RGVSports.com writers Dennis Silva II and Mario Aguirre join host Greg Luca to preview Week 10 of the Rio Grande Valley high school football season. The lower half of the top 10 saw pretty significant change this week, playoff races across the Valley are starting to come into focus, and as always the guys have a new Dennis Silva II Hypothetical of the Week.
The podcast is available on iTunes. Follow this link to subscribe.
RGVSports.com writers Dennis Silva II and Mario Aguirre join host Greg Luca to recap Week 9 of the Rio Grande Valley high school football season. Edinburg Vela took care of PSJA North, McAllen High and McAllen Rowe played to a dramatic triple overtime finish, and Mission Veterans Memorial beat Rio Grande City in a shootout. All around the Valley, playoffs berths are starting to be determined, and the guys have all the scenarios covered. They also revisit the Dennis Silva II Hypothetical of the Week.
The podcast is now available on iTunes. Follow this link to subscribe.
GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — McAllen High running back Roy Gutierrez said he felt like he was “dying” of exhaustion after his first good run of overtime. Little did he know, his night was far from finished.
Typically McAllen High’s third option at running back, Gutierrez was pressed into a heavy workload by injury, and he delivered in a huge way. Gutierrez finished with 33 carries for 118 yards and three touchdowns, carrying the ball on all 13 of the Bulldogs’ offensive plays in the second and third overtimes as McAllen High outlasted Rowe 42-36 at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
“I’m like a soldier, man,” Gutierrez said. “I just do my orders. I just follow what the coaches say, and I go through it. That’s about it.”
Gutierrez, a junior, entered the night as McAllen High’s fourth-leading rusher, with 202 yards and just 1 touchdown. But with Week 1 starter Mark Martinez limited by a high ankle sprain and backup Sandon Yarto watching the second half on crutches due to a knee injury, the Bulldogs leaned on Gutierrez.
He finished the first half with one carry for a loss of 3 yards, then became a workhorse late. In the first overtime, he ran three times for 19 yards to set up quarterback Ruben Rodriguez’s 6-yard scoring run.
In the second overtime, he had six carries for 25 yards, scoring on his third try from 1-yard out. And in the third overtime, he had seven carries for 22 yards, this time scoring on his second attempt from 1-yard out. McHi’s other 3 yards that period came via penalty.
“That just shows the grit and toughness of our kids, and their attitude. I’m just really proud of them,” McAllen High coach Kevin Brewer said. “We look for four yards per carry, and (Gutierrez) gets us that. He takes care of the football and does a great job. If he pops a big one, great. But we like the grind-it-out game, too.”
Gutierrez was also key in helping McHi force overtime, as Rowe’s Raudel Garcia had punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Warriors a 22-15 lead with 3:14 to play in the fourth quarter. On their ensuing possession, the Bulldogs drove 70 yards in seven plays. Gutierrez ran three times for 19 yards, but Rodriguez was the star, capping the drive with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Kristian Soliz to tie the game with 1:02 remaining.
“I just wanted to get into the end zone,” Rodriguez said. “I refuse to lose right now. I didn’t want to lose.”
Rodriguez said his first read on the play was a wheel route, but Rowe’s safety had jumped forward to take away the pattern. That left Soliz wide open down the right seam.
Rodriguez finished the game 10-of-13 passing for 107 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 9 yards and a score.
“That young man has grown so much this year as a player and as a young man,” Brewer said. “He didn’t get antsy. He didn’t panic back there. He stayed in the pocket. Great protection, and found the open receiver for the big touchdown. Very proud of Ruben.”
The win moves McAllen High to 3-5 overall and 2-2 in District 30-6A, with two straight wins following an 0-2 start. Rowe is also 2-2 in district and 6-2 overall, putting both teams in a four-way tie for second place in the 30-6A standings along with La Joya Palmview and La Joya High. McAllen Memorial tops the district at 4-0.
With starting quarterback Jesus Sanchez out due to injury, Rowe leaned on backup William Savage, who completed 15 of 23 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown, albeit primarily on short shovel passes.
Garcia continued to be the team’s workhorse in the backfield, carrying 27 times for 113 yards and 3 scores. But he also had a critical fumble in the third overtime, setting up McAllen High’s game-winning drive.
“It was just mental toughness,” Gutierrez said. “I respect their team and everything, but we were the tougher ones tonight. We were the tougher ones, definitely.”
GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
PHARR — PSJA North entered Thursday’s game with the Valley’s top-ranked defense, but the Raiders proved no match for Edinburg Vela’s Valley-leading attack.
Edinburg Vela racked up 344 yards of offense to beat PSJA North 30-14 in a battle of District 31-6A’s two remaining unbeatens on Thursday at PSJA Stadium.
