BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — Before the first snap of the season, Edinburg North coach Rene Saenz hopes his team has already met its injury quota. During a scrimmage last week against Mission High, running backs Omar Acevedo and Ethan Vela suffered a broken collarbone on consecutive plays.

“We re-checked the pads right away,” Sanez said. “They were both wearing a brand new set of pads, so it wasn’t anything there. It was just a freak accident. It wasn’t anything malicious or a late hit. It was just bad luck.”

Vela, a sophomore, endured the more severe injury with a complete separation of the bone. He will be sidelined for six to seven weeks. Acevedo’s injury was less significant, but will still miss four to five weeks. The pair will be replaced by Jaime Guerra, a senior transfer from Edinburg Vela, and senior Juan Flores.
“It’s weird because Jaime broke his collarbone as well during spring training,” Saenz said. “He came out fresh in two-a-days. He’s a solid kid. Juan is a lot thicker. They’ll see equal time.”

A more concerning element than the Cougars’ lack of depth is their offensive line. That part of the game will be key in deciding the outcome of today’s season opener against Los Fresnos at Cats Memorial Stadium.

“If we’re making our blocks, we’ll have success,” Saenz said. “If we’re not making our blocks, we won’t have success. Los Fresnos gets after it every play, on both sides of the ball. They come off the ball so well, they’re already ahead of where they were last year. That’s what’s going to make or break the game for us, how our offensive and defensive lines respond.”

With an injured corps of backs and question marks on the offensive line, Edinburg North has found a silver lining in junior quarterback Cristian Espinoza, who enters 2015 as the lone man under center after splitting time a season ago. Saenz says Espinoza handled himself well during the scrimmage against Mission High.

“They bring the heat on every play,” Saenz said. “They’re always trying to get after the quarterback. I thought Cristian played well. He was patient, made his reads and didn’t force anything. His sense of awareness was there.”

LEVELHEADEDNESS

PSJA North coach Jorge Pena doesn’t have to get his kids excited for Friday’s game against PSJA High at PSJA Stadium. With a season-opening game against a cross-town rival, Pena has been trying to temper his team’s eagerness.

“I try to keep the emotion down to a minimum,” Pena said. “The important thing for me is to be real smart with your play. The kids have to know their assignments. They’ve been studying well. They just have to be able to execute and have less emotion in the game. I don’t want to burn kids out.”

The Raiders should have minimal hiccups regarding assignments as the team returns 14 starters from a season ago, including eight on the offensive side. PSJA North experienced the bulk of their learning curve in 2014, Pena’s first year employing the spread offense. After averaging 19 points per game through the first two weeks of the season, the Raiders would average 37 points the remainder of the season.

“I believe that we’ve picked up where we left off,” Pena said. “Offensively, we’re moving the ball a lot better than we did last year. We’ll be in mid-season form here pretty quick. Defensively, they’ve been a lot more comfortable. All the mistakes they made during the first scrimmage, they fixed during the second scrimmage.”

WOLVERINES DEBUT

PSJA Memorial coach Mike Uribe will make his debut with the Wolverines on Friday against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln at La Joya ISD Stadium. Uribe takes the reins of a team that went 4-6 a year ago, but is loaded with enough talent to make Memorial a playoff contender.

Mike Gonzalez will begin his senior season as quarterback, and look to improve upon his district-leading passing yards (1,374) and completion percentage (51.9) from a year ago. The receiving corps is full of familiar faces, including Jerry Bocanegra and John Anthony Sanez, who combined for 1,209 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

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BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — Zaith Rodriguez imagined his Friday nights at Edinburg High would be engulfed in the kind of pageantry typical of Texas high school football. On game day, Main Street would go quiet, police would escort the team to a packed stadium brimming with eager fans. The fight song would echo as the marching band regaled the town of another opponent defeated.

At least that’s the way Rodriguez’s father described it to his son.

“He would always tell me how big of a deal Bobcat football used to be,” Rodriguez said. “Everybody would come out and support the team. Everyone cared about what was going on.”

That was the late ‘80s when Edinburg High was a perennial playoff presence. As Rodriguez enters his senior season, however, his illustrious visions have yet to be fulfilled. In the last three years, the Bobcats have gone a measly 6-24, never winning more than two games each season. When Edinburg High takes the field, their student section is small and unbefitting of a Class 6A program. There’s no police escort, no parades, and the band rarely plays as touchdowns have been hard to come by. But that hasn’t diminished Rodriguez’s zeal for the game.

