ELSA — It wasn’t who Edcouch-Elsa thought it was getting, but it was enough.
The Yellowjackets scrimmaged a depleted Weslaco East on Friday at Benny Layton Sr. Memorial Stadium. The Wildcats, who scrimmaged Mission High last week, held out their entire starting offense and starting secondary on defense.
Edcouch-Elsa won the controlled portion (25 plays each) 6-0, and then won the live portion (two 12-minute quarters) 3-0 on an uncontested 39-yard field goal from Mauricio Ochoa.
But the happiest coach afterward was East’s Mike Burget.
“I don’t want to scrimmage on a Friday and then play next Thursday (against Brownsville Rivera),” Burget said. “I want to see what the backups had, and they showed a lot of heart. They held a pretty good team down. I’m proud of them.”
The Yellowjackets’ main interest was the quarterbacks, and they only made what figures to be a tough decision more difficult.
In the live portion, junior Andrew Segura, No. 1 on a four-man depth chart, went 1-for-4 passing for 20 yards and carried it four times for 11 yards. Sophomore Marco Aguinaga, the No. 2 QB, went 2-for-3 passing for 18 yards and ran it twice for 20 yards.
Both were strong in the controlled portion. Segura was 2-for-3 passing for 15 yards, with six carries for 40 yards. Aguinaga went 2-for-3 passing for 23 yards and six carries for 70 yards and a 46-yard TD.
Each had a strong arm and showed dynamic running ability. Segura was better between the tackles and within, while Aguinaga showed his stuff on the outside.
No. 3 QB Moses Gomez saw snaps under center in the controlled portion, but not the live.
“Those guys did a great job,” Edcouch-Elsa coach Joe Marichalar said. “Us as coaches, we have to sit down and be very thorough about what we’re looking for. Their ability to make plays … if they don’t see something, either can tuck it and go. It’s good for us.”
E-E’s offense was more fluid in the controlled portion than the live portion, as East’s defense became more sound as the game wore on. The other Yellowjacket standout was Tay Valdez, who had two carries for 27 yards and a reception for 11 yards in the controlled portion.
“He’s an athlete,” Marichalar said “The kid can play.”
Burget liked how his running backs, which got nothing going between the tackles, became more confident going outside. And he was able to give a lot of kids a lot of reps.
“We had a lot of kids that played a lot tonight, and that’s what scrimmages are for,” Burget said. “Next Thursday, we play Brownsville Rivera and that’s when you’ll see our team.”
Marichalar and his staff, meanwhile, will go to the film to see which quarterback starts next week’s opener at McAllen Rowe. They could make the decision today, or it could go into next week.
The second-year coach did get answers though, particularly with other young players stepping into the spotlight for the first time.
“I think we have a better idea of which kids can respond when they get hit,” Marichalar said.