RGVSPORTS.COM
LOS FRESNOS — Los Fresnos endured a slow start in its scrimmage Friday against Edinburg High.
Despite the slow start, the Falcons finished strong by scoring four touchdowns during two quarters of game condition while shutting out the Bobcats. After seeing the Bobcats win the controlled portion of the scrimmage 1-0, the Falcons cruised to a 28-0 triumph during the game situation periods.
Edinburg High scored the initial TD of the night on its second possession during the controlled portion. The Bobcats’ lone score came on a 4-yard run off left guard to cap a 13-play possession.
After that, it was all Falcons.
MERCEDES VS. PORT ISABEL: At Port Isabel, the Tigers topped the Tarpons 6-1 in the controlled session of their scrimmage and 28-7 in live action.
Mercedes scored on five straight drives before the Tarpons were able to get on the board during the controlled session.
Sophomore quarterback Zack Gomez ran for three TDs and threw for another. Sophomore running back Fabian Ledesma ran for three more TDs, including two of more than 50 yards.
“We worked in practice on starting fast and finishing and that’s what I saw tonight,” Mercedes coach Roger Adame Jr. said. “We had some mistakes last week that I wanted to correct and that was our goal, to continue to improve. I wanted to see how these kids responded and they did exactly what I want to see.”
Mercedes scored three more times, two on the ground and another through the air during the live action session, when most of the younger players were in for the starters.
EDINBURG VELA VS. McALLEN ROWE: At Edinburg, the SaberCats won the live portion 21-14 in their lone scrimmage of the season.
Robert Guerra scored on the ground, as did wide receivers Michael Arguelles and Johnny Davila in the controlled portion. Quarterbacks Fabian Pedraza and Nate Garcia split time in the controlled part, with Pedraza leading the live sets.
More than anything, Vela coach Michael Salinas was impressed with the team’s defense.
“I think our guys ran to the football well,” he said. “We have to clean some things up. Coach (Paul) Reyes and his staff did a good job of giving you multiple sets offensively. But I thought we made strides.”
Reyes said he thought his new defense applied pressure but needs to improve its conditioning and do a better job getting off the field on third down.
DONNA NORTH VS. SHARYLAND PIONEER: At Donna, Pioneer won the controlled (2-0) and live part (4-0) of their scrimmage.
In the extra session, the Diamondbacks scored once again before blanking Donna North.
“We didn’t give up big plays; we stopped the run,” Pioneer coach Jason Wheeler said. “We did a pretty good job of getting off the field on third down. And offensively we were balanced. We passed well, (making) short passes.
Alec Cruz caught two short passes before taking it 50 yards for a TD. He also scored on the ground. Middle linebacker Joe Garza also impressed.
Pioneer didn’t commit a turnover all night, even as it auditioned three running backs. Wheeler also said the team was “in better shape” than last year, thanks to added focus on conditioning during two-a-days.
LA JOYA VS. MISSION VETERANS: At La Joya, Mission Vets drew a 1-1 tie in the controlled portion of its scrimmage before winning 7-0 in the live set.
Diego Hernandez connected with Bobby Tovar on a 60-yard TD in the controlled part. He also found Landry Gilpin a 45-yard score in live action. With three starters out on offense and two on defense, coach David Gilpin said his players looked “rusty.”
“First time out of the box is always a struggle but you see tremendous improvement the next week,” Gilpin said. “The good thing is, there wasn’t one smile in our post-game huddle. Sure, we got a win against a quality opponent, but we have work to do. So while this win is important, tomorrow’s film session is equally important.”
LAREDO NIXON VS. ROMA: At Roma, Ramon Espinoza tallied 123 yards and three touchdowns as Roma won 29-0 in a live, four-quarter scrimmage.
Andy Marroquin threw for 115 yards and a touchdown, finding Damian Villarreal on a 55-yard strike. Alexis Escoto intercepted a pass, and Angel Gomez recorded a safety when he sacked the quarterback in the end zone.
“Getting a shutout is good,” Roma coach Max Habecker Jr. said. “We still have to improve. So we’ll go out there and address what we need to do to get better.”
MISSION HIGH VS. EDINBURG NORTH: At Edinburg, Mission High beat Edinburg North 3-1 in the controlled portion and 14-7 in the live.
“We looked a lot better than we did a week ago, definitely,” Mission High coach Mario Pena said. “We executed better on offense. We definitely did a better job attacking on defense.”
Execution was the primary focus on offense, as the Eagles continued to keep their new, up-tempo offense mostly under wraps ahead of the season opener.
LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN VS. GRULLA: At Rio Grande City, La Joya Juarez-LIncoln and Grulla split both the controlled portion of the scrimmage and the two live quarters 1-1.
Huskies coach Tommy Garcia said quarterback Obed Fernandez showed well as both a rusher and passer, while Robert Garcia scored a touchdown and had another 70-yard score called back due to penalty. Juarez-Lincoln started five sophomores on offense and another five on defense.
“We saw some good things from them, they just have to grow up and mature right now,” Garcia said.