FREDDY GONZALEZ | Staff Writer
The Santa Rosa Warriors jump from one rivalry to the next this week.
After playing host to the Battle of 506 this past weekend, the Warriors dive straight into the Sugar Bowl this Friday against the La Villa Cardinals.
For the Cardinals, Week 3 comes with an added bonus, as the team prepares to play its first game on the new football turf.
“Everybody’s excited right now,” La Villa coach Danny Perez said. “We are here, ready to go, and the kids really, really want to win this game because it’s Santa Rosa and it’s our first home game here. We are excited about playing our first game in our new field.”
Each team comes into the contest with a must-win mentality. The Cardinals enter with a 0-2 record, losing to Progreso (23-12) and Three Rivers (32-12).
“We really want to start winning because everything gets fixed when you win, so for now that’s our main goal,” Perez said.
Santa Rosa comes into Week 3 also hoping to get on track before beginning district play. The Warriors lost a close game to Lyford (13-6) before falling again to La Feria 38-6.
During the past decade, Santa Rosa has come out on top seven times, outscoring La Villa 266 to 202.
LA FERIA AT MERCEDES
After a two-year absence, Mercedes and La Feria start their old rivalry back up. The last time the teams played each other was in 2015, with Mercedes coming out with a 21-6 victory on a rain-soaked Tiger Field.
History hasn’t been kind to the Lions. During their past 10 encounters, Mercedes has come out on the right side of the score seven times.
This year, the Lions enter the contest on a two-game win streak, defeating Raymondville (17-7) and Santa Rosa 38-6. The Tigers enter the game 1-1, defeating Edinburg North (19-16) in Week 1 before losing to McAllen Rowe 48-19.