“I love playing football, and I love being a part of the team,” he said. “I would never quit. I’m not a quitter. I just don’t have that in me.”

And so Rodriguez, his 16 fellow seniors and the rest of the Bobcats endure the oppressive heat of August, working into such a fury that a few kids dry heave even as they go through foot drills. The exhausting physicality is the by-product of a team with small participation numbers.

“We’re expected to go all out during practices because a lot of us play both sides of the ball,” Rodriguez said. “We’re never going to get a break on the field, so we try not to take too many breaks during practice.”

Rodriguez, who plays linebacker and tight end, was a freshman when his class became the first to be affected by Edinburg CISD split in 2012, which created Edinburg Vela High School. Rezoning siphoned much of the football talent to the SaberCats.

“We were supposed to play with (quarterback) Fabian Pedraza, Johnny Davila, and Elijah Reyna,” Rodriguez said. “We were all together in middle school, and we were going to take over. Instead, a lot of the best guys went to play for another team. I could tell then it was going to be hard.”

While Vela has quickly morphed into a Valley football powerhouse, the Bobcats are searching for an identity. Second-year coach Joaquin Escobar is attempting to instill what he calls Iron Man Football – a reference to the type of physicality demanded of athletes who play both sides of the ball.

“We have to play like that, we have to have a chip on our shoulder,” Escobar said. “Everybody I talk to says we’re small. But that’s O.K. We are what we are, we can’t change anything. We worry about what we can control, and what we control is our effort. If you play with effort, you have a chance every night.”

Escobar knows the commitment it takes to play every snap during a game. He did it himself as a receiver and defensive back at Comanche High School near Odessa, a Class 3A program at the time. He too understands the luster of playing God’s sport in God’s country.

“It’s awesome. It’s a small town, so no body else is there.” Escobar said. “That’s all they have. You’re either hauling cattle or going to a football game on Friday night.”

Escobar is attempting to recreate the luster of game day at Edinburg High, but stresses building success away from the football field first and foremost: good grades, attending workouts, not skipping practices. He emphasizes hard work, the kind experienced growing up in a small ranch town. But all work and few wins grew old to some players, who eventually quit the team.

“We had about eight guys leave last year,” senior lineman Pablo Guerrero said. “They just didn’t want to play anymore, so eventually, they just stopped coming.”

The Bobcats are caught in a vicious cycle. They struggle to win because they don’t have the numbers. They don’t have the numbers because they struggle to win. The remedy is simple, but has continued to elude the team.

“We have to win,” Rodriguez said. “Bottom line, that’s the only thing that’s going to fix things and make Edinburg football what it once was. We just have to keep trying and keep working. We have to keep believing that we’ll get to where we want to be.”

But while the Bobcats have little to show for their efforts in the standings, that doesn’t mean some are ungrateful for the experience of

“I’m glad the split happened,” Guerrero said. “If it didn’t happen, we wouldn’t be working so hard. I feel like we’d be taking things easy. If we never split, maybe we never get coach Escobar. We’ve learned lessons through losing, too.”

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The Monitor sports reporters Dennis Silva II, Mario Aguirre and Jon R. LaFollette preview Week 1 of Class 5A football, including what to look for from Edcouch-Elsa, Edinburg Vela and more.

Click here to subscribe to the show in iTunes.

BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — Another tournament, another cakewalk for Mission Veterans.

The Lady Patriots added another trophy to their sizable collection Saturday during their own tournament at Mission Veterans High School, beating McAllen Memorial during the championship match 25-19 in all three sets.

“Our goal before coming in was to get first place,” Mission Veterans coach Diana Lerma said. “We were hoping we would face the Mustangs in the finals, because they have a lot of height. That gets us ready for our playoffs, because that’s our intention. We want to go farther than we did last year and the year before. The girls are hungry.”

Saturday’s match marked the second time the Lady Patriots faced the Lady Mustangs in the early going of this season. The fist match occurred August 11 on opening night when Mission Vets swept three tightly-contested games. The rematch wasn’t quite as close. Mission Veterans doubled the Mustangs’ point total at various points throughout the afternoon. Though the team lost three unnamed players for unspecified reason at the beginning of the year, the Lady Patriots looked cohesive and in sync despite their limited roster.

