DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
Isaac Vela is back. So is Mercedes’ run game.
Since Vela returned from a knee injury two weeks ago, Tigers coach Roger Adame Jr. made a point of emphasizing his running attack. Last week against Brownsville Porter, for instance, Mercedes ran 35 times to nine pass attempts. Vela had his best showing since coming back, running for 79 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
“We’ve eased him back in and I like the way he looks,” Adame said. “He’s had good practices. Getting him in the end zone was important, not only for this team but for his confidence.”
A healthy Vela will be big for Friday’s bi-district playoff game versus Roma. The Gladiators are a ground-and-pound, defensive-oriented team. A strong run game for Mercedes, which was non-existent during the five games Vela missed, is important for the Tigers to get off to the fast start they’re accustomed to.
Mercedes averages 21 points in the first quarter.
“We want to start fast,” Adame said. “We want to score quick, as often as we can. That’s been our thing all year and we want to continue that.”
Adame said just making it to the playoffs doesn’t cut it anymore for Mercedes.
“Expectations are always high, but there’s a sense we need to go out and make some noise,” Adame said. “I think the big thing is these kids have always had potential; we’ve just needed to get it out of them. They’re playing with a confidence and physicality that was missing before.”
BOWEN’S STRONG RETURN
With junior quarterback Amonte Bowen’s successful return from injury last week, Donna High coach Ramiro Leal said he will continue to “play it by ear” as to how he will handle reps between Bowen and Edward Dougherty under center.
“We’ll see where we can use him,” Leal said of Bowen. “He’s had a great couple days of practice.”
Bowen had 121 yards and two touchdowns last week against Edcouch-Elsa, his first game since breaking his collarbone during a scrimmage in August. Leal said he would like to use Bowen more at receiver to get him and Dougherty both on the field.
Either way, the Redskins have another dynamic weapon heading into Friday’s bi-district playoff at Mission Veterans Memorial.
“It’s been so long since I’ve seen him play,” Leal said. “But I just remember thinking that that’s the guy I remember. He just finds holes. We don’t even have to block perfectly; he finds creases. I don’t know how he does it.
“He’ll take a 3-4 yard run and make it nine or 10 yards. He’s just very elusive. “
OFFENSE VS. DEFENSE
Going into Saturday’s bi-district playoff game against Edinburg Vela, PSJA High coach Steve Marroquin is confident in what his team has to do.
It’s the offensive power SaberCats against the defensive power Bears. And it comes down to execution.
“It goes back to being aligned properly and playing assignment football,” Marroquin said. “It goes back to fundamentals and knowing what we’re supposed to do, communicating and playing together.
“If we’re able to do those things, we can match up well.”
The SaberCats average 397.3 yards. The Bears give up an average of 181. Marroquin said Vela’s offense is similar to Mercedes, which also boasts a versatile array of offensive weapons. The Tigers beat the Bears 28-14 last month.
“We got a good test with Mercedes,” Marroquin said. “They came in here and tested our secondary, got some plays on us and I thought we held our own. The defense kept us in the ballgame.
“I’m expecting more of the same on Saturday.”