By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
There’s no easy way to get to the top.
Lopez and Brownsville Veterans Memorial are both off to a great start in District 32-5A and each will be looking to get an advantage toward the district crown in The Brownsville Herald’s Game of the Week at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night at Sams Memorial Stadium.
The Lobos (5-1, 3-0) have won five straight games and have started district play unblemished thus far. The Chargers (4-2, 2-1) are coming off their biggest win of the season, a 50-20 rout of Edcouch-Elsa on the road in Week 7.
“We have a lot of young kids that have put (themselves) in a place to earn a playoff berth,” Lopez coach Jason Starkey said. “The kids deserved to play in front of a packed Sams Memorial Stadium and I challenge all of Brownsville to show up to what I believe will be the best game in the Valley this Friday between two very respected programs.”
Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu and his team expect a playoff-like atmosphere.
“The boys know what’s at stake,” he said. “They know Lopez is having a fantastic season, deservingly so. They’re playing outstanding in all facets of the game. We’re excited for an opportunity to play in what we hope is a big stage in regards to hopefully a packed Sams Stadium.”
The most intriguing matchup is Lopez, who boasts the top defense in the district, against the district’s top rushing team in BVM. The Lobos’ defensive unit allows just 136 yards on the ground per game. The Chargers’ rushing attack averages 253 yards per contest.
“Defensively, we have to stop “Gustavo the Great,” Starkey said of Brownsville Veterans’ standout junior quarterback Gustavo Vasquez. “He’s playing at a high level and pretty much single-handedly took down Edcouch-Elsa. (Our offense goes) against the best defense every day in practice and I’m excited to see (the defense) rise up to the challenge against “Gustavo the Great.”
Vasquez leads District 32-5A with 901 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. But the Chargers also have Abel Martinez, who has 466 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground this season.
That matchup was also on the mind of Cantu. Veterans has the second best offense in the district at 362 yards and 28 points per game. Lopez allows just 11 points each time out.
“Lopez has a defense that likes to put pressure on the offense,” Cantu said. “We have to prove we can handle that and take advantage of that.”
It’s not that the other units for Lopez or Brownsville Veterans aren’t also playing well.
The Lobos’ offense continues to increase its scoring average and is now putting an average of 33 points on the board each week. The Chargers’ defense surrenders a modest 21 points per game.
Cantu said Brownsville Veterans must win the turnover battle.
“I think (Lopez) won that battle just about every week and we can’t afford to lose it this week,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a close game … a very tight game. It may come down to which team takes care of the football best.”
Starkey agreed and thought it would be a challenge in all three phases between the two teams. But nonetheless, his team is ready.
“I believe it’s going to be a 12-round heavyweight bout,” he said. “I believe it is going to be worth the price of admission. We’re expecting a 48-minute fight.
“It’s not going to be about who starts this game, it’s going to be about who finishes this game. And we’re ready to play four quarters of football and multiple overtimes if required.”
One couldn’t ask for a better matchup: the Lopez D against the Chargers’ ground game. That could be the key to the outcome, which unit plays better down the stretch. Expect scoring in this game to be a struggle for both teams, and for the end result to come down to the wire.
PREDICTION: Lopez 21, Brownsville Veterans Memorial 17
Thursday’s Game
District 32-5A
DONNA NORTH AT PACE
WHEN: 7 p.m., Thursday
WHERE: Sams Memorial Stadium
RECORDS: Donna North (2-4, 1-2); Pace (1-5, 1-2)
GAME NOTES: Donna North defeated Porter 46-16 in Week 7. … The Chiefs’ offense averages 264 yards and 22 points per game. … The Donna North defense had five turnovers last week against Porter, including three by Oscar Salas — two fumbles recovered and an interception — all for touchdowns to lead the way. … Pace lost to Mercedes 41-13 in Week 7. … The Vikings haven’t been consistent on offense with this season. The unit averages 268 yards and nearly 17 points per game and is led by quarterback Randy Aguilar who has thrown for over 800 yards this season and four touchdowns. … The Pace defense allows 384 yards and 33 points per game. … Both teams look to add another district win in the win column. Donna North will likely keep it on the ground while Pace will air it out. It comes down to the offense that executes the best will likely come out on top.
