BY TJ GARCIA | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR

Noel Vela is still 18 years old.

He’s just three months from Mission Veterans High School’s graduation ceremony. He just bought his first car, and last week, Vela was at the Mission Veterans-Sharyland Pioneer volleyball game cheering on his old school.

Despite his youthfulness, Vela is now a Major League Baseball pitcher, albeit in the rookie league. The lefty just completed the full season of MLB’s rookie league in Arizona. Vela did not join the San Diego Padres rookie team in Peoria, Arizona, until mid-summer after signing in June.

So far, Vela has with a 2-0 record and a 3.46 ERA. The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder appeared in seven games, pitched 13 innings and gave up six hits, five earned runs and 15 walks. He’s also striking batters out at a rapid pace, fanning 18 in the 13 innings pitched.

Vela said as a young player learning this way in the rookie league, coaches keep his regimen regular.

“Our routine is basically the same every day,” he said of playing in Peoria, a Phoenix suburb that is also home to the Padres’ spring training complex. “We go to the field house around 2. We don’t have to stretch until 4:30, and then we play at 7. It’s the same thing every day.”

Vela, a three-pitch hurler (fastball, curveball, change-up), said the strength and conditioning program he’s going through – and the coaching he’s received – is already beginning to pay dividends.

“I’ve already gained weight, so my (pitching) velocity has already been going up,” he said. “Right now, I am 90-92 (mph). So, it’s good that I’ve added weight.”

Vela was in the Valley for a short break. He has already returned to Arizona for training.

HOUSTON’S REYNA CLAIMS FIRST XC COLLEGIATE VICTORY

Mission Veterans product and current Houston Cougar G.J. Reyna claimed a come-from-behind victory and won the individual championship at the Norry Hersey Rice University Invitational on Saturday in Houston. Reyna ran with the leaders throughout the 6,250-meter race but waited until the last lap to make his move, according to UH reports. He finished with a time of 19:49.72.

Reyna, who has steadily improved in his two years at Houston, finished ninth at the Rice Invitational last year. In 2016, he was the Cougars’ top finisher in six of their seven competitions, including the American Conference Championships, where he finished eighth and qualified for the NCAA Regionals. The junior also is a distance runner for the Cougars’ track and field team in the spring.

LANDEZ PICKS UP MORE PLAYING TIME FOR JAVALINAS

Sean Landez once made ESPN’s Top 10 plays for returning a missed field goal kick 109.9-yards for a touchdown while a Sharyland High sophomore in 2012. It’s hard to top that, but the athletic 5-foot-8, 170-pound speedster, who had an outstanding high school career, is making some noise for Texas A&M-Kingsville Javalinas as a junior.

The former all-state and all-district Rattlers’ defensive back played spot defense and returned punts for the Javalinas during his first two seasons. Last year, he picked up 196 yards on 21 punt returns (9.3 yards per return) in 12 games played. Just two games into 2017, Landez has already exceeded last year’s tackle total with six, including one sack for an 11-yard loss. Texas A&M-Kingsville is 1-1 on the year.

VALLEY VIEW’S OBREGON MOVES UP TO MCMURRAY UNIVERSITY

It didn’t take long for former Valley View soccer stud Leslie Obregon to get acclimated to playing with the big girls after two years at the JUCO level. The junior forward scored two goals for Abilene’s McMurray University in just her fourth career game with the War Hawks. She found the net twice in a 6-0 whitewash of Southwestern Adventist University last week.

After a stellar career at Valley View, Obregon played at Navarro College, then transferred to Mountain View College in Dallas, where she was on the soccer team. McMurray is an NCAA Division III school.

MISSION VETERANS’ CAVAZOS EXCELS AS KEEPER AT OLLU

Jorge Cavazos had a super sophomore year in 2016 at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. The Mission Veterans’ alum and starting goalkeeper was named to the Red River Conference All-Conference first team, earned Defensive Player of the Week twice and helped lead the Division III Saints to a 10-3-3 overall record.

He recorded 43 saves in nine starts on the pitch in 2016. In the classroom, he made the dean’s list four times in his two years at OLLU. This year, the Saints are off to a slower start (0-2-1). However, last year’s performance has earned the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Cavazos the full-time starting position in net. The Patriots’ former three-sport star (football, track, soccer) has already made 10 saves this year.

