BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

PHARR — PSJA High senior running back Christian Rivera isn’t afraid to say it.

“I say yes, best quarterback in the Valley,” Rivera said of PSJA High junior Trey Guajardo. “Playing alongside one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in the state in 6A is such a blessing. It’s an awesome feeling to be playing with the best quarterback in the Valley.”

Guajardo continued his dominant junior campaign with 315 yards and 4 touchdowns on Friday night, leading PSJA High to a 30-17 win over PSJA Memorial at PSJA Stadium. With the win Friday, combined with a Week 5 win over PSJA Southwest and a Week 6 win over PSJA North, the Bears sweep the season series against their sister schools.

“This win was very important,” PSJA High coach Lupe Rodriguez said. “First of all, this is a tri-city championship for us. It’s been a while since these guys accomplished that. Tonight was important, because we stay undefeated, and it allows us to compete for a district championship next week against Vela here at home. “

Coming into the week, Guajardo had 2,145 passing yards on the season. No one else in the Rio Grande Valley was even over 2,000.

The next closest quarterback was at 1,793, and that’s in Class 5A. In 6A, the next closest quarterback is in Guajardo’s district. Nathan Garcia, a senior from Edinburg Vela, had 1,608 yards coming into the week.

Garcia may be second fiddle in passing yards, but with both Vela and PSJA High sitting at 8-0 overall and 5-0 in District 31-6A, the two undefeated teams will meet next week.

“We are excited,” Rivera said. “It’s going to be probably the game of the year. This is for the district championship and hopefully we can take it all the way.”

Senior kicker Jonathan Figueroa had a 25-yard field goal that was sandwiched between two long touchdown passes for PSJA High. Senior Nathan Sanchez hauled in a 32-yard pass from Guajardo to open the scoring for the Bears.

On the first drive of the second quarter, the Bears got the ball on the 40-yard line. On the first play of the drive, Trey Guajardo launched a pass that traveled more than 35 yards in the air before being hauled in by his cousin, sophomore wide receiver Marco Guajardo. As Marco Guajardo made the catch, there wasn’t a defender in sight, and he turned and ran to the end zone to put the Bears up 17-3.

Sanchez and Trey Guajardo linked up on another touchdown pass, this one in the third quarter for 21 yards to put the Bears up 23-3.

That score effectively sealed the win for the Bears.

“We are starting to peak at the right time offensively,” Rodriguez said. “We are starting to move the ball. Kids are starting to understand the system. It was good to see the offense firing on all cylinders tonight.”

Sophomore middle linebacker Jacob Sanchez had a big night with two sacks and an interception to help limit Memorial’s offense.

“Those type of plays are very important for us,” Jacob Sanchez said. “Those plays get the ball back in the hands of the offense, so they can go to work.”

Memorial dominated the time of possession, especially in the second half, but the Bears defense did what it has done all year, bending but not breaking. PSJA High would allow chunks of yardage, but would hold Memorial to a field goal or a turnover on downs.

“Those guys put in a lot of hard work,” Trey Guajardo said of his defense. “They are ball hawks. That is the defense I see every week in practice. I’m glad I don’t have to face them on Fridays.”

Nathan Sanchez’s two touchdowns and 105 receiving yards were both game highs. Coming into the week, Sanchez led the Valley with 932 receiving yards.

“We have both improved from last season,” Trey Guajardo said. “He’s put in a lot of hard work and it is paying off this year. He is my go-to guy right now. I trust him, and he trusts me. Together, we can do some pretty crazy stuff.”

With the win and the tri-city championship in hand, next Friday can’t come soon enough for the Bears.

“We are ready,” Trey Guajardo said. “We know what type of team they are. They are a great ball club. We are in this situation for a reason and we feel like we are meant for this moment and we can’t wait.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

Edinburg Vela (8-0, 5-0) started rolling early and never looked back in a 48-7 win against PSJA North on Thursday at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

The SaberCats notched a field goal from senior kicker Austin Garza on their opening drive to start the scoring.

North (2-6, 2-3) had the ball in a third-and-long situation when Vela junior defensive back Daniel Enriquez intercepted a pass and returned it more than 40 yards for a touchdown to put the SaberCats up 10-0.

