DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

PSJA High, considered by many to be favorites in District 32-5A, lost 14-7 to rival PSJA North last week.

It was a defensive-minded affair — similar to last season’s 13-7 decision in favor of the Bears — and notable if only because the Raiders were 0-10 last season, had not won since Oct. 19, 2012, and were marking the debut of coach Jorge Pena.

Another instance where you never know what you’re going to get when it comes to rivalry games.

“We knew they’d come after us after last year,” PSJA High coach Steve Marroquin said. “Credit to Coach Pena and his staff.”

PSJA High was strong defensively, despite a secondary with three new starters (Julian Garza, Troy Flores and Kevin Cruz) and two new starters up front in Rollie Suarez and Jonathan Garza. Questions Marroquin had defensively were answered.

Offensively, however, the Bears struggled. They mustered just 143 total yards, failed to run the ball effectively and struggled at quarterback, playing four. Starter Andrew Castaneda went 7-for-23 passing for 79 yards with three interceptions.

But Marroquin did not place blame there. Instead, he noted the 15 penalties, many of which killed promising drives.

On one instance, after going up 7-0 in the first quarter, the Bears had 1st-and-goal from the Raiders’ 6 before accruing 30 yards in penalties that set them back considerably.

“We moved the ball well, we just shot ourselves in the foot,” Marroquin said. “You won’t win games like that, and that’s what we need to address. We were getting personal fouls, holding … we had a lack of focus and we didn’t execute.”

Marroquin said the Bears have to play more of a team game, have to be more prepared. There were pleasant surprises, like defenders B.K. Thomas and Ramon Valero, receiver Nathan Sifuentes and center Alex Rodriguez, but it’s not enough.

“I’m hoping this serves as a wake-up call that we can’t take anything for granted,” Marroquin said.

WINNING THROUGH LOSING

Mercedes fell 28-0 to Calallen last week, but as usual, the Tigers got a lot more out of that game than even most wins they’ll have this season.

“We got what we needed to,” Mercedes coach Roger Adame Jr. said. “When you play an opponent like that, you find out right off the bat what you need to work on. There’s some talented teams down here, but it’s different going up against a team like Calallen.”

The Tigers dropped balls, including one in the end zone, lacked communication up front offensively and committed three turnovers. But, on the other hand, Adame liked his team’s effort and physicality, praised its conditioning, and said the route-running was strong.

Often times, plays came down to Calallen’s bigger, stronger brutes beating the smaller Tigers off the ball. Not much to be done about that.

“We want to go into every game and win, obviously, but we want to get the best result possible,” said Adame, who added his team will focus more on winning third downs heading into this week’s home game against McAllen Rowe. “We want these guys playing against competition you might not see until playoffs. We want to see how they respond.”

Individually, Adame said the strong play of receiver Brandon Gutierrez, running back Isaac Vela, defensive back Roel Garcia and linebacker David Alvarado stood out.

WITH THE BIG BOYS

PSJA Southwest dominated former district rival Valley View 42-0 in its season opener last week, amassing 329 total yards to Valley View’s 69.

Much of the second half was played with Javelinas from the junior varsity. Because Valley View does not have enough players to field a JV team, Southwest coach Jesus Reyes gave time to a handful of JV players in the second half against Valley View’s varsity.

“We called Los Fresnos, Harlingen and just couldn’t get a JV game,” Reyes said. “So we dressed out six or so JV kids, and even had our JV center and JV defensive backs playing the third and fourth quarters.”

The Javs improved to 3-0 in season-openers.

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

The Donna Redskins may have found themselves Friday night.

With junior starting quarterback Amonte Bowen sidelined for at least six weeks, the Redskins didn’t know what to expect going into Friday’s home season-opener against Brownsville Veterans Memorial. But what they saw — not only a 28-24 comeback win, but the way they won — pleased coach Ramiro Leal.

“We had defining moments for team character. That’s really key,” said Leal, whose team trailed 21-7 early. “The easiest thing is to find excuses and start hanging your head. But we got tested and we were resilient.”

