DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
Mercedes coach Roger Adame Jr. likes what he sees from the Tigers’ defense this preseason.
“They’re aggressive and they’re relentless,” Adame said. “We want physicality. I like the speed, I like the effort and I like the toughness. Because of the way we’re practicing, we feel like this team will be fast to the ball and do a good job tackling.”
The Tigers have veterans in linebackers Fabricio Quintanilla and David Alvarado, and cornerback Damien Ledesma, but otherwise return just one starter on the unit. Adame said there is a good rotation on the defensive line, but no true standout, and the quarterback of the defense, the middle linebacker, has a few competitors, with senior Adrian Noriega the frontrunner for the starting spot.
“Adrian is a big boy with quick feet,” Adame said. “He’s instinctive and can find the ball, and as a linebacker you need that. That’s what’s impressed me the most. When he hits you, you’re going to feel it.”
The Tigers graduated their leading tackler in Jorge Solis, and defensive backs Roel Garcia and Tristan Gutierrez, who combined for seven interceptions. Still, that hasn’t deterred the reigning District 32-5A champs from boasting high expectations.
“We’re as quick as last year,” Quintanilla said. “We’re attacking the ball and nothing’s changed. We know we’re going to be taking everybody’s best shot and we’re ready for it.”
FAST JAVS
PSJA Southwest notched a program-best 6-4 record last season by starting games fast and error-free.
“We preach that, maintain and finish strong,” Javelinas coach Jesus Reyes said. “We have to be ready to play every night, be confident in ourselves.
“When people start fast, it’s because they don’t make mistakes. One play flows into another.”
A fast start did not happen during Southwest’s scrimmage last week at Raymondville. Reyes liked the effort, but acknowledged his team was sluggish from “too much excitement.”
“As far as playing hard and focused, our kids did that,” he said.
Reyes praised the work of the offensive line and how the running backs and quarterback Darren Estrada took care of the ball. He also said the defensive line performed well, led by Ricky Ramirez.
Southwest has a controlled scrimmage this week versus McAllen and Hidalgo.
“We just want to go out there and execute,” Reyes said. “We don’t want misalignments and missed assignments.”
DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH?
Junior Victor Romero stood out during Edcouch-Elsa’s scrimmage last week at Hidalgo.
Romero, a receiver/cornerback, scored two touchdowns and seems to be another weapon for the Yellowjackets’ new open, pass-oriented offense.
“We wanted to see what he can do,” Edcouch-Elsa coach Joe Marichalar said. “He showed he can handle it. He opened up some eyes with his playmaking ability.”
Marichalar said he initially wanted to work Romero in as a returner. But Romero saw some time at receiver and produced.
The 5-foot-7, 145-pounder adds another dynamic dimension to a speedy wideout core of Andrew Segura, Moises Gomez and J.J. Flores.
“Vic’s one of our fastest guys,” Marichalar said. “We knew what he could do, we just didn’t know if it could happen at the varsity level. I was going to slowly transition him, but he got in and he started making plays.”