“We went down there and got points on the board, but we didn’t really finish the drive,” Vela coach John Campbell said of the opening drive that resulted in Garza’s field goal. “The pick six was definitely a momentum swing. After that, we were able to keep a short field and get up on them a little bit. We were able to really control the ball from there.”

Senior Brandon Guzman and sophomore Justin Cantu each hauled in a touchdown pass from senior quarterback Nathan Garcia. Senior running back Sam Valenzuela had two rushing touchdowns.

“I thought our offensive line and our backs did a good job of getting the running game going tonight,” Campbell said. “They did particularly well in the second and third quarter.”

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 24, PSJA SOUTHWEST 7: At Pharr, junior quarterback Albert Guerra and senior running backs Lee Maldonado and Gabriel Ornelas led the Jaguars (3-5, 1-4) to their first district win of the season. The Javelinas remain winless

on the year at 0-8 overall and 0-5 in District 31-6A. Economedes got on the board first, leading 7-0 less than 5 minutes in. The Jaguars lead ballooned to 17-0 before the half after the Jaguars defense recovered a fumble in the end zone.

DISTRICT 16-4A DI

KINGSVILLE KING 32, GRULLA 3: At Rio Grande City, each team scored on its opening drive, putting the score at 7-3 after the first quarter.

Brahmas senior quarterback Omar Navejar caught fire in the second half and led his team to a 22-3 halftime lead.

Grulla dropped to 4-4 overall and 1-1 in district. King improved to 5-4, 2-1.

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

PHARR — The last time PSJA North junior Zeth Arevalo played on the offensive side of the ball, he was an 8-year-old in third grade.

Yet, last Friday, Arevalo found himself with the ball in his hands 12 yards out from the goal line, and he carried it in for a touchdown.

“It was different,” Arevalo said. “Especially to do it at the high school level, it’s something I have dreamed about ever since I was 4 years old. It’s a dream come true. When I got to the sideline, it was a lot of excited faces and a lot of joy.”

The score from Arevalo had even more significance than just being his first career touchdown. The game was tied at 10, and the touchdown would prove to be the game-winner, as PSJA North (2-5, 2-2 in District 31-6A) beat PSJA Southwest 17-10 on Friday.

“It was crazy,” senior quarterback Randy Reyna said. “He was jumping and hollering. We were all hugging on the sideline, and we were like, ‘Let’s go, boys. We are 2-2. Let’s keep it going. We are right in the mix, and we can make it.’”

Even earlier this season, Arevalo’s production on offense would have seemed far-fetched. Arevalo made the varsity squad at the end of his sophomore campaign but didn’t make it onto the field. This season, he was playing in a four-man rotation on the defensive line, fighting for every rep he got.

“He was a piece for spelling kids,” North coach Marcus Kaufmann said. “It was one of those deals where he would get in and out and give other guys a rest for a few plays.”

Coming into Week 6, the Raiders were preparing for a big district clash against undefeated PSJA High.

“We were short on the JV side,” Arevalo said. “They didn’t have enough players to run the scouts. They told me to go in, because I was just a rotator on the defensive side. I just went out there and had fun.”

He did more than that, though.

“We gave him the ball, and he made a move and took off,” Kaufmann said. “He made our middle linebacker miss, and we were like, ‘What’s he doing?’ We were like, ‘Uh, yeah, he’s coming over here.’ We brought him over just to get a chance, get some reps, and it just fit.”

Arevalo wasn’t sure what to make of the moment at the time, but he was ready. The following week, against Edinburg North, his name was called, and he got his first carry.

“I was shocked,” Arevalo said. “I really didn’t think I could come to a new position. When they saw me, I was just doing it for fun. I was just trying to give my team a good look. They noticed me, and it just kind of happened.”

In the game against Edinburg North, he had four carries for 34 yards. Last week, against Southwest, he got 10 carries for 35 yards to go along with that touchdown.

“He’s got a feel for it,” Kaufmann said. “He is really, really smart. He is picking up everything we do, our checks, everything already, and he has only been doing it for two weeks.”

As Arevalo mentioned, his dream was always to play football. He used to play with his neighborhood friends. He watched five cousins pull on the black and silver at PSJA North. Even early in his career, he wasn’t sure if he would ever make varsity. So this year, when he was starting to get consistent playing time, he realized where he was.

