SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR
McALLEN — In Week 2 of the 2016 season, Mercedes’ Matthew Gracia made his varsity debut.
“I got two touches,” Gracia, a senior, said. “It left a bad taste in my mouth.”
Not only did he have a limited role, but his team lost a heartbreaker 24-21 to McAllen Rowe.
“It was an ugly feeling,” senior quarterback Marc Ledesma said. “It was my first time as quarterback. This year is a whole different year. My team is more confident in me. They trust me. I trust them.”
Gracia came out on Friday with one mission: beat the Warriors. Gracia did his part, carrying the ball 17 times for 120 yards and a touchdown, and Mercedes topped McAllen Rowe 27-20 on Friday at McAllen Veterans Memorial Stadium.
“It’s great. We get our first win,” Gracia said. “Calallen was a rough start. We came in here and faced the Warriors, a tremendous team. It was great to get the ‘W.’”
The Tigers’ varied attack, led by a bevy of backs and a strong line, was bolstered by senior quarterback Mark Ledesma’s strong arm and precise passing.
Mercedes sustained long drives that chewed up clock and wore down the Rowe defense. Gracia played a huge part in that.
The Tigers amassed 135 rushing yards in the first half. That production came from five different players, who each carried the ball multiple times.
“I can be more comfortable getting off the field and knowing the other backs are on top of it,” Gracia said. “Especially with that O-line.”
The offensive line was a big part in leading the Tigers to 401 total yards.
“Those guys are great,” Gracia said. “They are always getting their blocks. Their pulls are amazing. They are quick off of the ball. It’s great.”
Senior Fabian Ledesma added 30 yards, junior Aleks Ramos had 51 and sophomore Sunny Vela put up 42. While the backs are young, the passing game is experienced.
The uncles of Fabian, quarterback Marc and senior wide receiver Matt, combined for a 22-yard touchdown. Marc also linked up with senior Ryan Reyes on a 7-yard dart for a score.
The game was close early, but Mercedes snuck a touchdown in with 4.6 seconds left in the first half to go up 20-13. The Tigers never looked back.
SANCHEZ IN A SLING
Part of the reason Rowe’s offense stalled in the second half was the absence of senior quarterback Jesus Sanchez.
On Rowe’s opening drive of the half, penalties forced the Warriors into a third-and-20. Sanchez dropped back, but was pressured and scrambled to his left. Just as he was nearing the sideline on a play that wouldn’t even get back to the line of scrimmage, he took a hit and went down. Sanchez was immediately removed from the game.
He was examined on the sideline, and it was quickly determined he couldn’t return. His pads came off and a sling went on his right shoulder, which is his throwing shoulder.
“We really don’t know at this point what it is,” Rowe coach Bobby Flores said. “(The trainer) said we will look into it, and we will find out a little bit more this week.”
Sophomore Jonas Ortiz came on as Sanchez’s replacement, but it was a tall task. The Tigers smelled blood in the water and clamped down.
“The moment he went down, I felt a little bad for him,” Mercedes senior linebacker Eric Hinojosa said. “But I felt like we had it in the bag from there.”
Rowe was held scoreless for the next 14 minutes, enough to seal the result.
FILLING THE VOID
As the Mercedes captains marched to the 50-yard line for the coin flip, a new face was present among the group. Junior Jorge Cavazos was a captain for the first time this season. The honor had a deeper meaning, as Cavazos is one of the players tasked with helping to replace the production of senior linebacker Roger Adame III, who was injured in Week 1 with a fractured humerus.
“We made him captain because of the role he is going to have to play now,” Mercedes coach Roger Adame Jr. said. “He understands that captain, to us, it’s somebody who does everything right, goes to practice every day, works hard, and is going to lead the defense. That embodies the captain, and we felt that was right for him, because he is stepping up into that role.”
Playing without Adame was a difficult task for the defense, but it came with added motivation.
“It hurt a lot knowing our defensive captain was injured,” Hinojosa said. “It just means we need to step it up, and we are playing for him.”
This story has been updated to correct Mercedes players names and school years.