BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
By virtue of a Week 10 win over Edinburg Economedes, Edinburg North secured a chance to play for a playoff spot in the regular-season finale.
“It’s amazing that we have an opportunity,” North coach Damian Gonzalez said. “At the end of the day, that is all we can ask for. Just give us a chance.”
Granted, it’s not the best chance, but even to be here, given everything the Cougars have endured this year, is a special moment.
North (2-7 overall, 2-3 in District 31-6A) plays Weslaco High (8-1, 4-1), and if it wins, and Edinburg High (6-3, 2-3) loses to Donna North (0-9, 0-6), the Cougars would clinch a playoff berth.
The season started with doubt, people questioned whether Gonzalez was the right hire. Many players — key players on last year’s team — transferred out of the program following last season. Things got worse when North started off the season 0-4 in non-district, against an inauspicious slate of teams that have struggled all year.
One of the biggest reasons for the team’s success is the recently reunited combination of seniors Maxanthony Aguilar (quarterback) and Roel de Leon (receiver). De Leon has hauled in 28 catches for 411 yards and three touchdowns.
“Roel had banged up his ankle, and he was out a little bit,” Gonzalez said. “Since he has gotten healthy, he has gotten better and better. His routes are a lot crisper, and Max has done a great job of understanding where the windows are. He gets it in a spot where Roel can go get it. Also, we did some things offensively to try to get him the ball out early in space, and just let him be an athlete.”
De Leon missed three games with injury, at the beginning of the district season, and while he was out, he was both a supportive teammate and a mentor to the youngest Cougars.
“Roel was talking with me the other day about that,” Gonzalez said. “He said, ‘man coach I remember when the other varsity receivers were doing this with me. Now I’m the one doing it.’
“He’s the one that kind of keeps everybody level-headed. He’s a jokester, and he has a great attitude. He’s been on championship teams, he played basketball last year and he was a regional qualifier in track.”
That battle-tested mentality has been a boon for the team. Combined Aguilar’s leadership, the younger Cougars have come into form and contributed in the biggest moments of the season, like when sophomore Michael Rodriguez exploded for two touchdowns in North’s win over Donna North.
“Max, being the quarterback, there is a lot of responsibility that comes along with that,” Gonzalez said. “The young guys like (junior) Jacob Peralez and (sophomore) Moises Maldonado have done a good job of learning how to be leaders, and how to be good young men and direct the team. Because, eventually, these guys are going to be gone. Someone will have to step up. I think these guys have learned a lot from them.”
But the Cougars aren’t worried about the future, they are laser-focused on the task at hand. North plays Weslaco at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco.
“The fact that we have been grinding so long, I told them do all these things and we can get ourselves into position to get in,” Gonzalez said. “Not saying it’s going to happen, nothing is guaranteed. There is no rule saying if we do everything correct we will get in, but just the fact that we are there, and we have this opportunity, basically makes everything that we have been doing worthwhile. There was a lot of doubt surrounding the team to begin with. Even throughout the year. These kids have overcome a lot of adversity. The fact that they have been able to do that, and still have an opportunity, speaks volumes to the types of athletes we have here at North.”
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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

WESLACO — Not only did Weslaco High have to play perfect to win the game with less than a minute on the clock, but the Panthers won by driving down the field against Weslaco East’s vaunted defense.

The Panther’s offense got the ball back with three minutes left, and immediately, Weslaco High coach Michael Salinas saw the path to victory.

“We figured it would take us about three minutes to score,” Salinas said. “We had two timeouts, so we knew we didn’t have to worry too much about clock management.”

The Panthers got the ball down to the five, and senior kicker George Martinez was called upon to hit the biggest kick of his career. As Martinez lined up the 22-yarder, his mind was clear.

“We are putting up 50 in practice, so it is normal to me,” Martinez said. “I just kicked through, just like practice.”

When the ball went through the uprights, the feeling of relief and joy enveloped the Panthers’ sideline.

“I was just thinking ‘thank God,’ honestly,” junior running back Peyton Knaub said. “As a kid you dream of that. You watch it on TV. You just hope when the time comes, it’s in your favor. Tonight, it was.”

Weslaco High junior quarterback Jacob Cavazos was the difference in the game, as the Panthers (8-1, 4-1) topped Weslaco East (5-3, 4-1,) 23-21 in the seventh Tinaco Bowl on Friday at Bobby Lackey Stadium.

“This win meant a lot to me,” senior linebacker Marco Noriega said. “Since my injury I have had to fight to make it back. I love all my guys. They fought, they never gave up. The coaches gave us a plan, and we came out and executed.”

Noriega was injured just before the district season started, and he returned in Week 7. Noriega acknowledged he has been playing through quite a bit of pain; all for his teammates.

“I knew that they needed me,” Noriega said. “I just went out there and tried to do all that I could. The scoreboard shows it. I am just so proud of my guys, and the coaching staff.”

Weslaco East struck first, in a first half that was all about field position and defense. Junior Ramsey Vasquez took the ball at the 5, and charged into the end zone to give East the lead.

Just before the half, Martinez hit a 21-yard field goal to cut the East lead to 4.