“Unity wise, I think we’re as tight as can be,” Lerma said. “I think they all compliment each other. Even though we’ve got our first three players we can go to, our fourth, fifth and sixth have stepped it up for us as well.”

Senior Gabby Lerma led the team in kills with 17 in addition to 20 digs and a block. Lerma was named tournament co-MVP along with teammate D.D. Ibarra. Ibarra had 19 assists, 15 digs, four kills and three blocks.

“I believe in these girls so much,” Ibarra said. “I’m really glad we all did well in this tournament. We’re all just so together.”

Though the Lady Mustangs lost, their effort was apparent. They made runs in each of the three sets to keep themselves in striking distance of a victory. Trailing 16-6 during the second set, Memorial went on a 9-2 run to trim Mission Veterans’ lead 18-15.

“I learned we can adjust well,” Lady Mustangs coach Lorenz Lopez aid. “We moved some girls around on the lines to make up for (Mission Veterans’) strong swings. They didn’t give up. The point spread was huge, and we just kept fighting. These easily could have been 20-6 games, but they weren’t because of their determination.”

Both teams travel for a tournament next week in Laredo before the beginning of district play.

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JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

WESLACO — Yes, Edcouch-Elsa coach Joe Marichalar knows it’s a scrimmage and that the final score has no bearing on the rest of the season. But the third-year coach liked what he saw from the sideline Friday against Weslaco East at Weslaco High School.

During the live portion of the evening, Edcouch-Elsa scored on four of its six possessions, beating Weslaco East 27-7. Every touchdown came from the right arm of junior quarterback Marco Aguinaga.

“He’s really been working on his throwing,” Marichalar said. “He’s a dual threat, he can run around the pocket and beat you that way too. We’ve been trying to bring those elements of his game together. When he does that, the sky’s the limit for this kid.”

Aguinaga’s touchdowns came in myriad ways. The first occurred during the first possession in live action when he connected with receiver J.J. Flores for a 35-yard score. The undersized Flores was sandwiched between two larger Weslaco East defenders but managed to come down with the ball in the end zone.

“J.J. and Marcos are both juniors,” Marichalar said. “So they know each other pretty well on the field. You could see it tonight.”

Aguinaga continued to pick apart East’s defense for the remainder of the night. Next came a six-yard pass to senior Moses Gomez to cap a six-play drive, then a seven-yard score to Andrew Segura. Few were the plays where the Yellowjackets did not have an empty backfield.

“We’re looking at the game differently now,” Marichalar said. “Everyone says you have to run to support the pass. We’re doing it the other way around. We want our passing game to be able to set up our offense. We showed we could do that tonight.”

TWO AS ONE

Aguinaga and Segura teamed up for a touchdown for a second time near the end of the second quarter of live action.

With the ball at Weslaco East’s 20-yard line, Aguinaga completed what looked to be a 20-yard pass down the middle to Segura, who proceeded to eat up the turf and outrun two East defenders into the end zone. QB and WR were in sync Friday. Last year, however, saw both athletes competing for the starting job under center.

“This year, they came together and said, ‘This is our team,’” Marichalar said. “‘We’re going to do whatever it takes for us to win.’ Everyone has to be on the same page to accomplish the goals you want to achieve. They’re setting an example for everyone through their play.”

GETTING BETTER

The Wildcats looked strong during the controlled portion of Friday’s scrimmage, where they beat Edcouch 13-6. Senior running back Emilio Tamez demonstrated his explosiveness and ability to run in the open field, and the team’s defense totaled two interceptions against Aguinaga. The lone blemish came when starting left guard Jonathan Banda suffered a right knee injury and missed the remainder of the evening.

Though the Wildcats showed little of the same sense of urgency during the live portion — a late TD from running back Chris Cardenas staved off a shutout — Weslaco East coach Mike Burget kept the scrimmage in perspective.

“I’m just trying to get the team better,” Burget said. “I can tell you a lot of our kids played well tonight. The first five drives showed that. Two turnovers, two scores. That’s East football. During the game-like situation, we rotated a lot of kids out. We got a lot of veteran defensive guys coming back, so we saw what they could do early.”

