ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
When Lopez and Brownsville Veterans Memorial clash this week, it’ll mean a little more at this point in the season.
Both the Lobos and Chargers are unbeaten at 3-0 in District 32-5A play, and the winner will move a step closer toward the district championship in The Brownsville Herald’s Game of the Week at 7 p.m. Saturday at Sams Memorial Stadium.
“It’s going to be a heavyweight, 12-round bout between two very well-coached teams with great kids,” Lopez coach Jason Starkey said. “I’m very proud of Brownsville football this year and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of it.”
Lopez (6-0 overall) and Brownsville Veterans (5-1) both come into this game with plenty of momentum. The Lobos don’t have a blemish on their record yet thanks to a suffocating defense and an opportunistic offense, while the Chargers have lost just once, a 34-20 setback to undefeated Edinburg Vela in Week 3
Lopez has rolled through the district thus far, but got a test from Donna High last week. The Lobos didn’t play as well offensively as they would have liked, but its defense did its part. And, the unit is expecting a big challenge from a Brownsville Veterans offense that averages 347 yards and 29 points per game. Chargers senior quarterback Gustavo Vasquez leads the way with 892 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.
“Our defense has their work cut out for them this week,” Lopez coach Jason Starkey said. “We need to focus up front on trying to contain one of the more dynamic players (Vasquez) we’ve seen in a few years in Brownsville. He plays at a high level, but his teammates play at a high level. They do a great job over there as a team to put themselves in a position to be successful.
“Ray Charles could see that we have our hands full this week … playing the toughest opponent we’ve faced this year.”
Brownsville Veterans is confident coming in after taking care of Mercedes and Edcouch-Elsa in Week 6 and 7, respectively.
“Lopez is just as strong and as hungry as the last two teams we’ve faced,” Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu said. “We were able to beat two extremely strong football teams … it leads us to believe if we’re in it in the fourth quarter, we’ll have a chance to come out on top.”
Lopez averages 396 yards and 39 points per game and allows just 166 yards and 11 points.
The Chargers are ready, but don’t plan to change what they do best.
“They’re the number one offense and the number one defense … so very challenging, challenging to come up with a game plan,” Cantu said. “But we’re going to stay the course … we are who are. What they’ve seen is what they’re going to get.”
Brownsville Veterans, which surrenders 301 yards and 22 points per contest, has steadily improved on defense each week and have stepped up to the challenge, especially during the last two weeks.
“Limiting Lopez in regards to the big plays,” Cantu said. “Try to keep (Lopez running back Jose Echavarria) in check … it’s going to be a huge challenge, but in the same sense they’ve done a good job throwing the ball too.”
Echavarria is third in the district with 840 yards on the ground and six touchdowns. Senior quarterback Alex Ramirez has thrown for 474 yards and 11 touchdowns, including eight of those during the past two weeks.
With two very good offenses on both sidelines, it seems that it could come down to which team’s defense makes the most plays. But Starkey said the kickers could decide this game, too.
“They’re so dynamic offensively,” Starkey said. “I think we’re going to have to score some points to win this dag gum thing. They’re good; it’s going to take our best effort. We have to create turnovers; we have to win the turnover battle.
“I think the kicking game will play a key role … special teams could possible sway this game one way or another.”
Cantu envisioned a low-scoring affair with defenses being a big factor, but he feels the game could be won or lost in the trenches and decided by which team handles the big-game atmosphere.
“The defense could be a surprise on Saturday night,” he said. “Lopez’s defense has been strong throughout and ours has gotten better behind 10 senior starters. We have to withstand the storm at the beginning … we know both teams are going to come out emotionally charged, sometimes that can work for you, but sometimes it can work against you.
“Whomever deals with adversity better will be 4-0 (in District 32-5A) at the end of the night.”
Both teams come into this game unbeaten during District 32-5A and it should be a battle on both sides of the ball. Lopez is the top ranked offense (396 yards per game) and defense (166) while Brownsville Veterans is fourth offensively (347) and fifth defensively (301). While both teams can light up the scoreboard, but it might come down to which defense can force the most turnovers and limit the others offense. If the defenses control the game, points could come at a premium. The Chargers have improved on defense as of late, but the Lobos are pretty stingy and don’t allow much, just 11 points per game. It comes down to a defensive battle, Lopez gets the slight edge.
PREDICTION: Lopez 17, Brownsville Veterans 14
Thursday’s Game
District 32-5A
DONNA HIGH AT PORTER
WHEN: 7 p.m., Thursday
WHERE: Sams Memorial Stadium
RECORDS: Donna High (2-4, 0-3); Porter (0-6, 0-3)
GAME NOTES: Donna High lost to Lopez 21-7 at home in Week 7. … The Redskins’ offense averages 173 yards and 14 points per game. Senior quarterback Hector Guerrero is a dual threat as he has thrown for 285 yards and two touchdowns and has rushed for 86 yards and a score. … The Donna High defense is allowing 295 yards and 21 points per game. … Porter lost to Donna North 38-21 in Week 7. … The Cowboys’ offense averages 253 yards and 16 points per outing. Freshman quarterback Kevin Garcia leads the Cowboys offense with 436 yards passing and two touchdowns. He is also the team’s top rusher with 343 yards and five touchdowns. … The Porter defense surrenders 422 yards and just under 40 points per game. … Both Donna High and Porter are looking for their first district win. … Each team has struggled on both sides of the ball this season.
