DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
Edcouch-Elsa sophomore quarterback Marco Aguinaga has only been sacked a handful of times through four games this season. That is mostly because of his athleticism, but it’s also because of an offensive line that keeps improving game by game.
“You can see they’re more mature as individuals,” E-E coach Joe Marichalar said of his front five. “They have more confidence within them. It’s starting to show. They want to prove people wrong.”
Nobody knew what to expect of the group. Only senior Gabriel Armendariz is a returning starter. But the quick progress of juniors Jarred Cantu, Miguel Quintaña and Jayson Muñoz, along with the impressive play of sophomore Elijah Sanchez, has helped things come together sooner than expected.
Cantu can play all five positions on the line. Sanchez is tough, just like his older brother Lino, the senior starting running back. Quintaña is the most physical of the bunch, and Muñoz is the epitome of consistency.
And then there’s the anchor Armendariz, at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, who beats some of the linebackers and running backs running sprints during practice.
There is also plenty of depth in seniors Michael Orozco, Marco Garza and Jacob Rodriguez.
“Where you have to pinpoint this thing is (offensive line) coach Frank Martinez,” Marichalar said. “He does a great job, and he was a former defensive lineman here at Edcouch. He brings a defensive mentality.”
And things can get better. Not good news for the rest of District 32-5A.
“We can be more disciplined mentally and avoid silly mistakes like false starts and cadence stuff,” Marichalar said. “We can be more sound. We’re fine holding blocks, creating lanes for Lino and protecting Marco, and now it’s about being more complete. Let’s be disciplined.”
LOOKING FOR AN ANSWER
With starting running back Isaac Vela out another 2-3 weeks with a leg injury, Mercedes has had to rework its running game.
Jesus Rios assumes Vela’s role for the time being as the lead back. Receivers Daniel Martinez and Brandon Gutierrez also saw some carries during last week’s district opening win against Brownsville Pace. And the passing game has been dialed up, much to the pleasure of quarterback Rene Presas and receiver Joshua Garza.
But the run game is indeed a work in progress. The Tigers managed just 61 yards off 22 carries last week, good for 2.8 yards per carry after averaging 4.6 in the first three games.
“Jesus is going to give us the 3-4 yards we need, but he doesn’t have that shiftiness,” Tigers coach Roger Adame Jr. said. “A 3-4 yard run with Isaac turns into much more because he’s so elusive.”
Rios was keyed on last week, held to nine yards on seven carries. Presas was the team’s leading rusher with 35 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Ideally, however, that is something Adame would like to see tweaked by Friday’s game at Donna North.
“We just need to find the mismatches,” Adame said. “We call certain plays for Isaac, and we just need to find Jesus’ grooves.”
A STRONGER RUN
Through the first four games of the season, PSJA Southwest junior Jesus Acosta is the top rusher in 32-5A. That’s saying a lot considering the quality stable of backs roaming the league.
Acosta has 605 yards and a district-best 12 touchdowns in helping Southwest to a 3-1 record, already the most single-season wins in Javelinas history.
“He’s been consistent,” Southwest coach Jesus Reyes said. “He wants the ball and he runs hard. He’s having a great year.”
Acosta attributes his success to simply being sick of losing.
“Last year we had no leadership,” he said. “This year we have leaders. We have guys who will do anything to win. It’s a new time for us. We’re doing things this program has never seen before, and we’ve gotta keep at it.”
So far, so good.
“He’s the man,” Reyes said. “He knows that. He’s our go-to guy and he’s going to get his number called.”