Know an RGV athlete doing well at the collegiate level in any sport? Send us a tip at [email protected].

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Sharyland High coach Ron Adame was quick to point out that he had zero responsibility for having junior wide receiver Adrian Solis come into the game as a substitution.

“I told my coaching staff afterward, ‘Whoever the hell made that move, that was the move of the night,’” Adame said.

Sharyland High (1-1) was mounting a drive down three with less than a minute to go in regulation. The Rattlers were 8 yards out when Solis was subbed into the game. Senior quarterback Diego Vela found Solis in the end zone for a touchdown with five seconds remaining. The score wound up being the difference in Sharyland High’s 24-20 win over Edinburg North.

Edinburg North kicked a field goal in the final minute to take a 20-17 lead.

“It was an emotional win for us,” Adame said. “Our boys showed resiliency after getting dominated the week before. You don’t know how a team is going to react the week after a game like that. But these guys put that behind them.”

RIO GRANDE CITY 14, ZAPATA 3: At Zapata, the Rio Grande City defense spurred its offense in a victory. Rio Grande City forced six turnovers out of Zapata and that helped senior QB Jason Perez get into a better rhythm than last week’s season opening loss against La Joya.

Perez threw two touchdowns on the night. His first went to senior wide receiver Demencio Venecia in the second quarter, his first TD reception since he was a member of the Rattlers’ freshman team three years ago. The second touchdown went to junior wideout Elias Cobos in the fourth quarter, giving the Rattlers some breathing room late.

DONNA HIGH 24, PSJA NORTH 20: At Pharr, Donna High overcame a 20-0 deficit in the second quarter and scored 24 unanswered points to net their first win of the season. A designed half-back pass by senior Eric Rangel to junior wide receiver Daniel Nino put Donna in front for good.

VALLEY VIEW 34, HIDALGO 10: At Hidalgo, Valley View senior defensive end David Torres had four sacks to lead the Tigers’ strong defensive effort. Valley View is off to its first 2-0 start since the 2010 season.

LAREDO MARTIN 35, DONNA NORTH 14: At Laredo, Martin avenged its Week 1 shutout defeat, while North dropped to 0-2.

EDINBURG ECONOMEDES 13, LA JOYA PALMVIEW 9: At Edinburg, Economedes picked up a second straight narrow victory. Palmview dropped to 1-1.

CC VETERANS 56, PSJA SOUTHWEST 7: At Corpus Christi, Veterans is 2-0.Southwest picked up its first score of the season in its second lopsided loss.

RAYMONDVILLE 10, GRULLA 7: At Grulla, Grulla was upset by Raymondville, as the Gators fell to 1-1, while the Bearkats improved to 2-0.

SANTA MARIA 12, MONTE ALTO 7: At Monte Alto, Santa Maria snuck out of Blue Devil Field with a narrow win to improve to 1-1, while the home team, Monte Alto, fell to 1-1.

SAN BENITO 44, SA EAST CENTRAL 18: At San Antonio, San Benito improved to 2-0 in its deadly non-district schedule.

SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

McALLEN — In Week 2 of the 2016 season, Mercedes’ Matthew Gracia made his varsity debut.

“I got two touches,” Gracia, a senior, said. “It left a bad taste in my mouth.”

Not only did he have a limited role, but his team lost a heartbreaker 24-21 to McAllen Rowe.

“It was an ugly feeling,” senior quarterback Marc Ledesma said. “It was my first time as quarterback. This year is a whole different year. My team is more confident in me. They trust me. I trust them.”

Gracia came out on Friday with one mission: beat the Warriors. Gracia did his part, carrying the ball 17 times for 120 yards and a touchdown, and Mercedes topped McAllen Rowe 27-20 on Friday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.

“It’s great. We get our first win,” Gracia said. “Calallen was a rough start. We came in here and faced the Warriors, a tremendous team. It was great to get the ‘W.’”

The Tigers’ varied attack, led by a bevy of backs and a strong line, was bolstered by senior quarterback Mark Ledesma’s strong arm and precise passing.