“It really didn’t hit me until the third game,” Arevalo said. “I looked around and said, ‘This is something I have always worked for. Now, I am finally here.’ It’s a good feeling to finally be a Raider.”

Several moves led to Arevalo arriving where he is today. Senior Juan Elizondo moved from running back to outside linebacker, and sophomore Arturo Beltran moved from wide receiver to running back. With those shakeups, Arevalo was needed at fullback. Now, heading into Week 9, Beltran is questionable with an ankle injury. That means Arevalo is in line to start at running back, should Beltran be unable to go.

But, Thursday’s game will not be an easy one. The Raiders will visit undefeated Edinburg Vela (7-0, 4-0) at 7 p.m. at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

The Raiders are undefeated since Arevalo moved to offense, and they are now rejuvenated and believing they can make the playoffs.

“We can feel it out there on the field,” Reyna said. “At first, we were deflating a little bit. Once we saw the wins and where we were in the standings, we started to believe. We are right up there, and we have a shot to make it to the playoffs. We have to keep working, and we are not going to stop.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

Coming into Week 8, Edinburg Vela hadn’t trailed in any district game.

PSJA Memorial changed that. The Wolverines stopped the SaberCats on their opening drive. Later in the first quarter, Memorial had a bad exchange to the punter, and Vela had a short field. Still, Memorial’s defense held Vela to a field goal.

“For our defense to hold them, in a short field, to a field goal, as physical and as athletic as their offense is, that helped us build a little confidence,” PSJA Memorial coach Michael Uribe said. “That was a positive thing. We were able to score to take the 7-3 lead. We didn’t make it easy for them. We made them earn it.”

Vela stormed back and used a big second half to secure the 38-7 win over Memorial, but the Wolverines took a lot of positives out of the game.

“It felt good to have a lead and for our kids to be playing hard,” Uribe said. “Edinburg Vela is a great team, very athletic, very well coached. Our kids played for four quarters as hard as we could. We just weren’t able to stay with them. But it built up some confidence, and I was proud of their efforts.”

PSJA Memorial now sits at 2-5 overall and 2-2 in District 31-6A. With four teams tied for third place in the district standings at 2-2, Memorial feels it is in a good place as the season winds down.

“Four teams are fighting for two spots,” Uribe said. “We just have to control what we can control, which is one week at a time.”

Coming into the season, not many people expected the Wolverines to even be in this conversation. The Wolverines hadn’t won a game since Sept. 2015 and hadn’t prevailed in a district game since Oct. 2014. All that changed right away, as PSJA Memorial beat PSJA North in its first district game to close both of those losing streaks in one night.

“From the very beginning, we knew that the people that were going to support us the most were our PSJA Memorial family,” Uribe said. “We knew that we would have to drown out the noise as far as people telling us what we can and cannot do. We have to believe in ourselves and each other. That’s what we focus on.”

PSJA Memorial has another difficult test this week, as it faces PSJA High at 7:30 p.m. Friday at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.

“Them being 7-0 and undefeated in district, we know it’s going to be a tough task,” Uribe said. “But, our kids understand that they need to give 110 percent to give themselves a chance to be successful.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

EDINBURG — PSJA High sophomore Marco Guajardo picked up his first career two-touchdown game to lead the Bears to a 45-28 win over Edinburg High on Thursday night at Richard R. Flores Stadium.

“It felt pretty good,” Guajardo, who had 4 catches for 94 yards and those two touchdowns in the game, said. “That was my goal since the beginning of the year, to score two touchdowns in a game. So it really made me happy to get that second touchdown.”

“He’s a hell of a receiver, as a sophomore,” PSJA High coach Lupe Rodriguez said. “He has a lot of talent and a lot of potential. Tonight was big for his confidence to get a couple scores.”

Marco is the younger cousin of junior quarterback Trey Guajardo.

“I try to be like a big brother to him out there,” Trey, who finished the evening with 366 passing yards and 5 touchdowns, said. “He’s growing up, and he is becoming one of my go-to guys, as well.”

After a scoreless first quarter that saw the teams trade punts, Marco caught a 12-yard pass from Trey to give the Bears an early lead, and they never looked back.