Weslaco High’s third-quarter performance was the difference, as the Panthers scored 14 unanswered to put tremendous pressure on an East offense, which passed for -2 yards.

“Props to their defense. Their defense is physical and fast. They like to finish plays,” Noriega said. “On our part, we just wanted to prove the people right who have been on our side since day one. That’s what we did tonight.”

Cavazos finished the game 8 of 15 for 94 yards. He rushed for another 91 yards.

It was Cavazos’ hands, of all things, that sparked the third-quarter rally.

On a third-and-five from the 14, Cavazos handed off to Knaub on what looked like a normal running play, but Knaub suddenly paused, turned his body and unleashed a pretty pass to Cavazos who caught it and ran it in for six.

Knaub said he hasn’t played quarterback since middle school.

“We have been practicing that one for a couple weeks,” Salinas said. “Peyton was willing to do whatever we asked of him, and he got it done tonight.”

The touchdown pass was Knaub’s second completed pass of the night. In the second quarter, Knaub unleashed a 41-yard bomb to junior receiver Jay Granados.

“I felt great,” Knaub said. “Just to see the corner bite on it, and just get it out, it was a great feeling.”

The takeaways from the Weslaco High defense were a big factor. Seniors Roy Trevino and Axel Camarena each had an interception, and Trevino also recovered a fumble at the Panthers’ 40 and returned it the whole way to put the Panthers up 17-7.

East got back-to-back touchdowns from Vasquez, who was a one-man wrecking crew all night, in the fourth quarter to take the lead.

The game-winning drive for the Panthers featured just one pass, as time melted off the clock. Cavazos carried the ball four times for 27 yards on the drive. Knaub and senior Jeremy Coronado also got carries on the drive. Coronado also caught the lone pass of the drive, a beautiful 23-yarder over the middle to get the Panthers within field goal range. From there it was all about milking the clock, and setting up the game-winning kick.

“We always go over two-minute drills, every day with the offense,” Noriega said. “I knew that this would be another easy series for them. They came out and clutched it for us.”

The Panthers matched East’s physicality and every player stepped up to the occasion for Weslaco High. Now, the Panthers retain bragging rights for the next calendar year, and move on to a big-time playoff opportunity.

“We told ourselves this is what we worked for all week, this is what we worked for all offseason,” Cavazos said. “We have a motto: ‘make up for last year.’ So we just put it in our heads that we could beat anybody. We stuck together. East has a great team and it took everything we had to beat them.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — On Thursday night in a rivalry game, Edinburg Vela sophomore quarterback AJ Sotelo took over when the team needed it most.

His deep balls lead to 14 first-half points, allowing Vela to run away with the game in the second half. His elusiveness allowed Vela to overcome several key injuries along the offensive line.

Edinburg Vela (9-0, 5-0) rolled past Edinburg High (6-3, 2-3) 24-14 in the District 31-6A matchup on Thursday at Richard R. Flores Stadium.

“It felt good to come out here and beat an inner-city rival,” Sotelo said. “It was a good atmosphere. We came out and did what we needed to do.”

“AJ did really good tonight, just like he does every day in practice,” Enriquez said. “He has come a long way from when he tore his UCL to now. He keeps getting better and better.”

On Vela’s second scoring drive, Sotelo had to make a tough throw across his body for the touchdown. He was rolling to his right, and senior receiver Daniel Enriquez was to his left. As he looked to Enriquez, he saw the Edinburg High pass rush and had to throw off his back foot. The pass still got there with plenty of power, and it was on target to an open Enriquez, who easily turned and raced for the end zone, untouched.

“It was amazing,” Enriquez said of the pass from Sotelo. “He got out of being almost sacked, and making a tremendous throw. It was just amazing.”

“That’s why I train, for things like that — plays that are not normal,” Sotelo said. “Daniel did a good job of seeing me roll out, and getting open.”

Vela’s first touchdown was set up by another Sotelo-to-Enriquez pass. The 41-yard bomb moved the Vela offense to the 5, and on the next play senior running back Christian Flores punched it in.

“I just saw the safety come down,” Sotelo said of the pass prior to the score. “I saw Daniel one-on-one over the top, and that is a matchup he wins almost every time. I took what I got, and we executed it well.”

Flores’ score tied the game, after the Bobcats went up 7-0 on their first possession. A combo for the Bobcats that was extremely potent last year, reunited on the touchdown play. Senior quarterback Matthew Cruz completed a 36-yard touchdown pass to senior Antoine Woodard to put the Bobcats up. Cruz has been dealing with an injury and Woodard has largely played on defense for the Bobcats this year, but in a rivalry game, every play in the playbook is required. EHS’ second score came with the game out of reach, inside of two minutes, on a 1-yard run from senior running back Hearlin Benavides.

In the second half, the Vela offensive line was dealt a big blow when junior tackle Tyler Bailey suffered an injury. Later, junior guard Jorge Hinojosa suffered an injury and was held out the rest of the game, as well.

“Check (Weslaco East) coach Mike Burget’s quotes from a few weeks ago,” Campbell said. “Identical scenario. It makes it frustrating, because it is not football anymore.”