WEEK 1

Edcouch-Elsa opens the season against McAllen Rowe Friday, Aug. 28 at home. Weslaco East will play Brownsville Rivera Thursday, Aug. 27 at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco.

BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

ALAMO — It’s hard to imagine Mike Gonzalez getting sacked.

“I’ve only seen it happen a few times,” PSJA Memorial receiver Jerry Bocanegra said. “It took like, two or three guys to get him down. He’s pretty big.”

Big, strong, fast and the Wolverines’ best chance at making the playoffs.

Listed at 6-foot-1, 235 pounds, the senior quarterback’s stocky frame resembles a lead-lined refrigerator. But his bulk doesn’t get in the way of his efficiency. A season ago, Gonzalez threw for 1,374 yards while completing 52 percent of his throws — both marks being the best among other QBs in District 31-6A.

“At my time at other schools throughout the Valley, be it Mercedes or (McAllen) Rowe, I’ve had a chance to see a lot of good quarterbacks,” first-year coach Michael Uribe said. “Michael is definitely a special player for us, and it’s a privilege to get to coach him.”

Despite Gonzalez’s district-leading numbers, the Wolverines experienced an up-and-down season in 2014. Though they beat playoff teams like PSJA North, they stumbled against Edinburg High, losing 17-7 to a team with only one other victory under its belt. Memorial would lose four of their last five games and finish 2-4 in district play, missing the postseason.

Gonzalez and his teammates are ready to wash the acidic taste of disappointment form their mouths, with this preseason being smoother than previous two-a-days.

“This year, guys are more focused,” Gonzalez said. “There’s a lot of seniors on the team, and we know this is our last chance to get to where we want to be.”

Uribe replaces former coach Gus Cavazos. Though both coaches use a spread offense, Uribe is giving a facelift to Memorial’s schemes, changing formations and acquainting his players with new terminology.

“We dealt with our learning curve during spring ball,” Uribe said. “I was impressed with how well a lot of our guys retained that information over the summer. That’s made practices easier. Now we as a staff can focus on the little things we’re trying to do instead of worrying about the big picture.”

PSJA Memorial begins their season against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln on Friday, August 28 at La Joya ISD Stadium.

INSIDE OUT

One of the biggest changes for the Wolverines comes in their receiving corps. Bocanegra, accustomed to playing on the outside, has been moved to the slot position in order to work the ball between himself and fellow receiver John Anthony Saenz.

“We’re fast, so we’re both threats,” Bocangegra said. “Moving me inside is good because it also helps us support the run as well.”

Speed will be the name of the game for PSJA Memorial. The team looks to push the tempo on the offensive side, meaning Gonzalez and his receivers spent part of their offseason refining their accuracy and timing.

“We’ve been working all summer,” Gonzalez said. “We’re trying to run clean routes, throw clean passes and have clean catches.”

Bocanegra, who is one of five returning starters on offense, caught 48 receptions and 865 receiving yards to lead the district last year.

SIZE DOESN’T MATTER

While the Wolverines passing attack is on solid ground, the effectiveness of their running game remains up in the air. Memorial totaled just 881 rushing yards last year, with senior Jonathan Trevino leading the way at 558.

Jesse Rodriguez will be the team’s workhorse back for 2015. He played just three games last year, but ran the ball 14 times for 106 yards. At 5-4, he’s the smallest player on the offensive side, but there’s no denying his quickness.

“He’s a very fast, very smart kid,” Uribe said. “We’re excited about the things he can do. If he sees a running lane, he’s going to take it. Watch out for him in the open field.”

2 FAST

The Wolverines look to be swift on the defensive side of the ball as well. Employing a Cover 2 scheme, Uribe points to the free safeties and the defensive line as a point of emphasis.

“They’re big and fast back there,” Uribe said. “They’re going to be able to move to the ball very quickly and hopefully get some stops for us.”

Senior Vicente Rodriguez leads the safeties, while senior Jose Ramirez will be an anchor on the D-line. The Wolverines return six starters on defense.

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=========

PSJA Memorial’s Prognosis: The Wolverines are a rarity in District 31-6A for their effective passing attack. The team’s spread offense has been given a facelift under first-year coach Michael Uribe, and they have plenty of senior talent to boot. Though they face a tough district schedule, don’t be surprised if PSJA Memorial make an appearance in the bi-district round.