The Bears defense was stifling in the first half, heading to the locker room with a zero on the scoreboard. Normally unstoppable Edinburg High junior running back Hearlin Benavides couldn’t find any running room early.

“Our defense came out tough in the first half,” Rodriguez said. “I challenged them to come out and hold them to no points in the first half. They did that, and I was very proud of it.”

The Bobcats weren’t going to go away quietly, though. Sophomore Erik Cano was moved to running back, and senior Danny Shawnee came in at quarterback. The switch worked, as Cano broke his first carry for an 81-yard touchdown.

The Bears then scored on their first play from scrimmage, a 71-yard connection from Trey to Marco.

“I pictured it in my mind when they called that play,” Marco said. “I knew this was the one. It was perfect. The ball was right in my hands, and I just took off as soon as I caught it.”

Edinburg responded with a 5-play, 78-yard drive that was capped off with a 15-yard touchdown run from Hearlin Benavides.

Again, the Bears needed just one play. Trey dropped a 70-yard bomb into the arms of senior Nathan Sanchez for a touchdown.

“That was really exciting,” Marco said of the series of scores. “On the sideline, you could just hear everybody yelling. You don’t see that often at all, two drives of one play. That was really good to see.”

The game slowed back down a bit after that exchange. The quarter break helped the Bears defense catch its breath, and the unit got back to its first-half form, allowing the Bears to cruise to the win.

“I feel like this is one of the best offensive games that we have had,” Trey said. “Everything was clicking at the right time.”

Sanchez had five catches for 193 yards and a touchdown. Senior wide receiver Nathaniel Miranda had four catches for 58 yards and a score.

For Edinburg High, Benavides finished with 137 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Cano compiled 207 rushing yards on 10 carries to go with two touchdowns.

Marco and Trey grew up together. Beyond being cousins, their families are very close. Last year, they played baseball together.

“Off the field, we are really close,” Marco said. “We see each other all the time. We are always connected. We are family.”

The connection they have off the field is very valuable on it as well.

“My sophomore year, which was his freshman year, we knew this time would come,” Trey said. “Now that we are in this situation, it is exciting. We trust each other, and we have a really good relationship on the field. We work well together.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

EDINBURG — Growing up, Edinburg Vela’s Daniel and Nick Enriquez always played football together.

Now, the brothers get to do it in blue and black on Friday nights.

“It’s amazing,” Nick, a senior, said. “We have been playing since peewee together, and now to be on the varsity squad next to each other with the lights shining bright and the fans just screaming our names, it’s fun. It’s great.”

Nick and Daniel, a junior, both play safety for the SaberCats defense. That defense accomplished a major feat this week. The unit moved from second place in District 31-6A to first place in yards allowed per game, at 257.8. The jump came on the heels of Vela’s first shutout of the season — a 53-0 blowout win over PSJA Southwest.

“That was extremely important for us as a unit,” Nick said. “Every week, we are working to get a shutout, and sometimes we come up short. But this week, we worked hard all week. We were going at it in practice, stressing getting that shutout. And Friday night came, and we preformed.”

Getting the job done on defense is nothing new for the Enriquez brothers. Last year, Nick led the SaberCats with 200 total tackles.

“Nick had a successful year last year,” Vela coach John Campbell said. “We got very fortunate. Heck, we inherited the defensive MVP. … He plays our premier spot on defense, so to speak. … He is playing a spot that we are able to do multiple things with, where we can insert him in the run game and also, as obvious from what he has done in the secondary, pass coverage responsibilities, as well. And he is playing it like a champ.”

What makes the brothers’ excellence on defense even more impressive is that they started off playing offense together. In those peewee football games, Nick played quarterback, and he would find Daniel, a receiver, open for touchdowns.

The brothers are still producing touchdowns. They have already combined for three touchdowns this year.
Nick scooped up a fumble on a kickoff and returned it for a touchdown against Edinburg North in Week 5.

Daniel has proven to be a game-breaker on punt returns, giving Vela some points on special teams this year.

“His punt returns have been huge for us this year,” Campbell said. “We premise everything off the pressure. Ironically, the main pressure guy is Nick. We are either going to pressure the punt, or base it off the return game. Nick is the pressure guy, and then obviously Daniel is the return guy. It’s made for a pretty dangerous combination.”

While Daniel’s performance has come as surprise to some, Nick knew it was coming.