Campbell was referring to East’s game against EHS, where East commented on the play of EHS. Hinojosa was hurt during a skirmish after a play was blown dead. After the game, he said the EHS player was trying to poke his eyes in the pile.

“Tyler is a really important guy on our line,” senior tackle Jayden Borjas said. “I think we have a lot of depth. But losing him was a big deal.”

“Marcus Garcia did a really good job. He was the guy that filled in at left guard,” Borjas said.

Sotelo brought his A-game on Thursday, and despite a weakened offensive line, he found creative ways to buy time for his receivers. The highlight of his creativity came on Vela’s final score. Sotelo, surrounded by EHS rushers, tucked the ball and raced to the line of scrimmage. Just before he crossed the line, he spotted Daniel Enriquez in the end zone.

“I noticed that their secondary was falling back, so I knew the underneath stuff would be open tonight,” Sotelo said. “I just stayed discipline, kept my eyes down field, and again credit to Daniel for getting open when I needed him.”

Things weren’t perfect for Vela on Thursday, and the injuries didn’t help.

In the third quarter, the SaberCats were gifted a first-and-goal situation after an EHS penalty. The offense couldn’t produce any points, and Vela settled for the field goal.

The highlight of the goal line sequence was the play of senior defensive lineman Kobe Gipson. Gipson was called into action to help beef up the blocking, and he made a few strong blocks. Then, on third down, he ran a route and got open in the end zone. The throw from Sotelo sailed just high.

“Kobe gives us a little bit of versatility,” Campbell said. “I wish we could have got that one, he was wide open. We have been working on this package this week, and I am excited to see what more we can do with it. He is a tremendous athlete.”

Senior defensive lineman Sergio Carrizales helped ice the game with a big sack. After the game he credited Vela trainer Jaime Tovar with wrapping his wrist in such a way that he could play through the pain.

Vela’s defense is known for turnovers, and junior linebacker Matthew Brulloths added to that total.

“I saw the quarterback drop back, and I saw it was a screen,” Brulloths said. “I saw the receiver coming my way, so I just jumped for the ball, and I got it and took off running.”

After the pick in the fourth quarter, Brulloths got the highest honor: the Vela turnover chain, and the photo to go with it.

“I was so excited to get it, I have really wanted it. So, after I got it, I did the Conor McGregor walk,” Brulloths said. “(When you pose for the photo) it feels awesome. I felt the energy, the guys were loving it. It was my first interception. It was an awesome experience.”

Now, the SaberCats must lick their wounds, find solutions and prepare for what promises to be a huge matchup next week with Weslaco East.

“We are still undefeated in district, there is one left,” Campbell said. “We’ll wait and see what happens with those two teams tomorrow night. We will enjoy the victory tonight, and then get ready for a big one, next week.”

Sotelo will likely be key in the East matchup, and he built a lot of momentum for that game against EHS.

“He settled in and got us into some good plays,” Campbell said. “He was making the throws. AJ played a real solid game.”

“It is great to see your quarterback throw some bombs,” Borjas said. “We are all really proud of him.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

WESLACO — When Weslaco High senior running back Jeremy Coronado was injured in the preseason, he was told he might not make it back onto the field this year.

Coronado would not take no for an answer, and on Friday, he scored Weslaco High’s first TD, firing up the Weslaco offense and the crowd at Bobby Lackey Stadium.

“I wanted to punch it in bad,” Coronado said. “It feels great to be able to score at home. I believe it is my first (touchdown this year) here at home, so it felt great.”

The Panthers (7-1, 3-1) clinched a playoff spot by rolling past a game Edinburg High team (6-2, 2-2) 33-7 on Weslaco’s Homecoming night.

“We knew we were playing a physical ballclub,” Weslaco High coach Michael Salinas said. “I have a lot of respect for coach (J.J.) Leija and his staff and what they have done at Edinburg High. They are a resilient bunch. They play extremely hard. We started a little slow on offense, but that had to do with them as well. Fortunate our defense kept plugging away and gave us some opportunities to get out on top.”

The Weslaco special teams unit set the tone early, as the Bobcats received the opening kickoff and were immediately pinned back at their own 13. EHS senior quarterback Matt Cruz was back in action, and added some much needed versatility to an offense still reeling from the loss of junior Erik Cano.

Still, the Bobcats went three-and-out, and intended to punt. The intention was not to become reality. Weslaco senior linebacker Seth Sanchez blocked the punt of EHS senior Raymond Quintanilla.

“It felt good,” Sanchez said. “We came into this game knowing we could block it, and we did on the first one.”

As Salinas said, Weslaco couldn’t quite get the ball rolling on offense, and the Panthers turned the ball over on downs.

EHS responded in kind, and Weslaco senior kicker George Martinez put the first points of the game on the board on Weslaco’s second possession with a 36-yard field goal.

It was then that the EHS offense woke up, launching a 16-play 52-yard drive.

“We had given up a couple first downs that we thought we could have stopped, but again tribute to those guys,” Salinas said. “And then our guys dug their cleats in the ground and got the stops when they needed to.”