Projected 2015 Record: 5-5

COACH’S TENURE

Coach’s Name: Michael Uribe

Year at PSJA Memorial: First

Record at PSJA Memorial: 0-0

==========

Check out more stories from The Monitor’s 16-day Two-A-Day Tour:

Weslaco East

Roma

La Joya High

Weslaco High

PSJA North

Grulla

La Villa

Monte Alto

Valley View

Hidalgo

McAllen Rowe

La Joya Palmview

PSJA Southwest

Mission High

Mercedes

PSJA High

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln

Edinburg Economedes

Edinburg North

Edinburg Vela

Edinburg High

Progreso

Rio Grande City

McAllen High

The Monitor reporters Jon LaFollette, Greg Luca and Mario Aguirre preview District 30-6A and 31-6A.

Click here to subscribe to the show in iTunes

BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

PROGRESO — Coach Tom Salazar tried simplifying Progreso’s offense last year in hopes of kick-starting a team in desperate need of wins. The Red Ants primarily ran plays in the I-formation and attempted to pound their way to points.

The results, however, were all too familiar for a program on the skids. Progreso finished 1-9, went winless in District 16-4A and were outscored by an average margin of 32 points per game. Their lone victory came during Week 1 wherein they defeat Brownsville Porter 7-0.

This year, Salazar and his coaching staff are going back to the drawing board in hopes of avoiding another dismal year. Instead of concentrating players on the line of scrimmage, the Red Ants will look to implement the spread offense and push the tempo of the game. The team employed it last week during a scrimmage against Zapata, scoring twice.

“The kids have been picking it up real well,” Salazar said. “They played with a lot of energy, they liked the offense. Things happened. The reason we adapted is because it fits our kids better. We have decent speed in the backfield, our linebackers are pretty decent, and all we have to do is block for a tenth of a second and then we’re gone.”

Senior Gasper Trevino will start as quarterback, replacing the graduated Dagoberto Zamora. Though he’ll be playing under center, very little of his duties will require throwing the ball.

“A lot of what we do is going to be very simple,” Salazar said. “We only have about five running plays that we run. But we try and disguise a lot of what we do. We’re going to focus on running the ball.”

Trevino says he sees an improved morale from his teammates, and that he’s been studying up to help carry the load for the Red Ants.

“Everyone is showing up and being more aggressive,” he said. “The offense is moving the ball pretty well, and I’ve been studying the defense a lot lately,” he said. “I’m looking at linebackers and the corners to see where I can run with the ball.”

BOTH SIDES

Trevino is one of a handful of athletes who play one side of the ball. With only about 40 kids on the roster, many Red Ants will pull double duty and oftentimes play every down during a game.

“We don’t make excuses,” Salazar said. “We have to compete with the team that we have. We prepare every week like we expect to win, and we do the best we can and give maximum effort. But the numbers do hurt us. Last year, we’d come out strong in the fist half, but by the third quarter our guys were gassed.”

Progreso’s freshman team is giving a small inkling of increased participation. Salazar says the team only had five freshman players in 2014, but has more than 20 headed into this season.

FAMILIAR SCHEME

While the offense undergoes a makeover, the team’s defense will mostly be the same as it was a year ago. The team will run a 3-4 with an occasional 3-3 stack depending on the situation.

The defense has five returning starters including junior lineman Hector De Los Santos and junior linebacker Manny Flores.

A KILLER BEE NO MORE

D’arcy Wiart enters his first year as an athletic trainer and equipment manager for Progreso after spending two years with the Rio Grande Valley Killers Bees, a North American Hockey League team which moved this summer to Pennsylvania.

Wiart, a native of New Brunswick, Canada, previously worked with football teams in Georgia, including a two-year stint at Georgia Southern from 2008-2009.

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PROGRESO’S PROGNOSIS: The Red Ants hope a spread offense will make them a more competitive team than they were a year ago. But even with shortening the gulf between them and their district peers, Progreso still has a ways to go before being competitive on a weekly basis.

