BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — Last season, the Weslaco East Wildcats made it to the third round of the playoffs and were alone as the last 6A Upper Valley program standing.
But on Day 1 of practice this fall, coach Mike Burget doesn’t believe that result has any affect on this season’s team.
“It’s a whole new team,” Burget said. “It’s a whole new season. We have some guys coming back, but we also have some new guys at new positions.“
One thing that does carry over from last season’s team is the experience.
Weslaco East returns its starting quarterback, senior Richard LeFevre, its leading rusher, senior Roy Pedraza, and its do-everything athlete, senior J.C. Vargas.
“Normally I wouldn’t even do an interview during the offensive time,” Burget said. “But, as you can see, I trust the coaches and I trust the guys we have in place. They know what to do.”
LeFevre said his emphasis this year is on his leadership.
“Personally, I want to work on bringing the team closer together,” LeFevre said. “I want us to become even more of unit and develop that chemistry. … Being a leader, I feel like it’s starting to come a little bit more natural.”
Add in the team’s leading tackler, junior linebacker Freddy Cardenas, and it is easy to see why Burget is confident.
“We just want him to get better and lead the team,” Burget said. “He was an all-state player. He’s a target now. Last year the other linebacker, Adrian (Duran, who graduated) was a target, so he’s got to get to work. He’s a good football player. … The kid is in great shape right now. So, we are expecting him to lead the defense.”
With the experience of advancing in the playoffs came an abrupt end to the season. In the regional quarterfinals, East lost to Cibolo Steele, 56-0. That pain has been sharp in the minds of the players, but on Monday it started to dim just a bit.
“Last year, how we ended, it felt horrible,” LeFevre said. “We have all been waiting all offseason, even throughout the end of the school year. The next day, we were already ready to come back out. We are very excited to be back on the field.”