DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
Mercedes’ quarterback competition isn’t completely over, but it’s fairly close.
After a strong couple of scrimmages, sophomore Zach Gomez will start for the Tigers this week at Calallen. Gomez has stood out because of his quick feet and ability to extend plays.
“He’s a very confident kid, a very strong kid,” Mercedes coach Roger Adame Jr. said. “He just takes what the defense gives him.”
Adame said Gomez will get most of the reps with the first team during practices this week, but that senior D.J. Saenz also will see time under center.
Aside from finding their quarterback, the Tigers may have also found another offensive weapon during the preseason.
Sophomore running back Fabian Ledesma impressed with his speed and athleticism. Ledesma had three touchdowns during last week’s scrimmage at Port Isabel, including a pair of runs that went for more than 50 yards each.
RELOADED LINE
PSJA High is young and raw this season, but coach Steve Marroquin likes the growth he saw during the Bears’ two scrimmages.
The most improvement from the first scrimmage against San Benito to last week’s finale against Brownsville Veterans Memorial came on the offensive line. The Bears are replacing all five starters from last season and currently have a seven-man rotation: Andy Enriquez, Nathaniel Herrera, Nick Salazar, Orlando Huerta, Michael Portillo, Oscar Sanchez and Jacob Gonzalez.
“You have to have great continuity up front,” Marroquin said. “They’re the ones who run the show. They improved and you could see it.”
All seven have never played varsity football, nor have they played together. The first step is getting them acquainted with the Bears’ base offense.
“These are guys hungry for competition,” Marroquin said. “The most important thing is being able to execute before anything else. It’s assignment football, and their communication is better and we’re doing a good job moving from one play to the next.”
A GOOD PROBLEM
Donna High does not have a set starter at quarterback, but that’s not a bad thing for the Redskins.
With Amonte Bowen’s healthy return after missing all but two games last season with a collarbone injury, Donna High essentially has two quarterbacks — senior Edward Dougherty, who stepped in admirably during Bowen’s absence last season, and Bowen, who entered 2014 set to be the Redskins’ signal-caller.
During the preseason, coach Ramiro Leal has swapped the two. Against Los Fresnos in the first scrimmage, Bowen played quarterback, while last week against Brownsville Rivera, Dougherty was under center.
Either way, Donna High looked good. Whenever one was at quarterback, the other was at tailback, and the offense ran smoothly.
“We don’t lose or gain anything with the ‘starter’ label,” Leal said. “One doesn’t bring any more than the other. As games go on, if someone is executing better, we’ll stick with them.
“It’s a good problem to have.”
Leal has an idea who will start this week’s opener against Brownsville Veterans Memorial, but it will be dependent upon how each practices. What matters most, Leal said, is that both are on the field.
Whoever is taking snaps and whoever is in the backfield or split out wide is irrelevant.
“It’s been working out pretty good for us and we’re in a rhythm,” Leal said. “I like that they’re not selfish and they’re sharing the load. It’s about the team and they complement each other real well. We’ll go in and see who’s executing the game plan as we go.”