PROJECTED 2015 RECORD: 1-9

COACH’S TENURE Coach: Tom Salazar

Year at school: Third

Record at Progreso: 4-16

Check out more stories from The Monitor’s 16-day Two-A-Day Tour:

Weslaco East

Roma

La Joya High

Weslaco High

PSJA North

Grulla

La Villa

Monte Alto

Valley View

Hidalgo

McAllen Rowe

La Joya Palmview

PSJA Southwest

Mission High

Mercedes

PSJA High

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln

Edinburg Economedes

Edinburg North

Edinburg Vela

Edinburg High

BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — Rene Saenz’s first year as coach of the Edinburg North Cougars was marked by constant re-tooling. The team experienced inconsistent quarterback play, a banged-up running back and a defense which struggled to get stops.

Despite their shortcomings, the Cougars posted a 3-3 record in District 31-6A, good enough to secure the district’s last playoff spot. As Edinburg North enters its second season under Saenz, the coach makes the team’s goal apparent.

“We’re aiming for a district championship,” Saenz said. “That level for the kids is not lofty, it’s expected. For them it’s like, ‘That’s where we belong. That’s where we are expected to be every year.’ But we haven’t won a district title since 2001. It’s time to bring one back over here.”

The Cougars have good reason to be optimistic. They return seven offensive starters, including junior quarterback Cristian Espinoza, who split time with Martin Rodriguez a season ago. With Rodriguez graduated, Espinoza is the lone man under center.

“He’s a quiet leader,” Saenz said. “But he steps up when the team gets together. During film sessions or stuff like that, he has been stepping up and making his voice heard without being asked to do that. Last year, he wouldn’t have done so.”

To ready himself for the increased workload, Espinoza spent his summer attending various quarterback camps in an effort to sure up his mechanics and football IQ.

“I was mainly focused on tweaking my footwork, how to be more accurate and understanding defenses,” Espinoza said. “I’ve got to understand defense as much as I do offense in order to do some damage.”

The Cougars return three starting receivers from last year’s squad, including junior Justin Guerra. Though Saenz prefers a run-heavy offense, he knows his wideouts can be counted on when their number is called.

“Every one of those guys made a critical catch or two in game,” he said. “So we’re happy they have that experience. We’re hungry.”

CARRY THE ROCK

Matt Whitesides carried the load for the Cougars’ running game last year, gaining 1,118 regular season yards, the second best in the district. Whiteside’s graduation leaves a void in the backfield which Saenz is looking to fill.

“We have three young backs we’re looking at right now,” he said. “The guy who’s most looking to nab the job is Omar Acevdeo, but he’s got two guys behind him battling it out for playing time as well. No one has really outshined anybody yet.

Sanez credits Acevedo’s speed, vision and ability to handle contact, but says the wear-and-tear of the season may equate to relying on a stable of backs.

“We don’t mind working with two or three guys,” Sanez said. “My reason being, one workhorse gets beat up, then you’re hurting. That was the case with us last year with Whitesides. He had an ankle injury and a knee injury. We was never hurt enough to be out completely, but it hurt his performance.”

SYNCHRONIZATION

The Cougars coaching staff experienced re-shuffling during the offseason. Marty Hammond was promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator, and offensive line coach Fausto Atkinson was brought in Brownsville Veterans Memorial. The two coaches have spent the early going of practices attempting to get in sync.

“For us, this week has been very important,” Atkinson said. “We’ve got to get everyone on the same page if we want this offense to do what we know it’s capable of doing. So far, the kids have responded really well. It’s easy for them because we haven’t changed the system too much. It’s pretty familiar to them.”

BETTER YOU BET

It’s easy to see why Saenz called last season a down year for the team’s defensive unit. The Cougars allowed opponents 30 points and 368 yards per game — the worst among District 31-6A playoff teams. With mileage under their belt, Eidnburg North looks to reestablish their defensive identity.

“Right now, we’re way ahead of where we were last year,” Saenz said. “I like our D-line, our young linebackers. Our secondary is going to take a little bit of time to mature, but physically, they have the ability to be standouts.”

The Cougars’ defensive line will be anchored by junior defensive tackle Sebastian Bulos, whom Saenz describes as the team’s defensive leader. Joining Bulos on the line are junior Andy Trejo and senior Bryan Hernandez.