PREDICTION: Donna High 21, Porter 17
— Andrew Crum
Friday’s Games
District 32-6A
LOS FRESNOS AT HANNA
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Friday
WHERE: Sams Memorial Stadium
RECORDS: Los Fresnos (4-2, 2-1); Hanna (5-1, 3-0)
GAME NOTES: Los Fresnos held off Weslaco East 17-14 in Week 7. … The Falcons’ offense averages 340 yards and 29 points per game. Senior quarterback Charles Chapa is a dual threat as he has thrown for 789 yards and five touchdowns and has rushed for 277 yards and four touchdowns. His favorite target, sophomore receiver Nico Valencia, has 32 catches for 282 yards and three touchdowns. … The Los Fresnos defense allows 305 yards and less than 17 points per game. Junior defensive back Johnny Cadengo had two interceptions last week, including the latter one late in the fourth quarter to seal the district victory in Week 7. … Hanna outlasted Harlingen South 21-17 on the road in Week 7. … The Golden Eagles’ offense averages 331 yards and 31 points per game.
PREDICTION: Los Fresnos 24, Hanna 21
— Andrew Crum
RIVERA AT WESLACO HIGH
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Friday
WHERE: Bobby Lackey Stadium, Weslaco
RECORDS: Rivera (1-5, 0-3); Weslaco (1-4, 0-3)
GAME NOTES: Rivera and Weslaco High sit at the bottom of district 32-6A. On paper, Weslaco’s offense looks slightly better (in one fewer game) than the Raiders, as they have gained 301 yards per game to Rivera’s 265. Weslaco is still platooning at quarterback with Jacob Cavazos as the mobile specialist and Marco Leal as the threat through the air. Both QBs have had struggles, Cavazos with fumbles and Leal with picks…. Matt De Santiago is nearing 500 yards rushing on the season for the Panthers with four scores….Nico Blanco has been a mixed back for the Raiders. He has thrown for 590 yards and seven TDs, but there’s also five interceptions to his name so far. Both teams will look to pass the ball more than running the football but the more balanced offense should have the edge.
PREDICTION: Weslaco 21, Rivera 10
— Nathaniel Mata
District 32-5A
PACE AT DONNA NORTH
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Friday
WHERE: Bennie LaPrade Stadium, Donna
RECORDS: Pace (2-4, 1-2); Donna North (1-5, 1-2)
GAME NOTES: The winner of this game keeps its hopes alive for one of four playoff spots available in 32-5A … The loser is not eliminated from playoff contention, but faces a much tougher scenario … Pace is coming off last week’s 61-21 home loss against Mercedes while Donna North won its first game of the season against Porter 38-21 while playing at home … the two teams played in Brownsville last year with the Vikings winning 36-29 … The first time they met was 2014 with Pace winning 23-7, so the Vikings hold a 2-1 edge in the brief series between the two teams … The Chiefs rely on RBs Tony Gomez and Juan Jaramillo to fuel their rushing attack as both of them average around 5 yards a carry.
PREDICTION: Pace 27, Donna North 21
— Roy Hess
Non-district
ST. JOSEPH ACADEMY AT MARINE MILITARY ACADEMY
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Friday
WHERE: Bowman Stadium, Harlingen
RECORDS: St. Joseph Academy (3-3, 0-0); Marine Miliary Academy (2-4, 0-0)
GAME NOTES: St. Joseph was idle in Week 7, but topped Hidalgo 42-10 in Week 6. … The Bloodhounds’ offense averages 486 yards and nearly 41 points per game. Senior quarterback Kai Money is a dual threat as he has thrown for 1,318 yards and 18 touchdowns and has rushed for 783 yards and seven touchdowns. His favorite target, junior receiver Pablo Zolezzi, has 21 catches for 464 yards and seven touchdowns. … The St. Joseph defense allows 24 points per game and has 12 sacks and three interceptions on the season. … MMA defeated Premont 33-22 in Week 7. … The Leathernecks’ offense averages nearly 23 points per game. The team started the year with a pair of wins, but have lost four straight games since. … The MMA defense allows less than 34 points per game.
PREDICTION: St. Joseph 42, Marine Military 21
— Andrew Crum
District 16-4A DII
ORANGE GROVE AT PORT ISABEL
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Friday
WHERE: Tarpon Stadium, Port Isabel
RECORDS: Orange Grove (3-3, 1-0); Port Isabel (1-4, 0-1)
GAME NOTES: Orange Grove visits Port Isabel in a game of two teams on two seperate paths. … Port Isabel has lost three games in a row and are coming off a 48-27 loss at Rio Hondo. … The silver lining for Port Isabel is that their 27 points against Rio Hondo were its highest of the season. The Tarpon offense is averaging 20.8 points per game this season. … Sophomore Bryan Medina had another big night running the ball last week, recording 123 yards on 10 carries. On the season, Medina has a team-high 459 yards and has eclipsed the century mark three times and has four touchdowns. … Jeremy Martinez was up in the quarterback roulette last week, play his first game under center since last month. He threw for 154 yards on 8 of 13 passing with a touchdown and two picks. … The Tarpons average 301 yards of total offense per game.
PREDICTION: Orange Grove 35, Port Isabel 20
— Mark Molina