EDINBURG — The Edinburg Vela SaberCats came into Friday afternoon’s matchup against the Edinburg High Bobcats having won five straight against their intracity rival. This year proved to be no different as the SaberCats roared past the Bobcats 43-13 at Richard R. Flores Stadium.
“This win is big in that this win basically secured us a playoff spot,” SaberCats head coach John Campbell said. “The kids got another week to look forward to after this week. With as much craziness that has been going on in football, it’s refreshing to be able to say that we get to play another week for sure.”
It was the defense that set the tone early for the SaberCats, holding the Bobcats offense to fewer than 50 total yards in the first half.
Led by sophomore defensive end Jake Dufner, who finished the game with a sack and multiple tackles for loss, the SaberCats applied constant pressure to Bobcats quarterback Rolando Abrego, forcing five punts and one fumble in six first-half drives.
With 9:21 left in the half, Sabercats quarterback AJ Sotelo connected with wide receiver Jaime Perez for a 60-yard touchdown, giving them a 34-0 lead. The touchdown was the fifth in as many drives for the Sabercats, leading Campbell to pull most of his offensive starters after only 19 minutes of playing time.
“Pulling our players was precautionary,” Campbell said. “Everything we did today was all precautionary.”
Running back PJ Rivera came up big for the SaberCats, scoring three first-quarter touchdowns from 2, 8 and 38 yards. Rivera, who did not return to the game as a precaution following a shoulder injury, finished the game with six carries for 63 yards and three touchdowns in only one-and-a-half quarters of play.
Sotelo contributed to the SaberCats’ 28-point first quarter offensive outburst when he connected with wider receiver Justin Vega in the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown. Sotelo finished the game completing all five of his passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
Down 37-0 following a 35-yard field goal by SaberCats kicker Job Juarez to end the half, the Bobcats looked to avoid a shutout against their intracity rivals.
Abrego took matters into his own, breaking loose for an 18-yard run on fourth-and-15 to set up his team on the 10-yard line. Abrego capped off the drive converting on fourth down again as he hit senior athlete Emmanuel Duron for a 2-yard touchdown strike.
On the ensuing possession, senior defensive back Andre Vargas picked off SaberCats second-string quarterback Chase Campbell taking it all the way down to the 8-yard line. Bobcats senior running back Shandon Woodard rumbled in for a touchdown four plays later, making it 37-13 with 6:13 left in the game.
That’s as close as the Bobcats came to narrowing the gap, as SaberCats linebacker Erik Arguello took a fumble 33 yards for a touchdown at the end of regulation giving them a 43-13 victory.
With the win, Edinburg Vela (4-0, 3-0) secured a playoff berth and will face the Mission High Eagles (4-0, 3-0) next week for the District 31-6A title. Edinburg High (2-2, 2-2) will face off against the PSJA High Bears (1-3, 1-3) with a playoff berth on the line. Location, date and time for those games have yet be announced.