By ADAM KUJAWSKI, Staff Writer
There will only be one team remaining without a District 32-6A win following this week’s contest between the Hanna Golden Eagles and Lopez Lobos at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium.
Last week, Hanna (1-4, 0-3 in District 32-6A) found itself in a shootout with the undefeated Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers. Though they lost 51-42, the Eagles recorded their highest point total of the season. That’s something coachRene Medrano hopes his team can carry over into the matchup against Lopez (0-6, 0-3).
“We felt we had a good scheme against (Brownsville Veterans) last week,” Medrano said. “We need to improve on not making mental mistakes. We can’t have breakdowns in crucial situations or turn the ball over. We’re focused on putting a full, complete game in front of us.”
Lobos coach Jason Starkey, whose defense has allowed the fewest passing yards among District 32-6A teams this season, will be tasked with reversing that momentum,
“It’s not going to be an easy task, I can promise you that,” Starkey said. “They had a great game last week against a formidable opponent. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”
Hanna is the most prolific passing team in the district, averaging 208 yards per game through the air. The San Benito Greyhounds are the next closest with an average of 175 yards per game.
But, should a team play toward its strength, or its opponent’s weakness?
Last week, the Rivera Raiders’ typically airborne approach was abandoned for a run-heavy scheme against the Lobos, and it worked against the district’s last-ranked run defense, one that allows nearly 280 yards per game.
Medrano doesn’t look too deeply into the numbers, though. He prefers to formulate his game plan around what the video shows him.
“We don’t like to look at the stats,” Medrano said. “We try to scheme for a game based on what we see (from the other team) on film.”
Offensively, Lopez likely will lean on its running game to penetrate the Eagles’ defense, which has been exposed at times this season as well, giving up 256 yards per game on the ground.
“We’d like to be able to run the ball more and not put as much pressure on our passing game,” Starkey said. “But we’re prepared to do both. We’ll see what they give us and do the best that we can to take advantage of it.”
Adam Kujawski covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6663 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @adamkujo1.