Junior quarterback Edward Dougherty, forced into the starter’s role just last week, was solid, completing 7 of 12 passes for a touchdown and running 18 times for a team-high 94 yards and another TD. It was his throw on a fade to Paul Guerra on 3rd-and-10 late that awarded Donna a lead it would never surrender.

“Edward looked nervous at the beginning, but he did well,” Leal said. “We expected him to be good. Once he got settled in, he had a heck of a game.”

The defense, led by crucial late interceptions by Jarod Garza and Jon Marty, only allowed three points in the second half and 281 total yards.

It was a big night for a program that starts eight juniors on offense and six on defense.

“They grew up,” Leal said.

The offense ran so smoothly under Dougherty that Leal never had to stray from his new-look two-back I-formation.

“I think we just had to settle down,” Leal said. “We got inside the 30, 20 and just couldn’t score in the first half. But in the second half, we settled down.”

‘JACKETS HAVE WARTS

Edcouch-Elsa coach Joe Marichalar did not mince words when he reviewed Friday’s 48-28 season-opening loss at McAllen Rowe.

“They came to play and we didn’t,” Marichalar said. “Holy smokes, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Where do the Yellowjackets start? E-E surrendered 539 yards, and it could have been worse if the Warriors had not removed starting quarterback Hector Bosquez midway through the third quarter to give time to backup John Perez. E-E totaled 305 yards of offense, but turned it over twice and committed 15 penalties for 125 yards, including a delay-of-game miscue before kicking off to Rowe to start the game.

Defense, or the lack thereof, concerned Marichalar the most. The Warriors had 292 yards rushing and 247 passing. They had touchdowns of 35, 37, 81 and 83 yards.

“We haven’t seen something like that defensively,” Marichalar said, specifically noting the subpar play of the outside linebackers. “We take pride in it. We can say it’s the youth or inexperience, but I don’t care. I take pride in our coaching, and I told our coaches it’s on us. We take full responsibility.

“We weren’t in proper areas and our linemen were lining up wrong and Rowe took us apart.”

Changes are likely coming on defense, starting with Marichalar being more hands-on coaching the linebackers. Offensively, the Yellowjackets showed enough promise in the second half to thwart serious concerns, at least for now. Sophomore quarterback Marco Aguinaga erased an ugly first half to throw for a touchdown and run for another in the second, showing off the speed and elusiveness that coaches were raving about this offseason. E-E outscored Rowe 21-14 in the final two quarters, leading Marichalar to praise the team’s fight as the game wore on.

Marichalar credited Aguinaga’s supporting cast, like running back Lino Sanchez and receiver Chon Hernandez, and the offensive line for helping Aguinaga get more comfortable.

Still, the second-year coach will continue to evaluate the quarterback situation. As of now, Aguinaga remains No. 1. But if a better fit is needed, Andrew Segura, the No. 2, or Moses Gomez, the No. 3, could find themselves No. 1.

Who starts at home against Los Fresnos on Friday could be determined Tuesday or Wednesday.

JAVS START STRONG AGAIN

PSJA Southwest is now 3-0 in season-openers after dismantling Valley View 42-0 on Saturday night.

“The kids played well,” Southwest coach Jesus Reyes said. “It was well deserved. It was execution. We talked about it all week, and we did it.”

As usual, the Javelinas ran the ball successfully, as the ground game accounted for all but one of their touchdowns. But it was the passing game that saw growth.

Southwest threw for 105 yards and scored on a 60-yard pass.

“We want to do more passing,” Reyes said. “We had a lot of receivers that worked hard this summer and we have a veteran quarterback in Carlos Portales. They’ve evolved a lot and we’re thinking it will pay off.”
Reyes said the defense was aggressive and is simply a matter of kids having a better understanding of his 3-4 concept. Improved understanding is essentially why Reyes thinks this season will be better than years past.

Southwest is 1-17 in games after the season opener.

“Our kids are more focused, more mature,” Reyes said. “They’re more responsible. It goes along with growing and getting older. The school is young, but we’re beginning to take on responsibility and work harder.”

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KRISTIAN LIMAS | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR

MISSION — The McAllen Rowe Lady Warriors walked away from the Sharyland Invitational after beating Los Fresnos 25-15, 25-21 on Saturday in Mission, another indication of the team’s dominance in the area. It is Rowe’s second tournament win this season.

