LA VILLA — The La Villa Cardinals have faced the Freer Buckaroos in each of the past two bi-district rounds of the playoffs, splitting the games 1-1.
After the latest UIL realignment, however, if the defending District 16-2A Division I champion Cardinals hope to repeat, they’ll have to get through the Buckaroos in district play instead of waiting for a postseason matchup. District 16-2A DI now features La Villa along with Ben Bolt, Freer, Premont, Riviera-Kaufer and Santa Maria due to the latest shakeup.
“Last year, we had a great team, a great season. This year, I’m hoping all of us can come together, work hard and win another district title,” four-year letterman and senior center Jaime Elissetche said.
La Villa begins the 2022 season as the No. 4 team in the RGVSports sub-5A top 4 poll. The Cardinals return seven starters from a 2021 team that finished 9-3 overall and advanced to the area round of the playoffs with a 34-7 bi-district win before falling to Ganado.
Elissetche and fellow offensive lineman Everardo Reyes return up front to clear the way for a run game featuring a pair of big-play threats in quarterback Brandon Felix and running back Rey Perez.
| La Villa Cardinals’ Brandon Felix (6).(Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) |
“We got a new duo, and we’re going to see how it pans out,” said Felix, The Monitor’s 2021 All-Area Football Newcomer of the Year. “We were leaders as sophomores. We have to make sure everyone is doing their job, everyone is focused and working towards the same goal.”
“Brandon’s a really good quarterback, good on his feet, running the ball, and I think we’re going to be really good on offense this year,” Perez said. “This year, it’s a little bit bigger for us, so we just have to approach it better than we did last year.”
Felix and Perez will see action defensively as playmakers and willing tacklers in the La Villa secondary. The biggest task will be getting the new additions to the squad on track.
“We’re trying to get our freshmen in there, get them used to the conditioning and working out, so I think we’ll be pretty good for the season,” Perez said.
| La Villa Cardinals’ Rey Perez (2).(Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) |
La Villa opens the year on the road against Progreso at 7:30 p.m. Friday and kicks off District 16-2A Division I competition against Riviera-Kaufer on Oct. 7 in La Villa.