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EDINBURG NORTH’S PROGNOSIS
The Cougars have made the playoffs each of the last three seasons. Barring significant injury, the team should make another postseason appearance. How far they advance, however, depends on a matured defense and an effective running game.

Projected 2015 Record: 6-5
Coaches’ Name: Rene Saenz
Year at Edinburg North: Second
Record at Edinburg North: 5-6

Check out more stories from The Monitor’s 16-day Two-A-Day Tour:

Weslaco East

Roma

La Joya High

Weslaco High

PSJA North

Grulla

La Villa

Monte Alto

Valley View

Hidalgo

McAllen Rowe

La Joya Palmview

PSJA Southwest

Mission High

Mercedes

PSJA High

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln

Edinburg Economedes

BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — Edinburg High took its lumps last year under first-year coach Joaquin Escobar. The Bobcats finished 2-8, were beaten by an average score of 33-6 and saw their offensive and defensive units rank at the bottom of District 31-6A.

“Last year’s struggles came down to a lot of things,” Escobar said. “Number one, I’m never going to blame the kids. We as a coaching staff didn’t always make clear what it was we were trying to do. I put it all on us as a coaching staff, and I put it on myself. I take it very personally.”

As Escobar enters his second year at the helm of the Bobcats, he and his staff continue the process and rebuilding a program in desperate need of victories. Since 2012, Edinburg High has gone 7-23 and won no more than three games in a season.

“We’re trying to get in shape and increase our stamina,” Escobar said. “We’re trying to build of what we did last year and the kids who played last year. We’ve progressed a little bit more. I think we’re farther ahead than where we were last year. We just had so many young guys on the team.”

The Bobcats run a spread offense, and have four returning starters on that side of the ball, including junior running back Nathan Marez.

“Last year a lot of guys got down because of the losses,” Marez said. “This year, we’re talking to each other and communicating during practices.”

Escobar is high on Marez’s abilities and calls him a perfectionist.

“I love that about him,” he said. “It’s a great characteristic to have. But when he makes a mistake, he’s really down on himself. That’s great because that shows great qualities about who he is as a person. I trust him and he’s going to do everything we ask him to do. He’s going to perform and he’s going to bust his butt.”

LOSS ON THE O-LINE
While Marez will play a role in bringing success to the Bobcats this season, the loss of Matthew Basquez is a major setback for a team with minimal depth. The would-be senior center is likely out for the duration of the season after experiencing heavy chest pains during the summer.

“(Matthew) got really scared. I think it’s something he didn’t want to chance,” Escobar said. “And I understand. He did a great job for us and was looking good over the summer and spring.”

Replacing Basquez is sophomore lineman Marcelino Robledo. Despite losing a rare upperclassman on the roster, Escobar is confident the O-line will respond and be more solidified than it was a season ago.
“I think that’s one area where we’re sound,” he said. “Out of 10 games last year, we started 8 different lines… This year, we’re going to have to find some consistency there.”

FINDING THEIR MAN
After serving as a backup in 2014, Efrain Borrego will look to start under center for the Bobcats. Escobar says there are three to four other quarterbacks waiting in the wings, but will use this year as a learning experience. Regardless of who takes the bulk of the snaps, their skill set must mold to Escobar’s liking.

“(Our quarterbacks) really have to be pretty good athletes,” Escobar said. “He’s got to be able to read the zone and run. He’s got to be a runner and a thrower. Our kids are doing a great job of becoming those type of kids.”

PLAYING EVERY SNAP

Despite being designated a Class 6A school by the UIL, the Bobcats have a relatively low number of varsity players, approximately 40. With so low a turnout, some athletes play multiple positions, and are sometimes on the field for almost every play.

“It gets tiring,” senior linebacker / tight end Zaith Rodriguez said. “But I do it because I love football and I want to do what’s asked of me for the team to win.”

Rodriguez says he is one of roughly seven players to pull double duty, and only started learning how to play offense this season.

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Edinburg High’s Prognosis: Edinburg High struggled plenty en route to a 2-8 record a season ago. The Bobcats will be a year older, but the key is playing a year better. Even then, the team’s youth means it’s still at least one year away from consistently competing against its District 31-6A peers.

Projected 2015 record: 2-8

Coach: Joaquin Escobar

Year at school: Second

Record at Edinburg High: 2-8

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