“Daniel, his freshman year, they have a YouTube video of his highlights, and all he was doing was scoring touchdowns on punts,” Nick said. “Last year, the coaches would tell (Daniel) they weren’t going to use him on punt returns as a sophomore. I would always tell them, ‘You have to go with Daniel.’ Sure enough, this year, with these new coaches, they put him in, and he showed out.”

The Enriquez brothers can change the game in so many ways. They have a combined three interceptions on the year. Then there are the fumble recoveries, and the punt returns, and they have both been used in the kick-return game. Those big plays they can create are a huge benefit to the SaberCats.

“When those plays happen, it hypes us up,” junior middle linebacker Luis Gutierrez sad. “It helps the team. It builds the momentum, and that helps the whole team get going.”

Next up for Vela is a road game against PSJA Memorial at 7:30 p.m. Friday at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.

“We are excited,” Daniel said. “We are trying to go 1-0, and we are trying to get the goose egg again and come out with the win.”

Playing on Vela’s defense is not an easy task. Vela players have heard rumblings over the last couple years that the defense wasn’t as good as the numbers would suggest.

“They always claim that we have a weak defense,” Gutierrez said. “We have a strong offense, of course, but to make a good team, you have to have all three parts. We are just as much a part of making this team a good team.”

That strong offense also puts pressure on Vela’s defense. The SaberCats move at a very quick pace, employing a no-huddle attack. The unit can also score quickly, and from anywhere on the field. One-play drives are not a rare occurrence for Vela.

“Sometimes, I kind of feel bad for them,” junior running back Aaron Alvarez said with a chuckle. “Because as soon as we get on, we get off. It’s the way our team runs. And the defense handles it really well. But it’s definitely not easy.”

Despite all of that, the Enriquez brothers continue to impress in their second year playing together on varsity. Every Friday that they get to line up together is still a surreal experience for Daniel and Nick.

“It’s really cool,” Daniel said. “I like looking over and seeing him. We have good communication, and we try to shut them down and not let them convert any passes.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

McALLEN — Twelve girls were on the court during Tuesday night’s tussle, but only two could swing the match.

McAllen Rowe junior outside hitter Jackelyn Alanis and McAllen High senior outside hitter Victoria Rogers went back and fourth during the fifth set trying to lift their teams to victory.

“It was really intense, but it was fun to have someone on that level to compete with,” Alanis said. “I played with her in the summer. So it’s fun to go up against her, because we are always bickering at each other and having fun with each other. I’ll say, ‘Oh, I got you.’ And then she will get me. It’s just fun.”

Alanis got the best of the matchup again on Tuesday, as McAllen Rowe beat McAllen High 25-18, 21-25, 15-25, 25-17, 15-12 in a District 30-6A match at McAllen Rowe High School. The win is the Warriors’ third of the season over the Bulldogs.

“It was exciting,” Rowe coach Magda Canales said of the final moments of the match. “It was impressive to see my own girls pull together as a team. They took ownership. Everybody wanted to contribute and make a difference in that game.”

Alanis was dominant throughout the match, but she shined brightest in the big moments, scoring point after point for Rowe in the last set. She finished the match with 46 kills, 55 digs, 2 aces, 3 blocks and 1 assist.

“Jackie finished the game for us,” senior setter Adriana Martinez said. Martinez finished with 47 assists, 4 kills, 2 aces and 17 digs. “Playing with Jackie is great. I know what she wants. I have experience with her in club teams. Coming into games, we know we have that bond. We just work together and keep communicating with each other.”

“Adriana is very composed, and she will put the ball up every time she can,” Canales added. “Obviously, the pass needs to be there. It is a team effort. Adriana and Jackie were able to execute. That connection was great tonight.”

For her part, Rogers had an excellent outing, as well, putting up 18 kills, 9 digs and 1 block. Rogers scored many of those kills down the home stretch in the fifth set, keeping McHi’s hopes alive.

“Victoria was hitting the ball hard,” McHi coach Paula Dodge said. “That was what we wanted to do. We wanted to attack and attack hard. She really came to play and did what we asked her to do.”

Rowe beat McHi 2-1 in a best-of-three match during tournament play earlier this year. The Warriors also picked up a four-set win against the Bulldogs earlier in the district season.

