By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Garnering a 5-0 vote by the District 31-5A Executive Committee on Wednesday, former PSJA North quarterback George Olivarez was cleared to play for Edinburg Vela this season.
The DEC held an emergency meeting Wednesday morning to discuss the Previous Athletic Participation Forms for Olivarez and former Mission Veterans Memorial receiver Adam Solis. With a 3-1 vote against Solis, the junior will have to wait 365 days from the time of his transfer to become eligible to play at the varsity level for Valley View.
Solis, who enrolled at Valley View two weeks ago, can appeal the decision at the state executive meeting, though it remains unclear if he will exercise that option.
As for Olivarez, the senior is eligible to play the remaining two regular-season games for Edinburg Vela, which hosts Rio Grande City on Thursday. His addition boosts an already potent SaberCats team (8-0 overall, 4-0 in district) that has been ranked No. 2 by RGVSports.com all year.
Olivarez last played during the Raiders’ 56-7 district-opening loss to Weslaco High on Sept. 25. The senior, who completed 6 of 16 passes for 126 yards and an interception that game, was benched during the third quarter of the blowout, extending their losing streak to four games.
Upon being told the following Monday that he had lost his starting job, Olivarez transferred to Edinburg Vela, PSJA North coach Jorge Peña told The Monitor in late September. Peña said at the time he would sign the necessary paperwork to help Olivarez’s eligibility elsewhere.
In going from 31-6A PSJA North to 31-5A Edinburg Vela, Olivarez’s transfer does not present a competitive conflict for Peña or the Raiders.
Still, Peña’s comments raised concerns about Olivarez’s motivation to transfer. Under University of Interscholastic League rules, students are not permitted to transfer for athletic purposes. Going before the DEC on Wednesday, Olivarez’s parents presented a case that demonstrated his move stemmed from other variables, excluding athletics, sources said.
Of the seven DEC members, five voted on that motion. As the district chair, Mission Veterans was not granted a vote. Edinburg Vela, which stood to benefit from Olivarez’s approval, also did not have a say.
At North, Olivarez was a two-year starter and the catalyst for their high-scoring spread offense. With Peña and Olivarez at the head of their respective positions, the Raiders bounced back from an 0-10 season in 2013 by going 5-6 overall, including 4-2 in district, before losing in the first round of the playoffs to Brownsville Rivera.
Through five games this year, North scored a district-high 170 points on 2,139 yards. Olivarez accounted for 1,105 of those yards. Still, North started the season 1-4.
Since his departure, and with Darren Fuentes under center now, the Raiders (4-4, 3-1) have won three straight.
It is unclear how Edinburg Vela intends to utilize Olivarez. Senior Fabian Pedraza has started every game for the SaberCats this season. Pedraza is tied for the most touchdown passes (19) in district with Mission Veterans quarterback Diego Hernandez, who is out for the year. Pedraza also trails Hernandez in passing yards (1,433), while ranking first in accuracy, completing 67.1 percent of his attempts.
For his part, Solis was an integral piece in Mission Veterans’ offense. At the time of his departure, Solis was the Patriots’ leader in receiving yards (582 on 25 catches), scoring five touchdowns. He transferred following Mission Veterans’ 29-27 district-opening loss to Sharyland High on Oct. 2.
Coach David Gilpin cited “personal reasons” for his starting receiver/backup quarterback’s decision to move. The 3-1 motion against Solis excluded votes from his previous school (Mission Veterans), the default district chair (Sharyland High) and his current school (Valley View).
In having to wait a full calendar year before being eligible to play for the Tigers, Solis must wait until Week 7 next season to suit up for the varsity team. In the meantime, Solis is allowed to compete on their JV squad.
Had Solis been cleared Wednesday, he would have been eligible to play against his former school, Mission Veterans, on Friday.