The SaberCats (7-1, 5-0) have won 16 consecutive district games and can secure an outright District 31-6A title with wins against PSJA High (0-4 in district) and Edinburg Economedes (2-2) during the final two weeks of the regular season. PSJA North falls to 7-1, 4-1 in district.
Against a PSJA North defense that had allowed just 170.3 yards per game entering Thursday, Vela picked up 344 yards, still shy of the SaberCats’ season average of 483.6. Vela did the vast majority of its damage on the ground, rushing for 288 yards at an average of 7.6 yards per carry.
Cristian Flores was Vela’s go-to option in the running game, carrying 18 times for 162 yards and a touchdown. The highlight of Flores’ night came in the second quarter, when he shook off a defender who appeared to have him wrapped up around the shoulder pads and bounced to the outside for a 60-yard touchdown.
In four games as Edinburg Vela’s primary back since reigning District 31-5A MVP Robert Guerra has been off the team amid charges of criminal mischief, Flores has averaged 135 yards per game with 7 rushing touchdowns.
Quarterback Nate Garcia was also key for Vela, rushing 11 times for 68 yards and a touchdown. He completed 9 of 18 passes for 56 yards, including a 23-yard scoring strike to Nico Rodriguez.
Thursday’s game turned into a rout early in the second half. Vela carried a 14-6 lead into the break, then stretched that advantage to 21-6 on Nate Garcia’s 16-yard touchdown run with 10:15 to play in the third quarter. The SaberCats then recovered a surprise onside kick, sparking another touchdown drive that ended when Mark Buhider scored on a sneak from 1 yard out. PSJA North’s next possession resulted in a punt that Vela blocked for a safety, pushing the advantage to 30-6.
PSJA North’s offense tried to control the clock with a strong running game, carrying 51 times for 210 yards. While lead rusher Rene Ramirez had a solid game (18 carries, 81 yards and a touchdown), the Raiders also looked for offense from unusual sources, playing little-used sophomore Arturo Beltran at quarterback. Beltran entered the game with just one carry for 5 yards on the season, but on Thursday carried 12 times for 84 yards and completed 1 of 3 passes for 24 yards and a score.
The Raiders attempted to answer Vela’s surge, scoring a 23-yard touchdown pass from Beltran to Marco Salinas to pull within 30-14 in the closing seconds of the third quarter. North then got the ball back and drove to Vela’s 30-yard line before being stopped on 4th-and-1 with about 6 minutes to play. Prior to that point, North had converted all three of its fourth-down attempts with 2 yards or fewer to go.
Kickoff of Thursday’s game was delayed until 8:30 p.m. from its original start time of 7 p.m. due to lightning in the area.
GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Watching classmate Andrew Puente quarterback the La Joya Palmview offense for two seasons, Jonathan Zieske admits he sometimes grew envious.
In his head, he felt he was the better player, and he knew he could earn a promotion from backup to starter if he put in the work.
Zieske describes himself as a blunt person who tells it like it is, so he openly stated his intention to be the new No. 1 in three different conversations with coach Margarito Requenez during the spring.
“I was very vocal about how I wanted that spot,” Zieske said. “Sometimes, I was a little bit annoying. When you want something, you want to go get it. Especially when you have a knot in your throat, because you think you’re better, or you know you’re better, and you just have to do what’s necessary to beat that person out.”
Zieske not only beat out Puente, but he brought balance to the Palmview offense for the first time in his career.
Entering a matchup against Mission High at 7 tonight in La Joya, Zieske ranks second in District 30-6A with 941 passing yards, having completed 66 of 122 attempts with five touchdowns and four interceptions.
“I’ve been wanting this role since I was a freshman,” Zieske said. “I had to work my way up in the system. I think everything that I’ve earned, I’ve worked for. I’ve been hungry for this role, and I think it’s showing.”
Zieske describes himself as a highly competitive person by nature, so he was not going to allow Puente to get the starting nod for the third straight season. Heading into his senior year, Zieske went to multiple summer quarterback camps, including one at Incarnate Word. He said he was named a top-three quarterback at each camp, beating out a field of about 50 at UIW.
From a skills perspective, he trimmed his 40-yard dash time from 4.9 seconds to 4.77, lost some unnecessary weight, added muscle, and strengthened his arm through regular throwing sessions with his father.
“He finally got stronger. He finally has that arm strength, and he’s showing it this year,” Requenez said. “Now, he can go up to the line, and he can change the play at the line. He can audible. He’s actually learned the game like it’s supposed to be.”