And Sanchez was once again at the center of a huge play for Weslaco, sacking Cruz on fourth down to end the threat.

“Seth is special,” Salinas said. “He plays extremely hard. He works extremely hard. He’s grown up a whole bunch. We are just really proud of the progress he has made to this point.”

That was the moment for Coronado to step up. Coronado ran three of the first four plays for 40 combined yards, highlighted by a monstrous run that brought the Panthers down into the red zone.

Coronado returned from injury in Week 5 against Edinburg Economedes. Each week his yardage total has grown, and that trend would have continued had the Panthers needed more offense later in the game Friday.

Coronado scored his first two touchdowns of the season last week, and he was the spark for the offense this week.

“Anytime you come back from injury it will take a minute,” Salinas said. “But, he’s been working steadily to get back in shape and condition. We are so proud of the effort of both of the running backs.”

Coronado finished with 7 carries for 49 yards. Weslaco’s other feature back, junior Peyton Knaub, had 7 carries for 29 yards.

Junior quarterback Jacob Cavazos was the workhorse, carrying the rock 14 times for 135 yards.

The Panthers exploded in the third quarter. On the first play from scrimmage, Cavazos ripped a 66-yard touchdown run. He then found tight ends Rolando Berrones (junior) and Isaac Villarreal (senior) on back-to-back touchdown passes to balloon the Panthers’ lead to 30-0.

“We have been working hard the past two years,” Sanchez said. “We haven’t clinched in a while. We put in work in the summer, and it feels good to come back and clinch a playoff spot.

“Last year, we struggled. We just knew we had to trust coach Salinas coming into this year, and in the summer, we believed it. We did what we needed to do, and now we have clinched it.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — “I believe we have the best d-line in the Valley,” Edinburg Vela senior defensive tackle Brandon Beebe said.

Beebe is not the type to brag or boast too much — he doesn’t really like interviews — but he had to set the record straight during the team’s bye week.

The sentiment is hard to argue. It starts with Vela’s starters, senior Sergio Carrizales leads the team in sacks, Beebe is an anchor in the middle, and in Week 7 against Weslaco High, senior Kobe Gipson made his debut and recorded two sacks.

The story on the Vela line doesn’t end with the starters though.

“We play a lot of bodies there,” Vela coach John Campbell said. “We basically have a seven or eight man rotation.”

Junior Eddie Salinas is one of the first guys in that rotation. He started for the first six weeks in place of Gipson.

But there is one player in the rotation that few thought would do well.

“He didn’t look like a d-lineman,” Beebe said. “He looked like he played skill or something.”

“I first saw that his shoulders and arms were small,” Carrizales added.

Both were speaking of senior Ramsey Amador. Amador has been a standout on the baseball diamond for years. He is viewed by many as Vela’s best baseball player, but Amador had never played football prior to this fall.

“I was coming back from a big summer ball season in Missouri,” Amador said. “Coaches were talking to me about playing football. I wanted to, but I had to check one thing.”

Last year, Amador led the SaberCats with his .484 batting average. He smashed eight home runs and knocked in 36 RBIs, but he wasn’t able to show his full potential. A nagging arm injury prevented him from pitching much last year, but he was a stud on the mound in his sophomore season. His skill on the baseball diamond allowed him to earn a scholarship from Division I UTRGV.

“I asked my recruiter from UTRGV about football,” Amador recalled. “He thought it was a good idea to get stronger legs and more power for the lower body, because that is what you need in baseball.”

So Amador committed. He was there every day. And the long hours in the weight room assuaged the teasing of his teammates, but it also helped him become part of the team.

“We bonded a lot in the weight room,” Beebe said. “We go hard in there, and he proved he was a part of the team with the way he worked in there.”

It was still an uphill battle for Amador to see the field. Amador had never touched a football field, not TYFA, not Pop Warner, not even just to try it in middle school.

“First, I started as an outside linebacker, and my whole thing was, just chase the ball,” Amador said. “Anyone can chase the ball. You hand a ball to your little brother and chase him, anyone can do that. That is what I was best at. But other than that, coach (Jody) Cantu has taught me everything.”

Cantu is one of the longest tenured coaches on the Vela staff. He was a constant during the changeover from Michael Salinas to John Campbell, and he has worked with many of the seniors on the defensive line since their freshman year.

“Coach Cantu is definitely a key for me,” Carrizales said. “He is beyond a coach for me; he is now like a father to me. Everything he says, I take it to heart. I try to spread his intensity to the rest of the d-line, because even if they don’t have that relationship with him yet, I want them to understand the intensity.”

Amador was like a sponge around Cantu, trying to soak up every morsel of information he could get.

“Coach Cantu has taught me everything,” Amador said. “He is the reason for everything I do on the field.”

As Amador continued to grow, learn and add muscle mass, he started to feel more comfortable on the football field. Like so many football players before him, Amador got his start on special teams.

“Special teams is all about being an animal on the field,” Amador said. “You just go as hard as you can to stop the guy, and get the defense room to work with.”

It was there where the style of Amador’s game started to show.

