BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
Edinburg Economedes’ bye week came at just the right time. With six-week exams to study for, the Jaguars spent their off days hitting the books and getting healthy.
With rest and academics taken care of, it’s back to the gridiron for Econ.
“We’re ready to go out there and hit somebody,” coach Gabe Peña said.
The Jaguars have quietly assembled a three-game win streak, beating PSJA High, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln and nabbing a 32-24 district-opening win over PSJA Memorial during a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicates.
During that three-game stand, Econ has averaged 33 points on 239 rushing yards per game while allowing a paltry 127 yards on defense. As the Jaguars enter Friday’s matchup against Weslaco East (4-1, 2-0) at Cats Stadium, they resemble the playoff team Peña believed them to be from the get-go. But he remains practical about the remainder of the season.
“At this point, some teams are starting to pack in their season,” he said. “We’re not one of them. We get to keep playing for something. But we have a saying. We tell the kids to play all-out for four to six seconds every play. If we keep doing that, we help ourselves out.”
The Wildcats present a formidable challenge to Econ’s streaking defense. East enters the game averaging 401 yards of offense per game and are spurred by its ever-present ground game. Senior running back Emilio Tamez leads District 31-6A with 715 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.
“Both teams like to play a physical style of football,” Peña said. “Both teams pride themselves on defense and running the ball. We’re both very similar in what we want to do, but I don’t like to worry about what the other team can do. I just focus on what we can do better.”
CONFIDENCE IS KEY
The Edinburg North Cougars took a serious hit to their aspirations of claiming the District 31-6A title last week during a 42-25 loss to PSJA North. The loss puts the Cougars (1-5) in an 0-2 hole to begin the district season.
“That’s kind of been the story for us this season,” coach Rene Saenz said. “We’ve put ourselves in holes almost every game this year, and we’ve had to try and dig ourselves out.”
One reason why the Cougars have struggled this season has been a defense that routinely gives up big plays. Be it to Edcouch-Elsa, Weslaco East or PSJA North, the Cougars have allowed huge chunks of yardages and subsequent quick scores at least once in almost every contest this season.
“It all goes back to fundamentals,” Saenz said. “Sometimes guys are just out of position, or they’re not tackling the right way. We’ve got the talent to compete. We’re better than our play demonstrates sometimes.”
Having lost four straight, the Cougars are in need of not just a win, but a chance to rediscover their confidence.
“It’s not like the kids line up thinking they’re going to get beaten every play,” Saenz said. “I just think they need to remember that they can play at a higher level.”
Edinburg North will get a chance to press the reset button when it plays Edinburg High (0-5, 0-1) at 7:30 p.m. at Cats Stadium in Edinburg.
BUSINESS AS USUAL
The Weslaco High Panthers (4-2, 2-0) are off this week and won’t see the field again until they face Edinburg North on Oct. 16 at Cats Stadium. Weslaco’s most recent game was a 51-6 victory over Edinburg High. In that game, Brian Guerra led the Panthers on the ground with 122 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.
This season has followed coach Tony Villarreal’s blueprint for success: run the ball and stop the run. The Panthers average a district-best 323 yards on the ground while their defense sports the third-best run defense, allowing 177 yards per game.
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