Mayda Garcia was named tournament MVP honors for the Lady Warriors and played a significant role in the victory, sending home several spikes and making key saves.

Despite the great performance she was quick to deflect the praise to her teammates.

“My teammates really came through for me today, I can’t say that it was all me,” Garcia said. “It was my teammates starting with the pass, to the set and them having faith in me that I’m going to put it away so I thank them for believing in me.”

Rowe made a statement in the first set, going on a 6-0 run before Los Fresnos could answer. Midway through the first set, the Lady Warriors led 11-4 and eventually won by 10 points.

While the first set was a near clinical performance for Rowe the second set was tougher. The Lady Falcons kept up with the Warriors through the first six points and forced Rowe into seven ties during the set.

Despite its tough play, Los Fresnos led only once in the second set at 20-19. The lead didn’t last long, though, as the Lady Warriors closed out the set on a 6-2 run for the victory.

Rowe coach Magda Canales was not surprised that the Falcons didn’t down without a fight.

“Oh, yes, Los Fresnos has always been ready to play us,” Canales said. “The key was that we came together as a team. With the loss of a setter and a back row player from last year, we’ve been trying to incorporate new players in and they’re young. Slowly after some 25 games that we have played so far we’re coming together.”

Garcia agreed, as the Warriors prepared for the rest of the season and district play the words of her coach were not lost on her.

“It is a lot of teamwork, you can’t play individual volleyball,” Garcia said. “When you do that that’s when everything starts to fall apart so we do focus a lot on teamwork.”

DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

CONVERSE — When Odessa Permian second-year coach Blake Feldt scheduled McAllen High for non-district games this season and next, he was simply trying to fill the schedule. All he wanted was a game. Any game.

He got what he wanted Saturday afternoon at D.W. Rutledge Stadium, courtesy of a 35-7 rout of the Bulldogs in each team’s season-opener. And Feldt has his defense to thank mostly for that, as the Panthers held the Bulldogs to 234 total yards (3.6 yards per play), forced three turnovers and especially swarmed senior quarterback Fred Hover all day long.

Hover, who compiled 2,481 yards of total offense and 24 touchdowns in leading his team to a district title last season, completed 16 of 28 passes for 92 yards and an interception while running 10 times for 112 yards and a TD.

“Two weeks in advance, we were game-planning for their quarterback,” Panthers junior nose tackle Angel Gonzales said. “We knew he was shifty, we knew he could get around the edge and take it 50 yards if he needs to.

“We did a good job keeping the quarterback in the pocket and not letting him flush out. We really focused on it every single day in practice.”

Aside from a 68-yard touchdown run with 7:16 remaining, Hover had troubles against a Permian defensive line that does not return a starter from last season. The Panthers run a 3-4 base defense, but switched it up often.

Sometimes the Panthers threw in an extra rusher, sometimes they sat back, but almost all the time they contained.

“Their quarterback is fantastic. He’s a stud,” Feldt said. “We were concerned about him, and how they execute offensively. We didn’t play as fast or with the intensity that we needed to. That’s a dangerous football team, and we’re pleased with the win.”

Hover said he left a lot of plays on the field.

“They really controlled the line of scrimmage,” he said. “We really wanted to establish the running game to do some different things off of it, but they brought a lot of pressure and they really clogged up the holes. I missed way too many throws that I should’ve completed. In the pocket, they bring a lot of pressure and I don’t make the throws that I should make. I owe it to the guys and my line to make those plays, so for me, personally, I have little things I have to work on.”

McAllen High coach Kevin Brewer, however, could not have been prouder of his veteran signal-caller. Brewer saw someone who was relentless in the face of adversity.

“He was getting pounded on in the pass game, they were bringing an extra rusher almost every time,” Brewer said. “He was getting hit, getting back up, operating the offense and made a heck of a play on a (TD) there late. That just sums that young man up right there. He’s just an out-and-out competitor and a warrior.”

It didn’t help that the Bulldogs’ running game was ineffective, particularly when senior running back Ricky Rodriguez was removed from the game early in the second half because of a shoulder injury.

