By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
1. Mata impresses in debut
Los Fresnos senior Mark Mata made his debut at quarterback against Edcouch-Elsa on Friday night. What a debut it was. Mata, who saw the field as a wide receiver and safety last season, looked as though he had been under center for quite some time despite it being his first varsity start at the position. Mata racked up 367 total yards and six touchdowns to help the Falcons claim a 50-40 victory at Los Fresnos. He rushed for 251 yards on 20 carries and four touchdowns while completing 12 of his 22 pass attempt for 116 yards and two more scores. After his big night, Mata was just as impressed as we were: “It just shows that hard work pays off,” he said.
2. Valencia can play
Los Fresnos High School wide receiver Nicholas Valencia is just a freshman, but you would’ve never known that based on his performance against Edcouch-Elsa. Valencia made his varsity debut look easy, catching six passes for 78 yards and both touchdowns thrown by senior quarterback Mark Mata during the Falcons 50-40 victory over the Yellowjackets on Friday. The youngster also made a play midway through the third quarter that could have changed the game. Mata had seemingly finished a 5-yard run to the end zone for a touchdown, but the ball came loose. Valencia was there to recover the ball for the touchdown and keep the momentum with Los Fresnos.
3. Rivera back on track
It had been 642 days since Rivera High School had lasted tasted victory. But when the final horn sounded Thursday night with the scoreboard reading: Rivera 21, Porter 14, in a non-district game at Sams Memorial Stadium, the Raiders had plenty to celebrate. It put an end to a losing streak of 11 games that dated back to the last game of the 2014 campaign. In its victory, Rivera got back to what it likes to do best, running the ball. The Raiders, led by Jesus Muniz, ran for 280 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including 107 of those and a score by the junior tailback. “A good win heals a lot,” Rivera coach Tom Chavez said.
4. Brownsville Veterans shows some grit
Brownsville Veterans Memorial didn’t start off well Friday in front of its home crowd, but it made sticking around until the end worth it. The Chargers, down 14-0 at halftime, scored 17 unanswered points in the second half against Edinburg North to stun the Cougars and start the 2016 season with a win. After a field goal by Jose Luis Zarate and a 6-yard run by Gustavo Vasquez, Brownsville Veterans cut the deficit to 14-10. With 6:35 left in the game, junior Abel Martinez scored off a reverse with a 38-yard touchdown run to put the Chargers ahead for good in the victory. Come-from-behind wins like this one will likely give Brownsville Veterans plenty of confidence moving forward.
5. St. Joseph’s offense surprises
Just kidding. The Bloodhounds’ offensive attack was just as potent as most expected it to be in Week 1 — maybe even moreso. St. Joseph routed Grulla 64-35 on the road on Friday, turning a 14-14 tie into a laugher at the break — a 35-14 SJA advantage. St. Joseph averaged nearly 52 points per game last season, topping 60 points three times. The Bloodhounds got contributions from everyone, as Kai Money, Gunnar Henderson, Anthony Cantu, Mario Garcia, Andres Martinez and Bernie Del La Garza all scored touchdowns during the game, and that was by design. “If they key on one (player), we go to someone else. We distribute the ball well,” SJA coach Tino Villarreal said.
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter, he’s @andrewmcrum.