weslaco High for the second straight season, winning their District 32-6A opener, 35-7 at Bobby Lackey Stadium.
East senior quarterback Richard Lefevre threw for 136 yards and three touchdowns, all three to different receivers, to help his team improve to 3-1 on the season.
“We might give them a hard time since they’re our crosstown rivals, but we’re still united,” Lefevre said. “We hope for the best for both teams, but it’s an excellent feeling to own the water tower for one more year.”
East coach Mike Burget watched the 6-foot-4 Lefevre come into his own first as a timid and now game-changing quarterback. Lefevre’s 10 touchdown passes through four games this season ties a career high.
“He came in his sophomore year a little bit late. He was getting to know the kids during his junior year. Now, everybody looks up to him,” Burget said. “He’s got a bunch of targets that he can throw to. If we can continue to do that, and our defense plays like they do, we can win a couple more games.”
The Wildcats’ defense put their fingerprints on the Panthers’ first drive of the game. Deep in their own territory, Panthers senior Marco Leal had his first pass attempt intercepted by Weslaco East sophomore cornerback/safety Ramsey Vasquez. Vasquez picked off two more passes before the game ended in what was his first Tinaco Bowl at the varsity level.
“My coach spent a lot of time with me before the game, telling me how these routes were going to be,” Vasquez said. “That’s where I read his (Leal’s) eyes and made a few plays.”
East’s success through the air and aggressive ground game was too much for Weslaco High (1-2) to overcome.
“Hats off to Coach Burget and his team,” Weslaco High coach Michael Salinas said. “We tried to get in a rhythm early, but we didn’t, throwing a few interceptions. We took some chances. but we didn’t execute when we needed to.”
Senior running back Roy Pedraza accounted for one of East’s two rushing touchdowns when he ran one in from five yards out in the second quarter to give the Wildcats a 14-0 lead.
Later in the fourth quarter, Pedraza took a handoff from Lefevre, ran straight ahead and was brought down and stayed down on the turf. Pedraza was carried off the field, and was on crutches with an ice pack wrapped around his left knee after the game.
“I had a defender who fell into my knee,” Pedraza said. “But everything happens for a reason. It’s God’s plan.”
“I’m not a doctor, so we’re going to have one look at it tomorrow,” Burget said. “The trainers looked at it and they say he definitely has to have a doctor look at it. Roy’s one of those guys that’s played for me for four years on the varsity. He’s a hell of a football player, and one of the best I’ve ever coached. We’ll see what the doctor says.”