“He’s just a big kid, he’s got a lot of length,” Campbell said. “He is very new to the game of football, but at the same time he is a great athlete. We fixed things up pretty quickly. The fun thing with Ramsey is he is enjoying himself. He is fun to be around in practice. With him not having really played before, you really get to see a lot of progression on a week-to-week basis.”

That progression continued to show in his play, and by week three he was in that deadly rotation. In his first game on defense, Amador registered a sack and made several more tackles.

“Ramsey is a fool,” Carrizales said with a smile looking right into the eyes of his teammate. “But he is one of those guys that you need out there on the field. He brings that energy and stuff like that. He is a hell of an athlete.”

It is easy to see this experience will help Amador on the diamond, but right now, that is the furthest thing from his mind.

“Being that it is football season, these guys have brought me in and made me one of their own,” Amador said. “Now I get to ball out with them.”

Ball out is what they do best. Edinburg Vela is the last undefeated team in the Valley, and the SaberCats are poised to claim back-to-back undefeated district titles. The road to that massive accomplishment starts at 7 tonight, as the SaberCats get back to work after their bye, hosting Donna North at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

“To be the last undefeated team in the valley, my senior year especially, is one of the biggest blessings of my life,” Carrizales said. “I thank all the coaches, all the players, God, my family, it means a lot. Not only has it been a challenge through the years here at Vela, but now we have set the pillar that all the guys after us will have to reach. But that doesn’t stop here. We are focused. We are ready, and when the time comes we will bring our best to the playoffs and try to set that standard even higher.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — As Edinburg North senior Natalie Rodriguez pounded another ball through the Weslaco High defense, she roared and pumped her fists as the point extended the Cougars’ already large lead.

After the crowd eruption, which matched the intensity of Rodriguez’s celebration, the Cougars’ bench started chanting “DII, DII, DII.”

Rodriguez is a Texas A&M-Kingsville commit, and the chant was an ode to her future at the NCAA Division II school.

The Cougars (26-15, 9-3) used defense early, Rodriguez caught fire in the second set, and North swept Weslaco High away for a shot for the district title, 25-15, 25-12, 25-9, on Tuesday night at Edinburg North High School.

“She’s always been our leader,” North coach Raul McCallum said of Rodriguez, who had 25 kills and 15 digs. “She leads in sets, kills, sometimes even digs. Sometimes in our huddles, she’s in charge. (She is) just an overall great player. She’s a great leader.”

Tiebreakers were abound with three teams tied for first in District 31-6A. Edinburg High earned the top spot, North’s win vaulted the Cougars to the second spot, and Vela takes the third seed. The Panthers’ loss drops them to the fourth seed.

“This win felt incredible,” Rodriguez said. “Especially to do it with the girls. They are the ones that bring me up; I do my best for them. They are the reason why I play.”

The game started with the Cougars defense.

“That is one of the things we have always stressed, you ‘d’ up first,” McCallum said. “And then from there, if we can dig them, and we attack, it will be hard for them to dig us. I just told them ‘d’ up, get big, and let’s pound it.”

There wasn’t a ball hit that sophomore libero Evana Ramos couldn’t get to.

“Evana is great,” McCallum said. “She reads the ball very well. She talks, she communicates, she rotates, she sets. Whenever our setters get the dig, she’s in charge of getting the second ball, kind of like what they do at the college level. It’s great. She’s just our little bugs bunny.”

Ramos had 35 digs, 3 assists and 4 aces.

“It is hard,” Ramos said. “It takes a lot of training, but it’s all worth it for nights like tonight.”

Senior setter Jessica Dreyer played in here second game since returning from a back injury. The Cougars are glad to have her back and healthy, and she couldn’t wait to make an impact.

“This win felt really awesome considering we are not fourth,” Dreyer said with a laugh of relief. “Not being able to play, and then coming back, and then us winning like this, with this high of a score, kind of really brought our energy up. We have worked really hard for this, and I think we deserved it. We wanted this win more than the other team tonight.”

Dreyer contributed 10 assists, 10 digs and 2 aces. During her absence, some of the auxiliary players were given extended playing time, and as Dreyer has worked her way back to full-match health, the depth has been a boon.

“We knew they are going to key on Nat, and we have always said everybody has to step up,” McCallum said. “We have some juniors that have come up, we put them in there. We sat our middle down for the second set. One of our other girls stepped in, and it was like nothing changed, we didn’t miss a beat. We practice that, if somebody is injured, you are going to come in and see what you can do.”

Dreyer has seen just how important depth is over her career at North, so even when she is exhausted and on the bench, she gives everything she has left to cheer on her teammates.

“We try to cheer after every point, because we want to keep that energy and momentum,” Dreyer said. “Although we are supposed to forget the last point, and only focus on the current point. When we can give our team even a little bit more energy, it makes a difference. Cheering brings us all together and makes us work as one.”

Kelsey Limas, who filled in while Dreyer was out, had 16 assists and 6 digs. Drina Garza added 10 kills and 5 digs.

