Donna High’s two-quarterback system is lighting up scoreboards during the first half of the season. Senior Jake Garcia and sophomore Geoffrey Lefevre have helped the Redskins to an undefeated start to the year.
The pair will be in the spotlight as the Redskins (5-0, 1-0) face the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers (3-1, 0-0) in the RGVSports.com Week 6 Game of the Week at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Brownsville Veterans’ game field.
Both quarterbacks are mature and understand their roles for the team, Donna High head coach Mike Gonzales said.
“Most people say when you have two quarterbacks you have a problem,” Gonzales said. “We do not have a problem, both guys take pride in what they do.”
Garcia uses his feet more. The senior has 337 rushing yards on 34 carries and seven rushing touchdowns. In a 71-0 Week 5 victory over Brownsville Lopez, Garcia ran for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Lefevre is racking up the stats in the air with his receiving corps. Lefevre finished 13-for-14 with 296 yards and 5 touchdowns passing against Brownsville Lopez.
On the season, the sophomore has 992 passing yards, completed 65% of his passes and 13 passing touchdowns.
“Our quarterbacks play well, especially together,” senior receiver Marc Zamorano said. “Both of them can throw and hold the rock, too.”
Zamorano leads the Redskins in receiving with 445 yards and seven touchdowns.
DEFENSE IS READY FOR THE CHALLENGE
Both defenses are going to have their hands full against the opposing offense. Donna High is averaging 50 points per game, and Brownsville Veterans is averaging 33 points per contest.
The Chargers’ triple-option offense tallied 577 total yards against PSJA High last week, with 507 of those yards on the ground.
“We are doing pretty good, we just have to stay low on blocks,” Brownsville Veterans junior guard Matthew Pinion said. “Stay with our blocks, too, but we are doing pretty solid.”
Donna High’s defense is giving up 8.5 points per game.
“I say it all the time, our defense does not get enough credit,” Gonzales said. “A lot of that has to do with how many points our offense is putting up. The media tends to focus on our offense, which is not a bad thing, but we have some three-year starters on defense. They do a lot for us.”
The Chargers are giving up 16 points per game. In their 59-14 win over PSJA High last week, the Chargers forced five turnovers.
If the Redskins get by Chargers linebackers Gary Bardales and Jaime Martinez, they will have to deal with safety Gilbert Trillo. The junior safety has one interception this year. Trillo had five interceptions his sophomore season.
“We have been running to the ball hard, hitting hard and playing our best right now,” Trillo said. “Their offense is pretty good, they run hard and fast. It is going to be a hard-hitting game.”
ALL EYES ON DISTRICT 16-5A DI
There are only 10 games Friday night across the Rio Grande Valley. Next week there will be 18. Most teams are on their bye week as they prepare for district. District 16-5A DI is the only district from Class 6A or 5A in action during Week 6.
After a tough 17-3 loss to San Benito in Week 1, the Chargers have climbed back into the RGVSports.com Class 6A-5A top 10 poll at No. 8. Donna High is the fifth-ranked team.
“I think it will be a great atmosphere, we will have a big crowd,” Brownsville Veterans head coach Kelley Lee said. “So, I think it will be a festive atmosphere out here.”