Mercedes sustained long drives that chewed up clock and wore down the Rowe defense. Gracia played a huge part in that.

The Tigers amassed 135 rushing yards in the first half. That production came from five different players, who each carried the ball multiple times.

“I can be more comfortable getting off the field and knowing the other backs are on top of it,” Gracia said. “Especially with that O-line.”

The offensive line was a big part in leading the Tigers to 401 total yards.

“Those guys are great,” Gracia said. “They are always getting their blocks. Their pulls are amazing. They are quick off of the ball. It’s great.”

Senior Fabian Ledesma added 30 yards, junior Aleks Ramos had 51 and sophomore Sunny Vela put up 42. While the backs are young, the passing game is experienced.

The uncles of Fabian, quarterback Marc and senior wide receiver Matt, combined for a 22-yard touchdown. Marc also linked up with senior Ryan Reyes on a 7-yard dart for a score.

The game was close early, but Mercedes snuck a touchdown in with 4.6 seconds left in the first half to go up 20-13. The Tigers never looked back.

SANCHEZ IN A SLING

Part of the reason Rowe’s offense stalled in the second half was the absence of senior quarterback Jesus Sanchez.

On Rowe’s opening drive of the half, penalties forced the Warriors into a third-and-20. Sanchez dropped back, but was pressured and scrambled to his left. Just as he was nearing the sideline on a play that wouldn’t even get back to the line of scrimmage, he took a hit and went down. Sanchez was immediately removed from the game.

He was examined on the sideline, and it was quickly determined he couldn’t return. His pads came off and a sling went on his right shoulder, which is his throwing shoulder.

“We really don’t know at this point what it is,” Rowe coach Bobby Flores said. “(The trainer) said we will look into it, and we will find out a little bit more this week.”

Sophomore Jonas Ortiz came on as Sanchez’s replacement, but it was a tall task. The Tigers smelled blood in the water and clamped down.

“The moment he went down, I felt a little bad for him,” Mercedes senior linebacker Eric Hinojosa said. “But I felt like we had it in the bag from there.”

Rowe was held scoreless for the next 14 minutes, enough to seal the result.

FILLING THE VOID

As the Mercedes captains marched to the 50-yard line for the coin flip, a new face was present among the group. Junior Jorge Cavazos was a captain for the first time this season. The honor had a deeper meaning, as Cavazos is one of the players tasked with helping to replace the production of senior linebacker Roger Adame III, who was injured in Week 1 with a fractured humerus.

“We made him captain because of the role he is going to have to play now,” Mercedes coach Roger Adame Jr. said. “He understands that captain, to us, it’s somebody who does everything right, goes to practice every day, works hard, and is going to lead the defense. That embodies the captain, and we felt that was right for him, because he is stepping up into that role.”

Playing without Adame was a difficult task for the defense, but it came with added motivation.

“It hurt a lot knowing our defensive captain was injured,” Hinojosa said. “It just means we need to step it up, and we are playing for him.”

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This story has been updated to correct Mercedes players names and school years.

BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

GRULLA — Grulla junior quarterback Dillen Salinas has been a part of many firsts.

He was the first player Grulla coach Abel Gonzalez III ever brought up to varsity as a freshman.

“I brought him in midway through the season,” Gonzalez said. “He ran for a touchdown the very first time he touched the ball in a varsity game. I knew he was going to be special. The staff knew he was going to be special. He’s been special ever since he was in junior high.”

In the first game of his first season as the full-time starting quarterback on Friday, Salinas showed just how special he is. Against a tough Brownsville St. Joseph team, Salinas ran 20 times for 122 yards. He also completed 8 of 10 passes for 147 yards and three touchdowns.

“It was exciting,” Salinas said. “It was my first win as a quarterback. It was super exciting for me and the team. Going up against (St. Joseph quarterback) Kai Money, it’s like an honor to be up there with him.”

Salinas said he was amped up going into the game. He thrives off the energy of Friday nights. He said he loves football, even when it hurts. Salinas has never shied away from the physicality of the sport.

“I’ve taken plenty of hard hits,” Salinas said. “As a slot receiver, I had to go across the middle and guys look to hit you there. But I love the sport, and the hits are a part of the sport. They get the juices going. They wake me up.”