When the DII chant rang through Edinburg North’s gym, one thing was on full display: team unity. North has been through struggle after struggle, with coaching changes, players transferring out and disappointing seasons. The win on Tuesday felt like a culmination of everything the Cougars have had to overcome, and how much it has improved the players that were there throughout.

“I think the difference this year is bonding,” Rodriguez said. “We have gotten really close in the little bit of time we have been together. A few people left here and there, but what we have is what brought us together. Because we are very close now, in the practices we make jokes, we just have fun with each other.”

Tuesday was a glimpse of what the newly united Cougars will bring to the playoffs.

“We came out with a mindset that we were going to win, but we also wanted to have fun,” Ramos said. “It wasn’t so much about winning tonight; it was about being a team. I think we really proved ourselves as a team. We worked really well together. We picked each other up, and that is what helped us win tonight.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

MERCEDES — Mercedes’ offense got off to a hot start, and the defense held off Valley View to seal the win.

Senior quarterback Isreal Alegria started it off, finding senior receiver Leeroy Garcia in the end zone in the first quarter. He capped off the score by running in the conversion.

On Mercedes’ next drive, Alegria punched one in from the 2, putting Mercedes up 15-0.

That would be all Mercedes needed to pick up the District 16-5A DII win over Valley View 15-11 on Friday night at Tiger Stadium.

“A lot of credit to Valley View and their coaching staff,” Mercedes coach Roger Adame Jr. said. “Defense was huge tonight, all credit to coach (Ralph) Galvan our DC. They work hard every day, and they preach physicality. We got some points on the board early. The defense stepped up huge. We got the stop at the 1-inch line, that is pretty dang huge.”

Finding the end zone early proved to be the difference for Mercedes.

“It got us going,” Alegria said. “Last week, we couldn’t get anything in the red zone. So, all week that was our topic going in. We had a good matchup of what we wanted. It was a play-action. Leeroy made a great play. It helped us out a lot, because it gave us that confidence we needed.”

Once the offense had put up points, the group came back down to earth. Penalties slowed the pace of the game, and Mercedes relied heavily on junior running back Sonny Vela to help milk the clock and gain yardage. Vela finished the game with 120 rushing yards.

“He came up to me before the game and said ‘coach, let me roll,’” Adame said of Vela. “Sometimes during the game there are situations where you are hesitant, but when he got the ball, he was doing everything he needed to do. He’s a team captain for a reason.”

Alegria was able to show his elusiveness and his passing ability, but he was also thrown off by the rhythm of the game.

“We had a few bad plays, the holding penalties, the false starts, those have been a problem all year, and we have to get that stuff under control,” Alegria said. “But we had to fight through it tonight. We will get it right.”

To start the second half, Valley View stole the momentum.

The Valley View defense started the half by holding Mercedes to a three-and-out. As Mercedes tried to punt, the snap sailed over the head of Alegria, the punter, and out of the back of the end zone for a safety.

The points woke up the Valley View offense, and on the first offensive snap of the second half, senior quarterback Simon Fernandez ran for 39 yards and a touchdown to cut the lead to six.

After Valley View shrunk the deficit, the offense again sputtered, as the Mercedes defense rose to the occasion time and again.

“The defense came up big,” Vela said. “I applaud them for their effort tonight. That was big for us.”

The most intense series of the game came with about three minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Aided by penalties and a few good-looking passes from Fernandez, Valley View found itself with a first-and-goal from the 1.

“We just had to adjust,” junior defensive lineman Chris Hogan said. “It was a high-intensity game. It was a playoff atmosphere, and we knew our defense could win the game for us.”

The Mercedes defense was thinking turnover.

“We were just thinking we have to get a stop and get our offense the ball back somehow,” Hogan said.

Fernandez took the snap on second-and-goal from as close as you can be, and headed straight for the end zone. Big No. 75, junior Marcus Garcia, got one of his giant arms on the ball, and ripped it out and flung it backwards as he fell to the ground. Hogan was there to fall on the ball in the end zone and give the Mercedes offense the ball back.

“In my mind, I’m just thinking get the ball, get the ball,” Garcia said. “The first time, I dove to try to get the ball. It worked, I knocked the ball out, but (Fernandez) fell on it. The second time, I just made sure I grabbed it and threw it back. It ended up in our player’s hands. I’m just grateful he was there to get it and get this win for us.”

The recovery was just what the Tigers needed to ice the game.

“They were on the 1-inch line, two minutes left, down by six,” Adame said. “We were going through all of the scenarios: Do we let them score? Do we take a timeout? In the end, the defense got it done. That is huge.”

Mercedes fell behind early in the season, but the wins only really start to count in district. Friday’s win moves Mercedes to second place in District 16-5A DII, while Valley View drops to fourth.

“They were doing a lot of talking during the game,” Garcia said. “We stay quiet and we let our playing do the talking.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

The Progreso Red Ants (3-4) are ready to roll into a tough district season.

“We are pretty confident,” Progreso coach Frank Martinez said. “We have a lot of our key players back. We are looking forward to district. We know that (Port Isabel) is playing some really good football, so we have to be out there pretty much perfect if we want to compete against them. … I know the guys are excited, our coaching staff is excited. We just can’t wait to get out there and see where we are.”