“And that’s our M.O,” Brewer said of the run game. “When we can’t do that, it takes us completely out of our comfort zone offensively and makes us really rely on something that is more of an accentuator, the passing game, as opposed to the mainstay.”

Chalk it up to a learning experience for Hover and his offense. The Bulldogs are unlikely to face a defense as quick or as strong as the Panthers’ until the playoffs.

“We had three turnovers and they gave us opportunities, but our offense, we didn’t execute,” Hover said. “Credit to them for having a good scheme against us and throwing us off.”

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — The last time Edcouch-Elsa had played at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium in 1997, it lost a quarterfinal playoff to Calallen.

The Yellowjackets’ latest trip didn’t go so great, either, against McAllen Rowe on Friday night.

The Warriors pounced on the Yellowjackets early and often, relentless in an offensive attack that was brilliant for most of the evening. Rowe earned a 48-28 win at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, largely in part because of junior quarterback Hector Bosquez.

Bosquez, whom coach Paul Reyes was looking at along with John Perez as his signal-caller, had his way against the Yellowjackets, completing 9 of 12 passes for 206 yards and three TDs and carrying the ball 15 times for 191 yards and two more TDs before leaving with a 41-7 lead with 6:36 left in the third for Perez.

Whether it was Bosquez finding open receivers — WIDE open — time and time again or tucking it and getting yards himself, E-E had no answer. The Yellowjackets had concerns with their linebackers and secondary heading into the season-opener, and it showed.

Bosquez had sound protection up front, was decisive and precise with his throws, leaving little to no room for error. Rowe protected Bosquez, in his first year as a fulltime starter, with simple draws and bubble screens, but often his receivers turned little into big, piling up yards after the catch seamlessly.

Most of Rowe’s offensive success was because of the Warriors’ great speed and athleticism, particularly in space. But a lot of it was also because of an Edcouch-Elsa defense that was slow to get off blocks and missed assignments often.

It wasn’t much better offensively for E-E, which had 305 total yards (much of that late) to Rowe’s 539.

’Jackets sophomore QB Marco Aguinaga looked every bit his age early before playing strong in the second half with the game well in hand. Aguinaga completed 13 of 22 passes for 129 yards, a TD and two interceptions. He also ran the ball 11 times for 91 yards and a TD.

The Warriors’ new 4-3 defensive front ran rampant, often flushing Aguinaga out of the pocket and leaving ‘Jacket runners no breathing room inside. It wasn’t until late that he started making better reads on his progressions and became more assertive when it came time to take the ball himself.

Senior running back Lino Sanchez paced E-E with 13 carries for 80 yards and two TDs. Jose Chavez added 184 total yards and three TDs for Rowe.

Both teams entered the game with quarterback competitions. Rowe seemed to have gotten a lot of that answered. Perez played OK (5-for-9 passing for 41 yards and a TD; six carries for 17 yards), but the Warriors produced touchdowns on all six of Bosquez’s possessions.

E-E’s competition looked wide open until Aguinaga’s promising play in the second half, but likely remains a week-to-week basis.

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

PHARR — PSJA Memorial quarterback Michael Gonzalez was praised this offseason for his hard work.

“Michael is in for a big year,” Wolverines coach Gus Cavazos promised earlier this month.

The 6-foot, 240-pound junior is certainly headed that way. Gonzalez had a strong season-opener Thursday against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at PSJA Stadium, completing 9 of 12 passes for 128 yards and a pair of TDs, and running for two more TDs in a 33-0 win.

“I worked my tail off this summer, and this is a good feeling,” Gonzalez said. “Everyone had a hand in this. The running backs ran hard, receivers made clutch catches, linemen dominated.

“It’s a good start.”

The Wolverines (1-0) and Huskies (0-1) each have playoff expectations for this season; each returns a good amount of starters. But the Wolverines looked weeks ahead on Thursday as Gonzalez had his way, finding open receivers with ease or carrying the ball for TDs or first downs.

He had help. Whether it was running back Jonathan Treviño (86 yards, TD) toting punishing the Huskies’ front seven or receiver Gerardo Bocanegra (59 yards) finding daylight on his routes, the Huskies had trouble covering whatever the Wolverines threw at them.