Salinas wears his marks of battle proudly. He has a prominent scar across his chin, and when he talks about the scar, his eyes close and he can see the game playing out in front of him.

“I was playing quarterback in eighth grade,” Salinas said. “We were going up against Rio. It was a district championship game. We were going at it. I threw the ball and (the defender) caught me right under the chin.”

As Salinas pulled himself up off the grass, he looked up to see that not only was the pass completed, but the receiver who caught it had scored on the play. Despite the pain, Salinas didn’t miss a snap.

Luckily for the Gators, Salinas isn’t taking many of those hits nowadays. In his first year starting under center, Salinas was gifted with some of the best things a quarterback could ask for: a stellar line in front of him and a shutdown defense to get him the ball back and protect the leads he builds.

That showed on Friday, as the Gators held the Bloodhounds scoreless in the first half. Meanwhile, Grulla ran for almost 200 yards behind a dominant line.

Still, Salinas shined bright in the game. Even matched up with Money, the Bloodhounds’ senior signal-caller, Salinas was a standout.

“On Friday, he led the team and played excellent,” Gonzalez said. “I thought he was the best quarterback on the field.”

As if the defense and O-line weren’t enough, Salinas also inherited a top-notch wideout in senior Miguel Flores. That connection was on full display on Friday, as Flores hauled in six passes for 125 yards and three touchdowns.

“(Flores) and myself have been waiting to (complete passes like that) since last season,” Salinas said. “When football finished, we started talking about how we were going to do it together, what it would be like to play with each other. He’s our biggest threat. I trust him so much.”

That trust didn’t happen overnight.

“Me and Dillen, we have been together since elementary,” Flores said. “We have been on a team together since peewee. We have had a bond since pre-K. We have been friends for a long time. Almost 12 years, we have been playing on the same team. We just have a good connection. “

The two grew up in Grulla. They remember a time before the high school was there. Salinas’ family went to Rio Grande City growing up. Once Grulla opened, in 2010, the two started dreaming of playing football for the Gators. Salinas remembers how far away it seemed at the time.

“I just recently was looking at a picture of us from when we were younger,” Salinas said. “We were so small. We were so skinny. It’s amazing that we are here together. How far we have come. It’s crazy.”

Salinas was always one of the smallest guys on the field growing up. He said he wasn’t sure if he could become a starter. But, he loved the sport, and he never stopped playing.

“I wasn’t good at football growing up,” Salinas said. “There were a lot of players that were better than me. It motivated me to play more and get better. I just stuck to football.”

That confidence has shown in his growth as a leader. When he first got to the varsity roster, he was quiet. His teammates said he sat in the back of the room, didn’t talk much and just soaked up knowledge. Now, in his role as quarterback, Salinas has become the vocal leader his teammates need him to be.

“He’s learned to do what a quarterback should do,” junior running back Ebenezer Cantu said. “Before the games, he pumps us up. In the huddle, he tells us we got this, and he makes us believe we can go get that touchdown.”

The game on Friday was just one game. But, it was against a formidable foe, and the result can set the tone for the entire season.

Now the firsts are out of the way, it’s time for the follow up.

With the skill around Salinas and the poise he has shown, it’s easy to see why the Gators are riding high into Week 2.

“He looked really comfortable out there on Friday,” Gonzalez said. “He protected the football. Being the field general out there, he has to put our offense in the best position to succeed, and he did that on Friday. … Eight out of 10, you cant beat that. We will take that any day of the week.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

Going into Week 1, PSJA North had just three players on the roster who made a varsity start last year.

The inexperience was apparent early in the Raiders’ Week 1 matchup with Mission High.

They went three-and-out on their first three drives, while Mission jumped out to a 24-0 lead.

Once the nerves were calmed, the Raiders found their footing and got rolling late. North only went three-and-out one more time, and that was caused by a penalty, coach Marcus Kaufmann said.

After the halftime break, North’s defense shut down Mission’s offense, holding the unit scoreless. Meanwhile, the Raiders’ offense got going, and Juan Elizondo and Arturo Beltran each scored. The game still went in Mission’s favor, but Kaufmann was reassured by what he saw from his team during the second half.

