BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — In what was slated to be a showdown of high-scoring offenses, Edinburg Vela vs. Weslaco High was won in the trenches.
There were seven punts in the first half, as both teams struggled to overcome dominant defenses.
Senior running back Christian Flores was the difference in the second half, running behind the blocking of a reenergized offensive line, and the SaberCats (7-0, 3-0) pulled away to win 17-7 over Weslaco High (5-1, 1-1) on Friday night in The Monitor’s Game of the Week at Bobby Lackey Stadium.
“They are a high-quality program,” Vela coach John Campbell said. “It was a great atmosphere. We had to show some grit and some perseverance. You always want to play better, but at the same time, sometimes experiences like this grow your program.”
Vela’s deferral to the second half, allowed the SaberCats to come out of the locker room, with the adjustments from the coaching staff, and fresh legs on the offense.
Flores carried the ball 14 times for 74 yards on the opening drive, setting up a 5-yard touchdown run from senior Aaron Alvarez to tie the game at 7.
“We were struggling to throw the ball,” Flores said. “We got into the locker room and we told our offensive linemen, ‘you gotta move.’ Once they did, they couldn’t stop our running game. I don’t think anyone can, when we are cooking like that.”
Flores was tireless in a game that had so much emotion on the line.
“I have been waiting for this one,” Flores said. “Seeing coach Salinas again after everything that happened, I knew I was going to give it everything I had tonight.”
Flores played under Salinas two years ago at Vela. After the season, Flores left Vela, before knowing Salinas’ fate. Once Salinas was gone from Vela, Flores came back to the Black and Blue.
“Christian, particularly in the third quarter, he owned it,” Campbell said. “He’s not the biggest guy in the world, but sometimes the play was blocked for five, and good tailbacks take that and get seven. We saw a different side of Christian where he was putting the shoulders down and getting us those extra yards.”
“The o-line, we were tired,” junior tackle Tyler Bailey said. “So to see him start to move the ball like that, was a relief. We knew we were going to come back and get off the field and let the defense go to work.”
Flores was ruthless, running over Panthers and prolonging drives.
“It is a feeling that you will not get anywhere else (to run people over like that),” Flores said. “It felt amazing to be able to knock someone out.”
“(Flores) makes it easy because all he has to do is get past the linebackers,” Bailey said. “Once he gets past the line, he’s gone.”
Vela never really got the passing game going, and Flores knew the team needed him in the biggest moments.
“I was waiting for the moment to get the ball in my hands,” Flores said. “I knew once I got the ball, we were going to explode. We tried to start with the passing game, but they watch a lot of film, you can tell. They were keyed in on No. 5 (Daniel Enriquez).”
Flores also set up the go-ahead field goal on another sustained running drive from the Vela offense.
Enriquez, a senior, was blanketed all night, but he still managed to find the room to put the game away, after Weslaco elected to punt with less than four minutes left in the game. Enriquez received the first snap of the drive, and took off for 75 yards to the end zone and a 17-7 lead.
“It felt great,” Enriquez said. “Getting that touchdown to extend the lead and secure the win, that was big.”
The only score of the first half was a 14-yard TD run by Weslaco junior quarterback Jacob Cavazos. He finished with 93 yards and one touchdown on the ground, but the Vela defense held him to 25 passing yards.
The Vela defense came out to play, and powered by the return of two key players, they shut down one of the highest scoring offenses in the Valley.
“I am very, very impressed with our defense,” Campbell said. “Because they (Weslaco) have been putting up some points. We were very concerned with their skill players. Obviously, when you have a quarterback that can run the ball, that changes the entire dynamic.”
Senior Kobe Gipson made his debut after being cleared to play by the UIL to play earlier this week. Gipson had been practicing with the defense all year, so he fit in well, and even recorded his first two sacks of the season.
“I have been wanting to get on the field so bad,” Gipson said. “I was anxious. My first game, and I am glad to be back.”
On Gipson’s first sack, the Vela stands erupted for the newest member of the team.
“It made me feel very proud,” Gipson said. “I felt like I was home.”
Senior Justice Rivera also returned to action after missing the last three weeks with an injury.
“It was a big difference having Justice back,” sophomore safety Jaime Perez Jr. said. “Especially because we were able to go to a 3-4, which allowed the d-linemen to create havoc back there.”
“Justice is one of the key players on our defense,” said Enriquez, a former safety, who finished the night with 93 yards and a touchdown on the ground. “Getting him back, along with Kobe coming in, was a big part of our Vela defense.”
Senior corner Jesse Aguilar picked off Jacob Cavazos in the first half. It was the first interception thrown by the exceptional junior gunslinger.
“It was very exciting,” Jaime Perez Jr. said. “Once he got that pick, we knew we could win this game.”
All four lines were exhausted by the end of the game, but Vela’s lines had just enough to close out a punishingly physical game.
“We wore them down,” Bailey said. “We could tell they were tired, and it didn’t seem like they had too much depth. … It was a big accomplishment for us (the offensive line) to come back from a first half where we didn’t play that well, to coming out and moving the ball like that.”
[email protected]