Requenez said he was happy Zieske came to him in the spring to share his aspirations of taking the job, praising the senior’s natural leadership. Requenez had no doubt Zieske would put in the work not just independently, but also during the Lobos’ athletic period, where his teammates could witness his progress and commitment to studying film and asking questions.
“They have to see you work hard here, not only outside,” Requenez said. “That’s been the biggest difference.”
In all of 2015, Zieske threw for 467 yards — less than half of his total so far in 2016 — as Puente led the team with 785 yards and 8 touchdowns through the air. But with Zieske taking so many strides forward and looking ready to manage the role on his own, Requenez moved Puente to free safety this season.
Though Zieske said he’s comfortable managing the pocket as well as throwing on the run, success for Palmview’s offense did not come immediately. In Week 1, Palmview lost two offensive line starters to injury, hindering a group that was already going through major turnover. As a result, the Lobos turned to the passing game, unable to run the ball as well as they did last season. The team picked up 81.3 percent of its offense on the ground last year compared to 55.9 percent so far this season. The running game has rounded into form as the offensive line has improved, but the balanced attack has remained.
“In the beginning of the season, I didn’t really have much time,” Zieske said. “Palmview isn’t used to pass blocking, so we had to teach them how to pass block a little bit. They’ve picked it up quick, and it’s showing that I have time in the pocket now.”
Zieske has also benefitted from the return of Tristen Myende, the district’s leading receiver with 33 catches for 525 yards and two touchdowns. After playing a limited role with Katy Taylor last season, Myende came back to Palmview for 2016, reuniting with the teammates he played with from seventh grade through sophomore year.
Requenez said Myende returned from the year away much more athletic and ready to be a leader on offense, lighting a fire under the Lobos offensive linemen.
“My confidence level has increased greatly,” Myende said. “I’m getting faster and getting stronger. It’s making me perform at a very higher level than I used to, so I’m really moving and going how I expected I should go.”
Myende said speed is his biggest factor on the outside, but he’s also shown an ability to pull in jump balls. He stands just a half-inch shy of 6-foot and provides Zieske a reliable security blanket because of his strong vertical. Zieske said he always looks for Myende on fade routes, trusting the wideout to beat his man with either speed or positioning.
“If anything goes wrong, I know I can just throw it up to him,” Zieske said. “I don’t try to do that because I want to involve everyone, but I could throw it to him every time, and he’ll probably catch it every time.”
RGVSports.com writers Dennis Silva II and Mario Aguirre join host Greg Luca to preview Week 9 of the Rio Grande Valley high school football season. The guys have a ton of new blood to discuss in the top 10, Edinburg Vela and PSJA North are set to clash in the District 31-6A game of the year, and playoff races are heating up across the Valley. The gang also presents a very presidential Dennis Silva II Hypothetical of the Week.
The podcast is available on iTunes. Follow this link to subscribe.
BY GREG LUCA AND MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
It took until the midpoint of the season, but McAllen High coach Kevin Brewer finally found a true No. 1 quarterback.
For the first five games of the season, quarterbacks JR Cortez and Ruben Rodriguez split reps under center. But in the past two weeks, Rodriguez has stepped forward as the Bulldogs’ clear starter, throwing 32 of the team’s 34 pass attempts.
“It’s consistency. Consistency in practice. Consistency in games,” Brewer said. “And that’s always a huge deal when you rotate two quarterbacks. You want one of them to kind of take the reins of the offense, and Ruben has done that the past two weeks.”
For the season, the senior Rodriguez has completed 40 of 79 attempts for 539 yards and five touchdowns against two interceptions. Cortez, a sophomore, is 16-of-41 passing for 178 yards with a touchdown and four picks.
Rodriguez had his most productive game of the season last week against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, completing 8 of 16 passes for 138 yards and two scores. Brewer said Rodriguez did a good job of managing the game and checking the offense into the correct plays.
Rodriguez was also solid in the run game, carrying 7 times for 37 yards and a score. On the season, he has 220 rushing yards with two touchdowns.
“Confidence is the biggest thing,” Brewer said. “He was a little unsure of himself and the offense early on, because he played very, very sparingly last year. So this is his first real time that he has to be out there and be the guy. I think now he’s gained confidence, and it’s showing.”
EARNING HIS SPOT
When La Joya Juarez-Lincoln put sophomore Albert Martinez into the varsity lineup for the first time against La Joya Palmview three weeks ago, he could barely figure out where to stand.
“The first couple of plays, I was lining him up whether he was on the line or off the line,” Juarez-Lincoln coach Tommy Garcia said. “But after that, he was playing like if he was a veteran.”
A receiver and change-of-pace back with quickness and elusiveness, Martinez has become a valuable weapon in the Huskies offense.