“They made this game a learning experience,” Kaufmann said. “They came back out in the second half and started playing good football. They grew up quite a bit from the first part of that game to the end of the game.”

After getting those Week 1 jitters out of the way, Kaufmann is expecting much better from his team moving forward.

“I told them that was their one freebie,” Kaufmann said. “We are not going to have another start like that the rest of the year.”

Kaufmann said he is looking for more efficiency from his offense. In Week 1, the Raiders struggled to run the ball, which led to too many passes. Kaufmann is hopeful his team can find the right efficiency this week.

“It’s going to skew more toward run than pass, unless we can complete more than 30 percent of our passes,” Kaufmann said. “If we can complete 60-70 percent of our passes, we can go 50-50. We are going to go with whatever is working. Whatever they give us, we will take.”

North is right back at it, as the Raiders host Donna High at 7:30 p.m. Friday at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.

“I’m looking for us to come out hard and fast (against Donna) like we did in the second half,” Kaufmann said. “I keep talking to the kids about being the first ones, initiating contact, initiating pressure. What Mission did to us, we need to be doing to our opponents from here on out. Once we were settled down, we were fine, but by that point we were down 21 points, so we need to come out ready to go.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

EDINBURG — Heading into halftime, Edinburg North coach Rene Saenz and Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu had the same thing on their minds.

“Last year, we were down 14-0 at the half,” Cantu said. “This year, it was only 21-10. We felt we were actually in a better position this year.”

The comeback was just underneath the surface, and it didn’t take long to burst through.

“We were focused,” senior quarterback Gustavo Vasquez, who engineered a comeback win last year with two fourth-quarter scores, said. “We came out with a new game plan (in the second half), and we grabbed the momentum.”

Vasquez led an 8-play, 43-yard drive for the Chargers late in the third quarter. Vets got to the 1-yard line but couldn’t convert. North took over at the 1, but the first play from scrimmage was a fumble by junior quarterback Francisco Zuniga, and the Chargers recovered.

On the second play from the 1, Vasquez jogged the ball into the end zone for a touchdown, which gave the Chargers their first lead of the game, 26-21.

The Chargers never looked back, cruising to a 39-21 win — their second comeback win over Edinburg North in as many years.

“It’s in the back of your mind,” Saenz said. “You try to be as positive as you can. … It comes down to mistakes. We hurt ourselves. We put ourselves in a bad spot, and then they take advantage.”

North came into the second half ready to play.

“We were doing good. We were excited at halftime,” said junior running back Cristian Flores, who opened the second half with a 78-yard kickoff return. “We made corrections, but (Veterans) came out and they wanted it more.”

It didn’t take long for that momentum to be sucked away, just as it was last year.

What should have been an easy 25-yard field goal was made more difficult by a false start penalty. On the retry, Veterans blocked the attempt and returned it about 15 yards, setting up Vasquez with good field position. Veterans capitalized with an 8-yard touchdown run from senior back Abel Martinez.

The story of the second half for Veterans was dominating the field-position battle. After having a drive fizzle out at midfield, Vasquez dropped a punt on the 2-yard line.

North couldn’t overcome the bad field position and was faced with a fourth-and-7 at the 5. The Cougars attempted to punt, but the snap wasn’t great, and junior punter Frank Cantu was left holding the ball in the end zone. He made several good cuts and made it almost 5 yards, but he couldn’t get past senior Isaac De La Fuente, who leveled Cantu for a safety.

“(De La Fuente) doesn’t start for us on offense or defense, but he made a huge play to get us that safety,” David Cantu said. “That was probably the biggest momentum-swinging play of the game.”

The ensuing kickoff sparked the drive that would lead to Vasquez shutting the door on Edinburg North, again.

Veterans carried the momentum, tacking on a few late scores. Martinez had a 41-yard run, and senior tailback Alexis Gomez scored from 8 yards out.

Much of the focus coming into the game surrounded the Edinburg North offense, and the unit did not disappoint.

On the opening drive, Zuniga was faced with a fourth-and-27 at Brownsville Veterans’ 33-yard line.

“It was cover three,” Zuniga said. “Free safety was on the right. I knew that horn route was going to be open.”

