BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
By virtue of a Week 10 win over Edinburg Economedes, Edinburg North secured a chance to play for a playoff spot in the regular-season finale.
“It’s amazing that we have an opportunity,” North coach Damian Gonzalez said. “At the end of the day, that is all we can ask for. Just give us a chance.”
Granted, it’s not the best chance, but even to be here, given everything the Cougars have endured this year, is a special moment.
North (2-7 overall, 2-3 in District 31-6A) plays Weslaco High (8-1, 4-1), and if it wins, and Edinburg High (6-3, 2-3) loses to Donna North (0-9, 0-6), the Cougars would clinch a playoff berth.
The season started with doubt, people questioned whether Gonzalez was the right hire. Many players — key players on last year’s team — transferred out of the program following last season. Things got worse when North started off the season 0-4 in non-district, against an inauspicious slate of teams that have struggled all year.
One of the biggest reasons for the team’s success is the recently reunited combination of seniors Maxanthony Aguilar (quarterback) and Roel de Leon (receiver). De Leon has hauled in 28 catches for 411 yards and three touchdowns.
“Roel had banged up his ankle, and he was out a little bit,” Gonzalez said. “Since he has gotten healthy, he has gotten better and better. His routes are a lot crisper, and Max has done a great job of understanding where the windows are. He gets it in a spot where Roel can go get it. Also, we did some things offensively to try to get him the ball out early in space, and just let him be an athlete.”
De Leon missed three games with injury, at the beginning of the district season, and while he was out, he was both a supportive teammate and a mentor to the youngest Cougars.
“Roel was talking with me the other day about that,” Gonzalez said. “He said, ‘man coach I remember when the other varsity receivers were doing this with me. Now I’m the one doing it.’
“He’s the one that kind of keeps everybody level-headed. He’s a jokester, and he has a great attitude. He’s been on championship teams, he played basketball last year and he was a regional qualifier in track.”
That battle-tested mentality has been a boon for the team. Combined Aguilar’s leadership, the younger Cougars have come into form and contributed in the biggest moments of the season, like when sophomore Michael Rodriguez exploded for two touchdowns in North’s win over Donna North.
“Max, being the quarterback, there is a lot of responsibility that comes along with that,” Gonzalez said. “The young guys like (junior) Jacob Peralez and (sophomore) Moises Maldonado have done a good job of learning how to be leaders, and how to be good young men and direct the team. Because, eventually, these guys are going to be gone. Someone will have to step up. I think these guys have learned a lot from them.”
But the Cougars aren’t worried about the future, they are laser-focused on the task at hand. North plays Weslaco at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco.
“The fact that we have been grinding so long, I told them do all these things and we can get ourselves into position to get in,” Gonzalez said. “Not saying it’s going to happen, nothing is guaranteed. There is no rule saying if we do everything correct we will get in, but just the fact that we are there, and we have this opportunity, basically makes everything that we have been doing worthwhile. There was a lot of doubt surrounding the team to begin with. Even throughout the year. These kids have overcome a lot of adversity. The fact that they have been able to do that, and still have an opportunity, speaks volumes to the types of athletes we have here at North.”
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