He set new career bests in every category during last week’s loss to McAllen High, carrying six times for 94 yards and a score while catching two passes for 58 yards.
“He’s a player,” Garcia said. “He has very good vision, and we really like what we see from him.”
Juarez-Lincoln came away with a 35-19 loss but scored three touchdowns in the second half and racked up 405 yards of total offense.
Garcia said the Huskies were hurt by a questionable call on a would-be touchdown pass that was ruled an interception on simultaneous possession in the end zone.
“Any time you have over 400 yards on offense, that’s a good night,” Garcia said. “I was hoping for a little bit more in the red zone, but I think we did enough offensively to win.”
COMING UP SHORT
Though PSJA High (2-5, 0-4 in district) has lost four straight games to open 31-6A play, coach Steve Marroquin maintains a positive outlook on the 2016 campaign — a one-win improvement from the previous year, despite fielding 20 underclassmen and just three senior starters.
“We were telling the kids the other day that we’re just four, five plays from being 5-2 instead of 2-5,” Marroquin said. “We believe there’s something to take away from every single game, and we have to continue working hard to get better.”
The Bears are averaging 353.6 yards per game, second in district behind PSJA North. But PSJA has been unable to fully take advantage of that production, given the occasional missed assignment, Marroquin said.
It’s been magnified in losses to PSJA Southwest (20-17) and Edinburg High (20-14, OT).
“It’s execution,” Marroquin said. “It’s a missed block here, a missed tackle there. Just little things that we stress to our kids everyday. We keep harping on them. We’re better off than we were before, but we still have to get better.
“I’m a firm believer that repetition helps, and our kids are staying out there and getting after it. I still believe we could finish the season out strong.”
RGVSports.com writers Dennis Silva II and Mario Aguirre join host Greg Luca to recap Week 8 of the Rio Grande Valley high school football season. Class 5A had a big week, with Mercedes beating Edcouch-Elsa to secure great standing in District 32-5A, Sharyland Pioneer topping Sharyland High to get in position to make a run at District 31-5A and Rio Grande City pulling a massive upset against Laredo Nixon. After recapping the rest of the week of games, the Dennis Silva II Hypothetical of the Week returns.
The podcast is now available on iTunes. Follow this link to subscribe.
GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Sharyland Pioneer is “little brother” no more. Now, the Diamondbacks are out to earn a new moniker: District 31-5A champion.
Pioneer knocked off sister school Sharyland High for the first time on Friday, riding a familiar formula of stout defense and second-half running to a 28-14 win at Richard Thompson Stadium.
“Our kids are tired of hearing about the little brother,” Pioneer coach Jason Wheeler said. “We have a lot of respect for them, but we didn’t see ourselves as a little brother, and I don’t think we played like a little brother tonight.”
The win, coupled with Rio Grande City’s 14-13 upset victory against Laredo Nixon, leaves Pioneer, Sharyland High and Nixon in a three-way tie at 4-1 in District 31-5A. Nixon owns a 24-10 win against Pioneer and will face Sharyland High next week.
“That throws everything into the shuffle,” Wheeler said. “If we keep winning, who knows?”
Christian Rivera led the way for the Diamondbacks, rushing 22 times for 150 yards and two touchdowns.
Pioneer as a team picked up 278 yards on the ground, including 191 in the second half. Rivera also did his best work late, rushing 12 times for 101 yards and two scores after the break.
His 22-yard touchdown with 8:58 to play in the third quarter broke a 14-14 halftime tie, and his 57-yard scamper on the first play of the fourth quarter stretched the advantage to 28-14.
“I’ve been working hard,” Rivera said. “Every practice, I run extra sprints so I can get better and push myself harder. They had an awesome team. I just broke a couple tackles and that long run. The Lord was with me on my side, and I did good tonight.”
Diamondbacks quarterback Jacob Rosales threw the ball just three times after halftime, finishing the game 11 of 18 for 115 yards with a touchdown. He was also a major factor in the run game, toting the ball 12 times for 78 yards. Michael Benavides, the quicker back to complement Rivera’s power game, finished with 12 rushes for 48 yards.
Wheeler said he had hoped the Diamondbacks would be able to use their improved offensive line to wear down the Rattlers’ smaller defense, in the meantime keeping Sharyland High’s explosive offense off the field.
“The offensive line has done a great job, and it’s been a good formula for us,” Wheeler said. “Play defense, run the ball in the second half and try to get a win.”
Even with leading tackler Jesus Sanchez leaving the game in the first quarter due to a concussion, Pioneer’s defense held strong. Blake Klein scored two rushing touchdowns for the Rattlers and quarterback Alan Alvarez threw for 226 yards, but the Rattlers as a team picked up just 106 yards in the second half.