Zuniga hit senior wide receiver Demetrio Garcia in stride. Garcia was past his man and had open field in front of him as he sprinted into the end zone.

Zuniga later ran in a 16-yard touchdown before flashing his arm again later in the first half.

The Cougars got the ball with 2:17 left in the second quarter, and they showed off their no-huddle offense. The Cougars had a second-and-4 from the 48. Zuniga fired the ball deep down field, this time to the right sideline. Sophomore wide receiver Izaiah Rangel was all alone and caught the ball in stride. He showed his breakaway speed, sprinting to the end zone on a 52-yard catch and run. Rangel’s score put the Cougars up 21-10.

“The offense in the first half was very exciting,” Zuniga said. “We looked unstoppable. We were putting drives together pretty good. Our running back was running well. The passing game was there, but the second half we just got a little bit too overconfident. Now we know what to do in the future. We have to play all four quarters. We cant just play two. We just have to play our hearts out all four quarters.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR
EDINBURG — Edinburg North junior running back Cristian Flores doesn’t mind hearing some of the questions being asked about him.

“It motivates me,” Flores said. “Because people are going to talk: ‘It was the line.’ ‘It was the team.’ Yes, we had some weapons (last year at Edinburg Vela), but I put in hard work, and I earned those yards. I deserve the accolades that have come my way.”

Flores picked up several awards in 2016, his sophomore season with Edinburg Vela, including The Monitor’s All-Area Second Team honors and the District 31-6A Offensive Newcomer of the Year award.

In nine games with Vela, Flores carried the ball 129 times for 984 yards and 11 touchdowns.

After that impressive year, Flores transferred to Edinburg North.

“I live closer to North,” Flores said. “It was a lot of trouble going all the way to Vela. It took 10, 15 minutes. It’s a lot of gas. It was a trip every time.”

Flores was initially a transfer to Vela, which is why he couldn’t play varsity football his freshman year. Now, he is back at his home school of Edinburg North, and he feels very comfortable with the Cougars.

“We are a team,” Flores said. “We are connected, and we have chemistry. Every practice, we come out here and get better and click more.”

That chemistry is already starting to show on the practice field. The lone returning starter on the Cougars defense, senior Joseph Munoz, has been getting reps against the offense this preseason, and he likes what he sees.

“This is going to be a new offense for us,” Munoz said. “It’s a lot faster. Cristian Flores coming over makes us a lot more explosive. They have a lot more experience, now, on the offensive side.”

That offense is set to debut at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Richard Flores Stadium, as the Cougars host the Brownsville Veterans Chargers in a non-district matchup.

“Anytime we can play good quality teams before we get into district, we will take it,” North coach Rene Saenz said. “Brownsville Veterans is right up there in that category. Their coaching staff always does a great job. We know they are going to bring some size, and they are going to have some skill kids.”

Flores is ready to show that his skill can shine in any system. He has an extra sense of confidence because of who he will be lining up next to.

“The one person I depend on the most is Frankie, my quarterback,” Flores said. “If I don’t know some plays, I ask him what’s going on. He helps me a lot.”

Zuniga likes what he has seen from Flores so far this preseason.

“He is running with a lot of speed, a lot of toughness,” Zuniga said. “He runs north and south. He doesn’t run sideways. That is what I like about him. He can make a move, and just that one move can break him for a touchdown.”

Flores and Zuniga have been friends since sixth grade. They were always close, even when they went to separate schools. Zuniga said their bond is strong, and playing together comes naturally.

That connection will show on the field, as Flores will gradually get more involved in the passing game. Last year, he had 12 catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns.

The Cougars also have senior Ethan Vela, who played running back last year. Vela will be used as a slot receiver as well as a running back this season because of his pass-catching ability.

Having Flores and Vela coming out of the backfield makes Zuniga’s life a lot easier.

“It feels good to have those guys, because if there is nobody open down the field, I know I can trust my running backs on check downs,” Zuniga said. “I know even if it’s just a bubble route, they can easily get 20 yards out of it.”

Flores credits his ability to catch passes to the hours of practice put in on the field. Flores’ work ethic is something that even the coaches weren’t expecting.