Last week against Marine Military Academy, Progreso running back Julian Alvarez took the team lead with 445 rushing yards on the season. Part of that is due to the fact that Jose Medrano (310) and Michael Medrano (343) have both missed time with injury. All three will be ready to go at full force against Port Isabel on Friday in District 16-4A DII action in Progreso.

Alvarez has been a crucial element to the Red Ants’ attack.

“He’s a downhill runner,” Martinez said. “He has been taking the reins for us. He did good for us. We put him at fullback and z back and he succeeded on both of them. He looked great out there.”

Things aren’t perfect in Progreso just yet, but Martinez and his staff have already made an impact, and things are only getting better under their direction.

“I feel really blessed to be here,” Martinez said. “I feel we have made an impact here, but I still think we are behind a lot of other traditional programs. Having been in a traditional program, it is a little bit different as far as the culture.”

What makes Martinez’s task a little bit easier is the kids he has on his team.

“The fact that they come out there and work really hard, just shows how humble the kids are,” Martinez said. “They have taken loss after loss, and they still come out and grind for you every day.”

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BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — Edinburg High came into this week with one goal in mind: get two wins.

Sounds easy right? The reality is anything but, as the Bobcats faced off with Weslaco High on Tuesday, before facing off with Edinburg Vela this Saturday. Weslaco and Vela were tied for the top spot in District 31-6A coming into Tuesday’s action.

EHS completed step one, defeating Weslaco 19-25, 25-20, 25-11, 25-20 on Tuesday night at Edinburg High School.

“I’m glad that’s over,” EHS coach Deanna Dominguez “We were overcoming a bit of adversity today. Our second middle (Zarina Rodriguez) was out. She was very, very ill, yesterday. So our second middle that came in today, Bryhane Salinas, stepped up. (Salinas had 7 kills, 1 block and 1 dig)… Weslaco is a great team. They played very well together. Coach Axle (Valle) has done an amazing job over there. I’m very grateful that we got this win today.”

EHS, Edinburg North and Weslaco High are all tied for second in the district.

The game started close, as both teams exchanged salvos of offense. Weslaco pulled away in the first set, but the win just served as a wake-up call for the Bobcats.

Junior outside hitter Victoria Fuentes sparked the Bobcats, and got the momentum on EHS’ side.

“When I get blocked, everyone tells me, ‘just shake it off. It happens. It’s not the end of the world. Just keep doing your thing,’” said Fuentes who had 22 kills, 5 blocks, 1 ace and 5 digs. “So, I’m like ‘ok I got blocked, now let me see what is open.’ I go for the open shots, and it gets us points.”

Fuentes combined with one of the team’s few seniors Renee Ponce, form the teeth of the Bobcats’ attack, and when they get going, they are hard to stop.

“Victoria is somebody that we expect those points to come from,” Dominguez said. “She is our go-to player. … Renee Ponce finds the holes, she finds the girls, no matter how horrible the pass might be. She finds a way. She stepped it up for us in that fourth set with her service game.”

Ponce finished the night with 9 kills, 2 aces, 26 digs and 26 assists.

As the pace of the EHS balls started to pick up, midway through the second set and into the third, the Weslaco defense couldn’t find the solution. Many of EHS’ balls shot just past a Weslaco defender, and even when Weslaco got a hand on the ball, the Panthers couldn’t do enough to keep their attacks alive.

An already small EHS bench was even more depleted by the absence of Rodriguez. The Bobcats put in a lot of work throughout the year to make sure they can withstand the rigors of long matches without much rest.

“Our girls have to be super tough and we work them really, really tough,” Dominguez said. “They will tell you about their summer workouts. They will tell you about Wednesday-Thursday workouts. They know we have to have that conditioning and endurance to give max effort play after play, and still be able to endure those long rallies and chase down all these odd shot balls that go almost into the bleachers. We expect them to hustle for those balls, and find a way to finish.”

“We work a lot on conditioning,” freshman libero Arianna Guerra said. “Our coach makes sure that if we go to five sets, we don’t tire out. We take conditioning very seriously, because then we always know that other schools can’t go the distance with us.”

Guerra was playing on the back line for Barrientes Middle School a calendar year ago. She was playing JV at the beginning of the year. Now, Guerra is starting and getting crucial playing time, and she is responding with crucial plays.

“She is really a hustler and she is all heart,” Dominguez said. “She is learning too, on the fly. She’s another kid who has been stepping it up.”

Guerra had 32 digs and 1 ace on Tuesday.

Fuentes remembers her freshman year, and the stresses it brought.

“I love (Guerra), Fuentes said. “I know it’s tense for her, because when I was a freshman, there was only two of us, and that was very intense for me. But, with her, she’s all alone. I give her a lot of props. I wouldn’t know how to handle that. She is doing very well.”

With the win, part one is done. Now it is time for part two.

“We are going to go hard in practice over the next three games,” Fuentes said. “That is what prepares us for this rivalry game with Vela.”

Fuentes said she grew up with a lot of the girls on the Vela team, and they are very close.

“They are like my sisters. We fight, but then we make up, we love each other,” she said.