Once known as only a defensive unit, Pioneer has evolved into a “complete team,” Wheeler said. The offense amassed 393 total yards, and Bobby Acosta scored a 97-yard kickoff return touchdown.
Alec Garcia also had a big game, hauling in a 30-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and later snagging an interception as he filled in for an injured cornerback.
“This means a lot to us,” Garcia said. “Just playing, as brothers. Our team is great. I love my team. They help me, and I help them. It’s all about that.”
Wheeler said he had to pick his team up after Sharyland High had tied the game heading into the break, reminding them of the battles they’d faced to this point in the season.
Before Friday, the third-year program had lost to Sharyland High 58-6 in 2014 and 18-10 last season.
“The kids just kept believing,” Wheeler said. “We have a great leadership, our senior class. We wanted to make history today.”
GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
LA JOYA — For first-year La Joya High coach Reuben Farias, the key to building the district’s best defense wasn’t any personnel overhaul or schematic change. Instead, Farias simply made a few minor tweaks and leaned on his senior leaders.
So far, Farias’ plan has been working, with the Coyotes’ boasting a 2-0 record in District 30-6A and allowing a league-best 232.8 yards and 12 points per game.
“It’s the attitude that the guys have,” said Rey Hernandez, one of the group’s seniors. “We ask them to do certain stuff, and they always adjust, no matter what. They listen to the leader. They listen to coach. They listen to their position coaches. And their attitude is a really big part of the game.”
Hernandez has been the central figure on that side of the ball, lining up at middle linebacker and ranking atop the team in tackles for the second consecutive season.
A third-year varsity starter, Hernandez finished last year with 79 tackles and has made another 46 stops in 2016.
Hernandez said his success is due to him knowing his job and being in the right place at the right time — something he’s tried to help his teammates master, as well. Farias has given him the freedom to check the defense into different plays and assignments based on what he sees from the offense.
“I just try to talk to them with respect,” Hernandez said. “Never cuss them out. Never say anything in a bad way. I just talk to them with respect, and they respect me, and that’s the relationship that we have.”
Linebacker Anthony Chapa, defensive lineman Jose Perez and safeties Fernando De La Rosa and Leo Garza have also provided senior leadership.
Chapa, a three-year starter, is a quiet, hard-working run stuffer, Farias said. Perez has anchored the defensive line as the lone returner, and Danny Villarreal and Carlos Silva have surpassed expectations beside him. Silva leads the team with six sacks.
“We had some young men that were being put on the field who have managed to play at a higher level than what we were expecting,” Farias said. “Those two young men have really stepped it up.”
Garza and De La Rosa deliver hard hits from the secondary. Although each has missed time to injury this season, both are expected to play at a higher level coming out of last week’s bye.
De La Rosa, in particular, has impressed Farias with his ability to transition from strong safety to free safety, a position that requires him to better understand the defensive system and relay signals to his teammates.
“We thought he was going to struggle to pick it up, but so far it’s just like if he played there last year,” Farias said.
Indeed, De La Rosa said the transition was difficult at first, but not once he had game experience under his belt.
For a time, Farias wasn’t sure if De La Rosa would be available at all this season. De La Rosa left school early in the spring to work alongside his father in oil fields around the state. He briefly considered not coming back for his senior year, but ultimately decided he should. He’s on track to graduate in December, at which time he plans to go back to work.
“It was just for the summer, just to get money to buy my clothes and stuff,” De La Rosa said. “But I kept thinking about this, and I kept thinking and thinking, and I decided I was going to come back.”
A few younger players have also been key for the Coyotes. Junior linebacker Jonathan Gomez ranks second on the team with 41 tackles, and sophomore Irvin Zamora has stood out in the secondary because of his speed.
Up and down the roster, the Coyotes have been playing with slightly adjusted techniques, setting to different depths in pass coverages or approaching man-to-man responsibilities differently. At corner, for example, the Coyotes are turning toward the receivers when chasing downfield on deep routes, rather than turning in toward the quarterback.
“It makes the defensive player play a little bit more aggressive,” Farias said.
The bottom line is a 2-0 record in district play for the first time since 2006 — before the La Joya ISD split that produced Palmview and Juarez-Lincoln. La Joya High hosts the league’s only other remaining unbeaten at 7:30 tonight, clashing with McAllen Memorial. Farias called it a “David versus Goliath type of story.” The Mustangs have not lost a district game since 2013.
“We respect their game, we respect what they do, and we can’t be afraid of them,” Hernandez said. “We can’t back down from them on any play.”