By Jesus Sanchez | The Brownsville Herald
Playing against tough Texas schools before district play begins is something the Falcons planned to do to prepare for the challenges that await Los Fresnos in the new season.
The Falcons will do just that when they face off against Austin’s Lyndon Baines Johnson Jaguars in their second non-district game at 7:30 Friday at home.
“We’ve had a good week of practice,” Los Fresnos head coach Patrick Brown said. “We feel like we’ve cleaned some stuff from our first game. (Our) defense has really been good for us and we expect that to continue this week. Our defense is going to have to be good because I don’t think that our kids have this type of speed since we played Lake Travis last year. It’s going to be a challenge for us.”
The Falcons lost 16-13 to the visiting District 1-6A El Paso Montwood Rams in their Aug. 31 home opener.
Los Fresnos trailed the Rams 16-0 at halftime but came alive late in the game to score two touchdowns.
Senior quarterback Sergio Martinez and junior wide receiver Nico Valencia were the only players to find the end zone in the game’s second half.
The Falcons will begin district play Oct. 12 against Harlingen South but will have several other opponents before that matchup, including games against Edinburg Vela and Odessa Permian later this month.
“With LBJ, we’re going to see some fantastic athletes,” the Falcons coach said. “They can run the ball and do all sorts of stuff. With (Edinburg) Vela, I think you have the best Valley team right now and then, obviously, with Permian, you get some option game and a big physical group in front of a lot of people. If we can make it through our pre-district schedule, we feel like we’re going to be prepared for whatever we see in the playoffs.”
On the other side, the Jaguars defeated the Elgin Wildcats 34-21 on the road in their season opener under head coach Jahmal Fenner, who is entering his sixth season with LBJ and first at the helm.
Against the Wildcats, the Jaguars had a solid showing, scoring two late touchdowns that secured the win for the Austin high school.
LBJ has developed a habit of advancing playoffs, having 13 consecutive postseason appearances.
The Jaguars offense has five returning starters, which include athlete Aundoy Johnson and running back Brian Batts leading the charge.
Last season, LBJ went 7-5 and was a Class 5A Division I bi-district finalist, losing to Dripping Springs 59-29.
Los Fresnos reached the regional semifinals in 2017 and are looking to go pass that for the first time under Brown.
Defensively, Los Fresnos will have strong safety Johnny Cadengo, cornerback Kobe Muñiz and tackle Lorenzo Villarreal leading the way.
On offense, Valencia, a three-year starter, will be the Falcons’ go-to man in their attempt to topple the Jaguars.
“It’s going to be a huge challenge for us,” Brown said. “This is a program, in LBJ, that is constantly in the playoffs, wins district and, you know, we’re going to have our hands full tomorrow but that’s kind of the way we like it.”