“To me, even more than the quarterback, it was the offensive line,” Juarez-Lincoln coach Tomas Garcia said. “They dominated the trenches, on both ends. They were pushing us back on offense, and against our defense they were doing whatever they wanted.”

In all, Memorial produced 334 total yards to Juarez-Lincoln’s 126, and Gonzalez had the start he was looking for since last season.

“Michael’s a leader,” Cavazos said. “For being a young kid, he’s got a lot of leadership skills. He doesn’t get rattled. He’s a big, strong kid and he’s great to have.

“The great thing about him is he’s just a junior, so we get to coach him another two seasons.”

YOUNG LINE

The Huskies started three sophomores on the offensive line, and it showed.

Senior quarterback Edward Garcia was scrambling all night as the front struggled to contain a Memorial defensive line led by Mario Chavez and Jose Ramirez that contributed five sacks.

“There was a lot of miscommunication, misalignment,” Garcia said. “A lot of mental errors. All I heard on the headset was people being lined up wrong. But we understand what we got.

“We know where we’re at, and we have a lot of work to do.”

WORKING OUT THE KINKS

Teams are still adjusting to the UIL’s new 40-second play clock. The new rule allows the clock to continue from play to play, with the exception of timeouts or official timeouts, instead of beginning when the official sets the ball.

Juarez-Lincoln had two delay-of-game penalties and two false starts. Memorial had two false starts.

There was a lot of adjustment, actually, on Thursday. Memorial and Juarez-Lincoln combined for 23 penalties for 190 yards.

“It’s funny that last week in our scrimmage, we hardly had any penalties, and this week we had a bunch,” said Cavazos, whose team was whistled 12 times for 120 yards. “Was it nerves, was it jitters? I’m not sure. But we need to look at the film.”

PAINFUL LOSS

Already lacking depth, the Huskies had more injuries take place Thursday.

The big one was to starting running back Michael Cuellar, who was carried off on a stretcher with less than four minutes left in the game. He ran the ball twice for nine yards.

Juarez-Lincoln’s free safety and starting defensive tackle also left with injuries.

“I’ve always said we’re a couple injuries away from not being very good, and it was obvious today,” Garcia said. “But bottom line is our backups need to come in and produce.”

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — As they prepare for Friday’s season-opener meeting at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium, Edcouch-Elsa and McAllen Rowe are essentially in the same boat.

Both teams are made up of mostly young, but raw talent. Both have position battles still ongoing.

And both are tired of the doubts being heard because of such uncertainty.

“Our kids are eager to get these Friday night games under their belt,” E-E coach Joe Marichalar said. “Let’s get that stuff of us being young and having doubt in the past. Let’s get to that next chapter. You get that vibe with our guys.”

Rowe may have a slight advantage Friday, however. The Warriors’ new defensive coordinator is Michael Uribe, formerly head coach at Mercedes, the Yellowjackets’ longstanding rival. Uribe was reassigned in February because of “professional issues” after five years as head coach and is now bringing his physical 4-3 defense to Rowe.

“I’ve sat with our staff and talked about what Edcouch brings that you don’t see on film — tradition, toughness, community support,” said Uribe, whose defensive line might be the strength of the Warriors. “You have to focus on the details, being aggressive.”

Rowe coach Paul Reyes said Uribe has been a boon, especially since Rowe has only seen one film on E-E.

“We’re able to not only watch film, but we have somebody who dealt with them for nine-plus years,” Reyes said. “We’re able to pick up some things we may not see on film. We find out more about their athleticism and size, and he’s able to provide info on who may have been on the JV level that may be a key guy for them now.”

Marichalar said the big thing against an Uribe-coached defense is taking care of the ball.

“Turnovers will come back to haunt you,” Marichalar said. “We tell our kids to take care of the little things — tuck that ball, throw with precision.

“If we can control those things, I feel we can play sound Edcouch-Elsa football.”

Both teams are sure what they show Friday won’t be anything like they will look like by season’s end.

Rowe still has a quarterback battle going between runner Hector Bosquez and pocket passer John Perez. Reyes may go with both, if each continues to play well, or will go with whoever distances himself.

