By ROY HESS |THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
After defeating Lopez 35-21 Saturday night, the Brownsville Veterans Memorial players believe they have come through a District 32-5A gauntlet with flying colors.
In recent weeks the Chargers (6-1 overall, 4-0 district) have downed Mercedes (24-17), Edcouch-Elsa (21-19) and now the Lobos. Those are the teams that figured to be the biggest challengers in 32-5A for the Chargers, who are defending district co-champions with Mercedes.
So Saturday’s win felt pretty good for everyone on the team plus the coaches and fans.
It was one of the most eventful matchups between two Brownsville teams in recent memory considering both ballclubs were undefeated in 32-5A coming into the contest and strong contenders for the district crown.
“This win was huge,” said Chargers quarterback Gustavo Vasquez, a senior who scored his team’s first four touchdowns on runs of 33, 36, 8 and 4 yards as Brownsville Veterans built a 21-7 lead by halftime and held a 28-14 edge after three quarters. “This was a game that really determined the whole district. Being able to get this ‘W’ meant a lot.
“We had a lot of heart and determination coming into this game,” Vasquez added. “I think we’re in a good position now (district-wise), but we can’t take our remaining (32-5A) opponents lightly. There are still three teams we’ve got to face, and we’ll go hard against them, too.”
Elijah Masten, a sophomore wide receiver for the Chargers, believes Saturday’s win was pretty pivotal as well.
“It means the world to us to go out there and compete with our brothers on the field in a game like this one,” Masten said. “We put out our all, and to get this win in the end gives us a lot of hope for the playoffs.
“I think it was heart over everything basically for us tonight,” Masten added. “We came into this game very prepared to take the win and we got the job done.”
For the Chargers’ Tommy Martinez, a senior defensive end, Saturday’s victory over Lopez is proof that his team is rising to the top just like a year ago in 32-5A.
“This means everything to us because for the past three weeks we’ve gone against the toughest competition in our district, and every time we were predicted to lose,” Martinez said. “It feels great to be considered the underdogs and come out with the win.
“We’re playing as a unit, not blaming each other (when things go wrong) and just winning,” he added. “Our coaches prepared us very well this week, so we had all the confidence we needed.”
Damian Maldonado, a sophomore tight end/wide receiver for the Chargers, said the rewards for all the hard work the team is putting forth are finally coming to fruition.
“We’ve been working very hard the whole season and it’s paying off,” Maldonado said. “We’ve been through the (32-5A) gauntlet and we’re going for the district championship. (After beating Lopez) our chances are pretty high now.”