“This was our best effort against Rowe this year,” Dodge said. “We showed up to fight. We did a much better job, after the first game, of executing what we wanted to do and attacking. That was the key. “

Rowe cruised to a win in the first set.

In the second set, the teams traded points early. Rowe pulled ahead, leading from its fifth point to its 17th point. McHi kept fighting and tied it at 17. The Bulldogs then grabbed their second lead of the entire match at 18-17. McHi used the momentum to pull away, withstanding two timeouts from Rowe to claim the set.

The momentum carried over for McHi as it cruised to an easy win in the third set.

“We were starting to give up after we lost the second one in a row,” Alanis said. “I told the team that, ‘This is our house. We are going to come back. We are not going to let anyone beat us at our house.’”

Alanis’ message rang loud and clear, as the Warriors jumped out to an early lead and never looked back to force the decisive fifth set.

Rowe pulled into a tie for the District 30-6A lead with the win, moving to 30-7 and 9-1 in district play. McAllen Memorial, which Rowe faces in its final game of the season, is 27-6 and 9-1. McHi drops to 29-5, 7-3 with the loss.

“This win feels good,” Martinez said. “We still know that there is one team left in McAllen that we have to go up against. We have to keep working hard to beat that team.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

Grulla faced a grueling non-district schedule that included matchups against two Class 6A teams.

Through six games, the Gators went 3-3 but remained healthy and had an open week last week. Now, they are set to open District 16-4A Division I action against Zapata at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Hawk Stadium in Zapata.

“They are a tough opponent,” Grulla coach Abel Gonzalez III said. “We looked at some stuff from last year. We broke down the film. All our focus is on Zapata. We are ready to get district rolling.”

Gonzalez took the bye week as a time to review the season so far.

“All through non-district play, you try a couple different things,” Gonzalez said. “You want to find out what you do really well, and then tweak that. You make some personnel changes. Against Rowe, we had (senior) Miguel Flores in the backfield. We liked the way it looked. We might do some more of that moving forward.”

Flores carried the ball 11 times for 24 yards, but he showed flashes of what he could do with increased carries.

“We want to give him some more touches,” Gonzalez said. “When he is out there at receiver, it kind of limits the way we can get him the ball. When we put him in the backfield next to (junior quarterback) Dillen (Salinas), it adds a different dimension to our offense. He’s a big football player for us. He’s a big physical kid. He’s not going to go down with one hit.”

With adjustments made, Grulla is ready to take the district by storm.

“This bye week, it came at a right time for us right after six straight games,” Gonzalez said. “Every single ball game that we lost, we were right in there. We feel good with where we are at right now. … Now we can get ourselves ready for this district run that we want to make.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

MERCEDES — Mission Veterans running back Daniel Cantu has made a name for himself through the Patriots’ first seven games.

Lining up next to junior quarterback Landry Gilpin, it would be easy to get lost in the shadows, but the sophomore has let his play shine through.

“Danny Cantu had a great night,” Patriots coach David Gilpin said. “He has been playing really well.”

Cantu picked up his fifth and sixth rushing touchdowns of the season in the Patriots’ 48-17 win over the Laredo Nixon Mustangs on Friday at Tiger Stadium in The Monitor’s Game of the Week.

“This win was great,” Cantu said. “It was a team effort. We were able to move the ball, the defense was able to force turnovers and we were able to execute.”

In his seventh varsity game, Cantu ran for 76 yards, and he also picked up his first receiving touchdown of the season.

“It was awesome,” Cantu said. “It was wide open down the middle. Offensive line did a great job blocking, and I was able to run it in.”

The score came with 24 seconds left in the half, and it put the Patriots up 28-10, effectively ending the game.

With the game tied at 7, Mission Veterans was on the doorstep. The Patriots were facing a third-and-10 at the 16-yard line when Nixon bailed them out with a pass interference on third down. Still, the Patriots were in a third-and-goal situation from the 7 a few plays later, when Landry Gilpin connected on a pass with senior wide receiver Buda Gonzalez to put the Patriots up 14-7.

