GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
PHARR — PSJA North entered Thursday’s game with the Valley’s top-ranked defense, but the Raiders proved no match for Edinburg Vela’s Valley-leading attack.
Edinburg Vela racked up 344 yards of offense to beat PSJA North 30-14 in a battle of District 31-6A’s two remaining unbeatens on Thursday at PSJA Stadium.
The SaberCats (7-1, 5-0) have won 16 consecutive district games and can secure an outright District 31-6A title with wins against PSJA High (0-4 in district) and Edinburg Economedes (2-2) during the final two weeks of the regular season. PSJA North falls to 7-1, 4-1 in district.
Against a PSJA North defense that had allowed just 170.3 yards per game entering Thursday, Vela picked up 344 yards, still shy of the SaberCats’ season average of 483.6. Vela did the vast majority of its damage on the ground, rushing for 288 yards at an average of 7.6 yards per carry.
Cristian Flores was Vela’s go-to option in the running game, carrying 18 times for 162 yards and a touchdown. The highlight of Flores’ night came in the second quarter, when he shook off a defender who appeared to have him wrapped up around the shoulder pads and bounced to the outside for a 60-yard touchdown.
In four games as Edinburg Vela’s primary back since reigning District 31-5A MVP Robert Guerra has been off the team amid charges of criminal mischief, Flores has averaged 135 yards per game with 7 rushing touchdowns.
Quarterback Nate Garcia was also key for Vela, rushing 11 times for 68 yards and a touchdown. He completed 9 of 18 passes for 56 yards, including a 23-yard scoring strike to Nico Rodriguez.
Thursday’s game turned into a rout early in the second half. Vela carried a 14-6 lead into the break, then stretched that advantage to 21-6 on Nate Garcia’s 16-yard touchdown run with 10:15 to play in the third quarter. The SaberCats then recovered a surprise onside kick, sparking another touchdown drive that ended when Mark Buhider scored on a sneak from 1 yard out. PSJA North’s next possession resulted in a punt that Vela blocked for a safety, pushing the advantage to 30-6.
PSJA North’s offense tried to control the clock with a strong running game, carrying 51 times for 210 yards. While lead rusher Rene Ramirez had a solid game (18 carries, 81 yards and a touchdown), the Raiders also looked for offense from unusual sources, playing little-used sophomore Arturo Beltran at quarterback. Beltran entered the game with just one carry for 5 yards on the season, but on Thursday carried 12 times for 84 yards and completed 1 of 3 passes for 24 yards and a score.
The Raiders attempted to answer Vela’s surge, scoring a 23-yard touchdown pass from Beltran to Marco Salinas to pull within 30-14 in the closing seconds of the third quarter. North then got the ball back and drove to Vela’s 30-yard line before being stopped on 4th-and-1 with about 6 minutes to play. Prior to that point, North had converted all three of its fourth-down attempts with 2 yards or fewer to go.
Kickoff of Thursday’s game was delayed until 8:30 p.m. from its original start time of 7 p.m. due to lightning in the area.