By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers have an opportunity to be one of two remaining teams with an unblemished district record following tonight’s game against the Hanna Golden Eagles at Sams Memorial Stadium.
The Chargers (4-1, 2-0) are coming off a 42-24 victory over the Rivera Raiders last week and are hoping to maintain that momentum moving forward. Marcus Castillo led Brownsville Veterans’ district-leading rushing attack in the contest with 13 carries for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
“We have to try to slow them down,” Eagles coach Rene Medrano said. “They’re intense, and they’re going to come at you hard. We have to be ready.”
Alongside Castillo — the district’s second-leading rusher — the Chargers benefit from the presence of Derrik Rodriguez and Carlos Garza, who rank third and fourth among district 32-6A competition in rushing yards, respectively. The trio has carried the ball an average of 55 times for 420 yards per game and has a combined 14 trips to the end zone on the season.
“It helps to have balance and to have different options to go to within the running game,” Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu said.
Friday’s clash between the San Benito Greyhounds and Harlingen High Cardinals was slated to partially clear the gridlock at the top of the district standings, and Cantu doesn’t want to surrender his spot atop District 32-6A.
“It’s big (to stay on top), because the remaining schedule is very tough,” he said. “We’ve got tough matchups coming up with the (San Benito) Greyhounds, the (Harlingen High) Cardinals and the (Los Fresnos) Falcons, three very good teams.”
The Eagles (1-3, 0-2) sit on the opposite end of the standings. Not having won a game in district is a concern for Medrano, and stealing one from Brownsville Veterans would be a monumental accomplishment.
“We know where we want to go,” he said. “We need to start winning district games. It doesn’t matter who it’s against, but a win against (Brownsville Veterans) would be big.”
Hanna lost 37-21 last week to Harlingen High, but Medrano saw some things he’d like to carry over into this week. One thing he’d like to build upon is receiver Lucas Olivares’ nine-catch, 215-yard performance.
“Not only does (Olivares) need to build on that game, the whole team does,” Medrano said. “(Olivares) had a great game but we all have to be ready, we can’t just rely on him.”
Brownsville Veterans senior defensive tackle Daniel Espinosa, who missed last week’s contest with a knee injury, has been declared out for the remainder of the season. Chargers safety Victor Aguilar also will be sidelined with an injured toe.
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.