A few possessions later, Nixon had the ball with less than three minutes to play in the fist half. Nixon senior running back Emil Oliva was the force driving the Mustangs’ offense. To that point, he had 45 yards and a rushing touchdown. He ripped off a 12-yard run to move the Mustangs to the Patriots’ 1-yard line. After the play, the referee threw a flag. Oliva reacted to the flag, and the referee made the announcement that he was ejected from the game. The penalty and loss of Oliva killed Nixon’s drive, and the Mustangs had to settle for a field goal.

The Patriots grabbed the momentum after that. Cantu rushed for a touchdown. Then, the Patriots recovered a fumble, and that’s when Cantu caught his first varsity touchdown pass. Within two minutes, the game was effectively over. Vets took a 28-10 lead to the half and never looked back.

Landry Gilpin finished the night 16-of-24 passing for 309 yards and 3 passing touchdowns. He added 40 yards on the ground as well as a rushing touchdown.

“We are playing really, really well,” David Gilpin said. “We just have to keep it rolling. We have a bye week coming up.”

Gonzalez finished with two touchdown catches to go with 64 yards in the air. Sophomore wideout Mikey Garcia finished with 6 catches for 132 yards.

Cantu began playing football when he was 8. He has always played running back. When his number was called this year, he was ready to go, and he continues to prove that with every game. Nixon was just the next step for Cantu and the Patriots.

“We knew we had to come out swinging,” Cantu said. “We pushed, and we got the job done tonight.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

PHARR — PSJA High senior Orlando Huerta played offensive tackle last year on a Bears team that went 3-7 overall and 1-6 in District 31-6A.

When PSJA coach Lupe Rodriguez took over, he moved assistant coach Tommy Sauceda from the offensive side to the defensive side, and Sauceda took Huerta with him.

“It kind of was a big loss, losing him,” junior quarterback Trey Guajardo said. “But you can tell that his love was on the defensive side. And he is playing lights out this season. He is going to keep it going.”

Huerta has been proving that the move was the correct one all year, and PSJA High’s 41-22 win over Edinburg Economedes on Thursday at PSJA Stadium was no different. Huerta came up with an interception in the third quarter to help the Bears steal the momentum.

“They ran that play earlier, in the first half,” Huerta said. “I felt like it was my fault that they converted it on the third down. So the second time, I felt the instinct that he was going to go back to that play. So I read it, and I rolled out, and took off to my right side, and I picked it off. I just felt like I did something for my team, and I feel like that kick-started us to get back on track.”

He also had a fumble recovery and was all over the field making tackles, even picking up a few sacks.

“He’s been great for our defense,” Rodriguez said. “Orly Huerta has been great all year long.”

Economedes came ready to play and, despite PSJA’s opening-drive touchdown, Economedes dominated the first half.

The Jaguars controlled the time of possession with their run-heavy offense. Economedes attempted just five passes in the first half, two of which came on the final drive in the Jaguars’ two-minute offense.
The Jaguars picked up two touchdowns and a field goal in the first half, but the Bears defense held firm on a Jaguars drive late in the second quarter, and Econ was forced to attempt another field goal that missed the mark.

In the second half, Guajardo found his rhythm and got the team rolling.

“This was the first time we have been behind going into half all season,” Rodriguez said. “I said, ‘Find a way.’ Those are the things we preach to them, and they came back and responded. They found a way. We clamped down on defense. Offensively, we got some sparks here and there, some big plays by Nate Sanchez and Trey, a couple hookups there. It all went well after that.”

Guajardo finished with 294 passing yards and four touchdowns. Sanchez caught six passes for 137 yards and a score. Guajardo also found Nathaniel Miranda three times for 67 yards and two touchdowns. Miranda has been coming on as of late as one of Guajardo’s favorite targets in the red zone.

“He has put in a lot of hard work during the summer,” Guajardo said of Miranda. “It is paying off for him. The connection that we have, we are trying to get that chemistry there. It was a little slow during the preseason. But I feel that if we keep at it, we will be tough to stop.”

Economedes’ ground game was almost unstoppable early in the first half. The Jaguars got rushing touchdowns from seniors Lee Maldonado and Gabriel Ornelas. Maldonado finished with 56 yards, and Ornelas ended up with 55.

“Econ is a great football team,” Rodriguez said. “Their record doesn’t indicate the type of team they are. They have a lot of great athletes. They have nothing to lose. They are going to come out and give you their all.”

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