NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER
Something will be missing from the Week 4 docket: District 30-6A teams are staying home on Thursday and Friday night. All eight of the teams in the district are on their bye week, meaning they won’t have any breaks from Weeks 5 through 11.
McAllen Rowe coach Bobby Flores said the schedule is a welcomed change.
“This is my third year as a head coach, and it’s the first time we’ve all been on bye at the same time,” Flores said. “I think it’s a good thing, because most of the time it’s a luck of the draw if you get your bye week early or late in the season. This time around, there is no advantage or disadvantage, and after this, it’s go-go-go.”
Rowe showed its stuff in the two weeks following a 28-7 season-opening loss to Weslaco High. Since then, the Warriors have scored 74 points — 47 against Mercedes and another 27 against Edinburg North.
The three-touchdown loss seemed like a surprise back in August, but Weslaco has continued to pump out convincing wins.
“I said that from the beginning. Weslaco is a very good team,” Flores said. “It was something that we wanted to see early. I wanted to play them for a reason. I know they’re good, well-coached, and it was going to give us a starting point. It sure did. We were able to see some things that we could work and improve on.”
In both of their two wins, the Warriors got six points from sophomore Lorenzo Lopez, who has burst onto the scene as a kick returner and running back. He scored on an 85-yard runback against the Tigers.
“The stats speak for themselves,” Flores said. “He ran a kickoff against Mercedes. He had another big one against Edinburg North. Being a sophomore, he’s picked up on the system quickly, understanding the blocking schemes up front. It gives us another weapon.”
Flores and his team are preparing for a Week 5, district-opening test against a fellow McAllen school.
“It will be a real important week after the bye, because we have our crosstown rivals McAllen High, and I know they are working to try some things,” Flores said.