He’s also looking for more stability on the offensive line.

E-E recently settled its own quarterback competition, kind of, by going with dynamic sophomore Marco Aguinaga after his stellar play during last week’s scrimmage against Weslaco East. But junior Andrew Segura, who just last week was No. 1 on the depth chart, is strong enough to win the spot back if Aguinaga struggles.

Marichalar dismisses any concern about his starting signal-caller’s youth.

“He’s not just a sophomore. He’s a sophomore at Edcouch-Elsa,” Marichalar said of Aguinaga. “He’s got more reps than some young people, playing since he was wee tiny. He’ll adapt quickly to the environment and he’ll find a way to overcome.”

Marichalar is still evaluating his linebackers and secondary. But, really, all eyes will be on the quarterbacks.

“It was a very tough decision,” he said. “Any decision I make, we make as a staff. Marco just seems comfortable when it came time to make something happen. We try to be balanced, 50/50 pass-run. We think he’ll put us in position to win the ballgame.

“It was a close race, and hopefully it turns out great for us.”

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BY DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

Because of a tight competition between junior Andrew Segura and sophomore Marco Aguinaga, Edcouch-Elsa coach Joe Marichalar pushed back his decision to Wednesday for who will start at quarterback at McAllen Rowe on Friday.

The decision was to be made last weekend. The delay awarded Marichalar a couple extra days of practice to evaluate. Though Segura is No. 1 on the depth chart, Marichalar said Monday that Aguinaga has the edge.

Aguinaga stood out in last week’s scrimmage, showing off his dual-threat ability and scoring the team’s only TD on a 46-yard scamper.

“He has the playmaking ability,” Marichalar said of his precocious underclassman. “When you put yourself in situations and you have to do something on your own, he can do that. He’s poised beyond his years.

“He’s just so comfortable in tough situations.”

Marichalar commended Segura for “getting the job done and being productive” in the scrimmage. Aguinaga’s play, however, has made him difficult to overlook.

CHANGES UNDER CENTER

Donna learned Monday that junior starting quarterback Amonte Bowen, who suffered a broken collarbone in last week’s scrimmage against Brownsville Rivera, will not need surgery right now.

Bowen will be re-evaluated again next week. The earliest he could return is eight weeks.

“We’re all taking it as if he’s out for the season, and if he comes back it will be a plus.” Donna coach Ramiro Leal said. “We prepare for the worst.”

In the meantime, Leal found someone to back up new starter Edward Dougherty. The Redskins will look to senior Joe Perez, who quarterbacked the JV team his sophomore year before moving to safety last season.

Dougherty, a junior, is more of a slasher/runner, while Perez can throw as well as he can run.

Schematically, the Redskins, whose offense was opening more into a two-back I formation than a traditional I look, will likely go back to the straight I formation.

With a new quarterback, Leal said it likely puts a heavier workload on running backs Paul Guerra (a strong, downhill type) and Michael Tamez (a crafty, shifty type).

“It comes down to ball control, clock management and game management,” Leal said. “It’s crucial we control clock, control tempo and move the chains bit by bit.”

THE TOP CHIEF

Donna North coach Tommy Sauceda has picked 6-foot-1, 175-pound sophomore Manny Ramirez as his starting quarterback with the Chiefs heading into their first year of varsity football play.

Ramirez won the spot over 5-9, 180-pound senior Oscar Colon.

“Manny’s the guy this week, and we’ll go from there,” Sauceda said. “He’s the prototypical spread quarterback. He’s tall, he’s got a good arm and he’s only going to get better. He’s got a lot of ability.”

Ramirez will have the benefit of playing behind a rapidly improving offensive line, led by sophomores Juan Martinez and Luis Castillo, junior Jose Molina and senior Freddy Coronado.

Now that the QB decision is settled, the Chiefs look forward to their first ever varsity game at La Feria on Friday.

“Our kids have been looking forward to this moment for a long time,” said Sauceda, whose team played a JV schedule last season. “We’re excited. We have to be ready. I tell our kids if we work hard, good things will happen.

“Everybody looks forward to the start of the football season, and it sets the tempo for everything else.”

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER