MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
KINGSVILLE — For all the improvement it made on defense the past two weeks, Edinburg Vela simply couldn’t contain Gamarquis Girdy on Saturday.
The run-first Victoria West quarterback boasted a threat unlike any player the SaberCats had faced all year. He scored six times on the ground, and once on a kickoff return, as the Wildcats ended Vela‘s season with a 61-45 area-round loss at Javelina Stadium.
“That guy’s a pretty good football player,” Vela coach Michael Salinas said. “Don’t take anything away from Victoria West. I know our kids can hold their heads up high knowing they went blow-to-blow with these guys.”
“I’m selfish in that I want the ‘W’ today but really happy with the progress our program has made,” Salinas added.
The loss Saturday marked the culmination of what had largely been a year of firsts for the SaberCats — their first winning season, their first playoff berth and their first bi-district victory. All this on the heels of a 0-10 campaign in 2012 and a 5-5 mark last year.
Week in and week out, they made the RGVSports.com top 10 poll, losing only once during the regular season to top-ranked Sharyland High.
On Saturday, however, they met their most arduous test to date in a Victoria West team with a little more offensive punch.
“It’s a great feeling (to have made this improvement) but we’re not satisfied,” quarterback Ebher Lopez said. “And I hope (the underclassmen) aren’t either, so when they come back Monday, they’ll continue working.”
The SaberCats (10-2) had trouble stopping the run, yielding 565 ground yards, including 364 to Girdy, who scored his team’s first six touchdowns. He entered the game having thrown for 12 TDs and rushing for 34.
He scored three by intermission, and Zevaughn Shelton (88 yards, 17 carries) added support with two TDs after the break.
Neither team put up points on the board in succession, until Girdy scored on a 3-yard run to give his team a 35-31 edge with 9:21 to play in the third, followed by a 9-yard Girdy run later in the quarter.
Vela scored on the ensuing sequence when Lopez found Michael Arguelles for a 40-yard strike.
Victoria West (10-2) responded soon after, with Shelton scoring the first of his two touchdowns. Vela‘s Ruben Garcia, however, blocked the extra-point attempt and Ryan Rodriguez returned it for a score, trimming the Vela deficit 48-39 with 10:34 left.
Lopez found Elijah Reyna on a 37-yard strike to come within 48-45 on the next drive, but Shelton scored again for the Wildcats to set Vela back 54-45. The SaberCats, however, nearly got that back when Arguelles returned the ensuing kick for roughly 80 yards before it was wiped off on a holding penalty.
Girdy iced the game on the next drive with a 45-yard run, setting up a regional quarterfinal game against Austin LBJ.
“The thing I like is we never gave up,” Vela running back Robert Guerra said. “They’re a good team and we tried our best.”
OFF THE MARK
After an efficient 9-of-12 passing for 162 yards and two TDs in the opening half, Lopez struggled to establish some consistency the rest of the game. Salinas attributed that to his own play-calling, especially as Victoria West started to pull away.
“We got behind a little bit and you press a little more,” Salinas said. “You call some things that maybe situation-wise in the first half you didn’t want to or didn’t have to call have to and I take 100 percent blame for any of the incompletions he had.”
In the second half, Lopez connected on some long passes for 28, 40, 37 and 28 yards, but he came up empty on four consecutive attempts and later on five more, as the SaberCats tried desperately to rally back.
He finished the night throwing for 315 yards (15-of-29 passes) and four touchdowns to one interception.
REGROUPING
Edinburg Vela will graduate players at key positions, including at quarterback with Lopez and backup Sean Smith, but the program should have plenty of other central figures back in the mix.
Guerra, a sophomore, was among the top running backs in district, leading the team with 830 yards and 15 touchdowns during the regular season. Elijah Reyna, a junior, led Vela with 11 receiving scores. And Arguelles, also a junior, hauled in a team-leading 29 catches for 390 yards.
“We got offseason now and we’re going to prepare for next year. This is only going to make us better for next year,” Guerra said. “This team has come from three years all the way here. I thank God we’ve made it this far.”
TESTY MOMENT
Both teams showed good sportsmanship throughout the game, picking up members of the opposition after tackles. But things got testy afterward during the customary postgame handshake.
A couple of players appeared to have pushed each other during the handshake line before coaches intervened and each team went their own way.
“I missed it,” Salinas said. “I got there to break it up.”
Lopez also said he missed what caused the commotion.
“We shouldn’t have that after a loss,” he said. “It hurts, but we have to stay classy and be respectful.”
Victoria West players left immediately after and were unavailable for comment.