But on Saturday, it will be all business.

“I’m really proud of the way that they have progressed,” Dominguez said. “We have had our lapses here and there, but for the most part, we weren’t expected to do very much this year. Now, these last two games are huge. We need to win out to give ourselves the best opportunity.”

“We really want to be district champs so bad,” Guerra said. “We want to close out the season with all wins.”

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BY TJ GARCIA | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR

Marco Aguinaga may not be a patient guy, but when the sophomore quarterback gets a chance to play, he makes the most of it.

The Monitor’s 2016 All-Area Offensive Play of the Year had the best game of his two-year career at Baker University last Saturday in Kansas, producing a trio of touchdowns and more than 400 yards of total offense. The Edcouch-Elsa product threw for 374 yards and three scores, connecting on 26 of 42 attempts to lead the Baker Wildcats to a 34-7 victory over conference rival MidAmerica Nazarene.

The 5-foot-11, 189-pound quarterback also rushed for 57 yards on 13 carries and was able to overcome two interceptions to improve Baker’s record to 5-2 overall and 1-0 in the Heart of America Conference. Baker, ranked 17th in the country, is a small NAIA school located just shy of an hour southwest of downtown Kansas City, Mo.

Aguinaga, who has been biding his time as the No. 2 QB since last year, started three games in 2017 after NAIA national player of the year Logan Brettell was injured. He went back to the bench after Brettell returned, but not before performing admirably, passing for 1,035 yards and four TDs to just 1 interception.

This season, the sophomore was overlooked and became the back up again, picking up just 127 passing yards in spot duty through the first four games. However, in Baker’s fifth game the Wildcats’ offense stalled and coaches called Aguinaga’s number after halftime. He responded with 116 yards and two touchdowns, leading the team to 28 second-half points and 35-0 victory.

That performance led him to start the next game against MidAmerica Nazarene. Now, it looks like the starting QB job is all Aguinaga’s.

VELA’S WASHINGTON RETURNS TO LEAD HUSTON-TILLOTSON

Focused on academics last year, Maranda Washington all but hung up her volleyball sneakers. She said goodbye to her teammates, coaches and the Huston-Tillotson gym where she had excelled for three-straight years as an all-conference libero. The Edinburg Vela product was ready to move on to a school that had a major she wanted to study.

Then after finding some other H-T students with the same problem, they banded and approached university officials with a proposal to expand academic fields of study. H-T listened, expanded and now Washington is back on the floor with the Rams as their only senior, and she’s doing fabulous.

The 5-foot-1 libero is tied for the Red River Conference lead in digs per set at 5.3 (339 total) (26th nationally in NAIA), and she’s added 55 assists and 17 service aces, to boot. H-T sits atop the conference with a 6-1 record (tied with Our Lady of The Lake) and is 19-2 overall.

VETS’ VILLARREAL VICIOUS ON No. 2 CRU’S DEFENSE

Mission Veterans’ alum Santos Villarreal and his Mary Hardin-Baylor football teammates have made life miserable for their opponents. The No. 2 ranked 6-0 Cru (NCAA Division III) have beaten up their opponents by a combined score of 364-35. Their closest game was a 26-0 shutout of Abilene’s Hardin-Simmons and the biggest win was a 91-7 shellacking of Albright College of Pennsylvania.

Villarreal, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound senior linebacker, has helped spearhead MHB’s dominating defense. So far this year, the former quarterback has 20 tackles, five tackles for loss, one interception and one fumble recovery. Those are not eye-popping numbers, but they show performance (keeping in mind that starters rarely play more than a half for MHB), and that numbers are not above the team’s goal of another national championship.

MCHI’S RODRIGUEZ WEARS NO. 10 FOR UH-VICTORIA

As a freshman in 2017, Adrian Rodriguez made a splash on Jaguars’ soccer team. He didn’t score a ton of goals in 12 starts but he nailed one in the NAIA Red River Conference tournament championship, which helped him get named to the all-tournament team. This season, the McAllen High School product has turned it up a notch – maybe two.

The 5-foot-6 forward is the Jaguars’ leading scorer with 10 points. Rodriguez is tied with team lead in goals with three, and he is the team’s leader in assists with four. The sophomore, who has started all eight games this season, has 14 shots on goal for the 6-1-1 Jaguars. UHV currently sits in second place (5-0-1) in the Red River Conference.

MONDAY HELPS WITH INCARNATE WORD TRANSITON

To say the University of Incarnate Word volleyball team is young is a major understatement. Most of them haven’t even faced the “freshman 15.” No matter, the Cardinals – with seven freshmen and four sophomores on a 17-player roster – are fighting. Even though they are just 4-15, UIW recently went on a 4-3 run in the schedule showing signs of life.

McHi’s Julia Monday, a sophomore, is at the center of the team’s rebuilding efforts. The 6-foot right outside hitter is second on the team in overall points with 167 (2.78 per set) and has notched 148 kills, which is good enough for third best on the squad. Monday also has 46 digs and 18 blocks even though she doesn’t play a defensive role on the team. She has started 15 of the Cardinals 19 matches.