BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
The Edcouch-Elsa Yellow Jackets have stumbled out of the gate under the direction of new coach Bradly Chavez. E-E is 0-2 for the third time in 10 seasons.
Weslaco High thumped Edcouch-Elsa 58-7 last Thursday night in the Jackets’ second road game to start 2018. Rumors about Chavez losing his job at a Friday morning meeting began to swirl, but they were just that: rumors.
A Twitter account followed by several current and former E-E players and coaches, @EE_Jackets, sent out the following message Friday night: “All rumors that have been going around about an emergency meeting today to discuss the firing of Football Head Coach Bradly Chavez are COMPLETELY FALSE!!!”
“Honestly, it (the rumors) hasn’t affected me at all,” Chavez said. “At the end of the day, the only thing that I can control is what’s inside this fieldhouse.
“We all wake up and show up every day and go to work. Rumors are always going to happen, whether they are true or not. I know that I have the support of our board members, our superintendent, our principal and our athletic director. The only things I’m focused on are our kids and our next opponent, which is Los Fresnos.”
The Yellow Jackets will play their home opener at Benny Layton Sr. Memorial Stadium on Friday versus a difficult Los Fresnos team. The Falcons overcame a 28-point deficit late in the third quarter against Austin LBJ last week, mounting a furious comeback in a 36-35 victory.
“That was an amazing game they played against Austin LBJ,” Chavez said. “I was really impressed with their fight. I’ve watched their film about four times already, and every time it was amazing to see them play, regardless of the score or the situation. It’s a great teaching moment for us. We’re trying to challenge our kids physically and mentally. We showed them the film and told them, ‘You’re never out of a game. Play until the last whistle is blown.’ You can always learn from someone else’s experiences.”
In 2009, E-E started 0-2, and things didn’t get much better. That team later experienced a three-game losing and scoreless streak that ended in a non-playoff season under coach Joe Solis. Four years ago, E-E alum Joe Marichalar began 0-2 in his second season as head coach, but he had enough time to turn it around and slide into the playoffs.