“He carried the ball a few times (in our scrimmage against Harlingen High), probably a couple more than I really wanted him to,” Saenz said. “I guess he was getting lathered up, and he wanted to stay in the game.”

Flores isn’t the only exciting part of the Cougars offense. They have talented weapons across the board, including Vela, Zuniga and sophomore wide receiver Izaiah Rangel. The players believe the offense, which was fourth in district last year with 319.1 yards per game, could be one of the best in the Valley this season.

“I believe we can keep up with the No. 1 team in the Valley,” Zuniga said. “We only lost by one point to Harlingen, which is supposedly the top team in the Valley, in our scrimmage. That was just by little mistakes. We just need to fix those mistakes, and we will be up there.”

Flores will be a big part of that turnaround.

Flores believes he will shine in any system, because his work ethic and talent transcend play-calling and schemes. He will have a chance to prove that Friday against the Chargers, but he’s glad he has this group of players around him this season.

“We are explosive,” he said. “We are quick. We have some receivers that can make plays. We have a quarterback that can make plays. We have linemen coming back. We are going to be a good team this year.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

Late Sunday morning, Edinburg Vela coach John Campbell got a call confirming his team’s game with Victoria East, scheduled for Friday, had been canceled.

Victoria East is located in the area affected by Hurricane Harvey.

After that call, Campbell went into scramble mode as he tried to put together a game for Week 1.

“It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind,” Campbell said. “We actually were reaching out to anybody and everybody. We had a bunch of calls.”

One call that could have created an instant classic matchup was to Weslaco High. Weslaco’s opponent, Richmond George Ranch, was also forced to cancel due to the effects of Harvey. Michael Salinas, Weslaco’s coach, coached at Vela last season. The SaberCats and Panthers talked, but it was a near miss.

“We did have a conversation with them,” Campbell said. “We just weren’t able to reach an agreement.”

Campbell got a call Monday, and things moved fast from there.

“Laredo Nixon returned our call early Monday afternoon, after they got confirmation on their cancellation with Tuloso-Midway,” Campbell said. “They were pretty much locked in to having a home contest. It’s their senior night, or their parent night. We were in a little bit of a pickle. Their administration wouldn’t entertain the game unless it was home. We really wanted to get the game, so we got permission from ECISD to go ahead and travel.”

Because Vela will now be on the road, that allowed Edinburg North to move their home game against Brownsville Veterans from Saturday night to 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The Panthers were unable to secure a Week 1 opponent. They’ll use the week off for the players to rest and the coaches to scout.

“We’re going to try to use anything that happens to us as an advantage,” Salinas said. “Obviously, we talked to our guys about controlling what we can control and could not control anything in terms of what was happening up north. We just needed to make sure we made an effort to get it done. But we do believe that this week will help us continue to get better as a football team.”

Another Rio Grande Valley team affected is Rio Hondo. The Bobcats were forced to cancel their game with Sinton, which was also affected by Harvey.

Monitor staff writer Nathaniel Mata contributed to this report.

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

Edinburg High has its man for Week 1 after an intense quarterback competition that has raged on all preseason.

Junior Matt Cruz will be the man under center for the Bobcats’ matchup against McAllen Rowe at 7 p.m. Thursday at Richard Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

“He had a good scrimmage,” Bobcats’ coach J.J. Leija said. “Talking with our offensive staff, it looks like that’s the man we are going to go with for this game.”

Leija was quick to point out that the decision isn’t a permanent one.

“It’s probably going to be week-to-week until we are sure about it,” Leija said. “It’s (Cruz’s) right now to take, and he will have every opportunity right now.”

The other contender, senior Danny Shawnee, will still get some work on Thursday. Leija said Shawnee will play a role in the offense, just as Cruz would if Shawnee was starting at quarterback.

While Leija is waiting to make a season-long decision, he doesn’t want the competition to drag on too late into the year.

“I’d like to have one quarterback by the time we get to district,” Leija said. “But it’s going to be whatever is best for the team. … It is good to have two qualified options there at the QB position.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR

EDINBURG — For Edinburg Economedes, ‘Albert Guerra passes to Pete Segura’ is going to be a common refrain this season.

Last year, Roger Barrientos and Guerra battled it out for starting quarterback minutes. Barrientos played a lot early, but Guerra came on late and made a difference in the Jaguars season. This spring, Guerra, a junior, won the job outright, and it has been full speed ahead ever since.

“It all started when he got the job for sure,” Segura said. “It’s been great ever since. He went to a lot of camps, and he won a lot of them. He came through, and now we have really good chemistry.”

Guerra’s hard work over the summer has paid off, as the offense is clicking early, according to coach Gabe Pena. Guerra also has an experienced offensive line in front of him, with three seniors in the unit. The line has bought into Guerra, and the offense has chemistry.

“He’s a very smart guy,” senior offensive lineman AJ Garza said of Guerra. “He understands our job, and he makes everything easier for us. From getting the ball out on time, to good footwork, taking his good deep three steps, whatever he needs to do. He is a really good quarterback.”

As Pena stood on the sideline watching the offense run through a drill during practice, he saw what he hopes to see a lot this season.

“Albert Guerra, he’s No. 18 over here,” Pena said, pointing to Guerra. “He took over late in the year. He even directed us in the playoffs.”

As Guerra completed a 20-yard pass to Segura, Pena pointed to Segura.

“And that’s who we are going to throw to, Pete Segura over there. We feel confident about those two hooking up this season.”

The Jaguars won’t just be dependent on that connection, though. They boast a lot of depth at running back, as well.

“We got two guys that were hampered by injuries last year, coming up and having a good time for their senior campaigns,” Pena said. “One of them, Gabriel Ornelas, he’s been injured for two years. He has never had a complete season, but what gives us optimism this year is he has had a very good offseason. Gabriel is a specimen. If he can stay healthy, he will be a force.

“And then we have Sonny Castillo, who also was injured last year, early. He was having a fantastic year coming out of the gate last year. They are hungry. They are seniors, so we are hoping they fill the void.”

The ability to line up in a power running formation on one play and be in a shotgun passing formation the next makes the Jaguars offense a nightmare for opposing defenses. That also means the line has to handle a lot. They have to be good at both pass blocking and run blocking.

“It’s a tough task,” Garza said. “But we are willing to step up to the task. We are Economedes, and we are going to step up to the task. Nothing is impossible.”

MAN IN THE MIDDLE

The Jaguars employ a 4-3 base on defense. Senior linebacker Nick Villanueva has become a dominant force in the middle of the formation. He is a three-year letterman, and everyone on the team sees him as a leader.

“We are anchored there by Nick Villanueva, our starter at middle linebacker coming back,” Pena said. “He was a starter last year as junior. He’s coming back full throttle for his senior year.”

Villanueva is an intense player. As the emotional leader of the defense, he is the man who gets the players pumped up before a drive. During his senior year, Villanueva is thinking a lot about making sure the young players learn from him so they can follow in his footsteps.

“I have been here now for four years, so I bleed blue and orange,” Villanueva said. “I try to do everything, every rep, as good as I can. I try to teach these youngsters to give it all, because you don’t know when it is going to end. It’s really important for me to be a leader, because it keeps that tradition going.”

AGE IS JUST A NUMBER

Last year, Economedes had to deal with a mountain of injuries. They ravaged the offense and the defense, and at some positions the Jaguars were using their third, fourth or fifth option. The benefit of going deep into the depth chart is that many young players got experience at the varsity level. Pena isn’t as hesitant as he normally would be to trust these younger players.

“We played so many kids last year,” Pena said. “With the culture here, we know how to win. Our JV went 8-2. That’s what a coach likes to see, is when your culture has really seeped into all the nooks and crannies of your program. Every year, we expect to be in the playoffs. Are we going to be young? Yes, we are going to be younger than we were last year, but we have confidence that our program is at a level right now, that we can compete every Friday night. We will need our little young ones to play up early.”

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ECONOMEDES’ PROGNOSIS

Economedes’ offense looks to be impressive if its key players can avoid the injury plague that hit the team in 2016. The Jaguars will need their young players to step up to help the veteran core.

2016 record: 7-4

Returning starters O/D: 5/4

COACH’S TENURE

Coach: Gabe Pena

Year at school: 7th

Record at school: 28-36