PREDICTION: Pace 23, Donna North 21
— Andrew Crum
Friday’s Games
District 32-6A
HANNA AT LOS FRESNOS
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Friday
WHERE: Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium, Los Fresnos
RECORDS: Hanna (3-3, 2-1); Los Fresnos (3-3, 1-2)
GAME NOTES: This game became quite an interesting matchup when each team won last week. Michael Payan kicked a 22-yard field goal with two seconds left last Friday to lift Hanna over Harlingen South 19-16 in Brownsville. Playing on the road, Los Fresnos trailed by 13 points at halftime, but rallied to win 17-16 against Weslaco East on a 28-yard field goal by Alejandro Fragoso with 4:09 left … The Golden Eagles and Falcons each have a new head coach this year. At Hanna, Mark Guess has taken over for Rene Medrano. At Los Fresnos, Patrick Brown has replaced Clint Finley … When the two teams played last year in Los Fresnos, the Falcons won 46-13 … Los Fresnos boasts a playmaker at QB in senior Mark Mata. He’s rushed for 854 yards and six touchdowns while passing for 454 yards and five scores. Mata averages 9.5 yards per carry. Falcon RB John Salazar has rushed for 346 yards and eight TDs while leading the Falcons as pass catchers are Mark Rodriguez (14-155) and Nico Valencia (13-142) … The Eagles have a solid offensive performer in RB Jaime Gonzalez, who has rushed for 911 yards and 10 TDs while averaging 7.6 yards per carry. Hanna QB Ernesto Benavides has passed for 345 yards and one TD and rushed for 169 yards. Hanna’s top receiver is Joe Cavazos (13-175) … After Friday, Hanna finishes the regular season against three Valley-ranked teams — at No. 1 San Benito on Oct. 21, then at home against No. 3 Harlingen High on Oct. 29 and at No. 8 Weslaco East on Nov. 4 … Los Fresnos plays at Harlingen High on Oct. 21 and then will be at home against Rivera on Oct. 28 and at home against Weslaco High on Nov. 4.
PREDICTION: Los Fresnos 28, Hanna 21
— Roy Hess
District 32-5A
PORTER AT DONNA HIGH
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Friday
WHERE: Bennie La Prade Stadium, Donna
RECORDS: Brownsville Porter (0-6, 0-3); Donna High (1-5, 0-3)
GAME NOTES: These two teams are at the bottom of the District 32-5A standings. … Both teams have trouble scoring and they can’t defend. … But Porter does have the best player in this matchup. RB Johnathan Gonzalez is the second-best rusher in 32-5A, compiling 806 yards and five touchdowns. … The Redskins have been riddled by injuries, including losing three tailbacks and a starting center for the season. One constant has been QB/RB Hector Guerrero, who has had his moments as a nice playmaker for the Redskins. … Donna High has many defensive players being used on offense as well. If Porter can run clock and ground and pound away, it can wear down Donna quickly.
PREDICTION: Porter 28, Donna High 20
— Dennis Silva II
District 16-4A, Division II
PORT ISABEL AT ORANGE GROVE
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Friday
WHERE: Bulldog Stadium, Orange Grove
RECORDS: Port Isabel (5-1, 0-1); Orange Grove (4-2, 1-0)
GAME NOTES: Port Isabel opened district play with a 21-7 loss to Rio Hondo in Week 7. It was the Tarpons first loss of the season. … Port Isabel averages nearly 406 yards and just under 27 points per game. Omar Silva leads the ground attack with 988 yards and seven touchdowns despite missing two games with an injury. … The Tarpons’ defense allows just 216 yards and 16 points per game. … Orange Grove defeated Progreso 62-8 in Week 7. … The Bulldogs are on a three-game winning streak. … The Orange Grove offense has scored just under 35 points per game, its lowest output has been 20 points this season. … The Bulldogs have allowed under 20 points per game. … Both teams can put points on the board, but Orange Grove has had Port Isabel’s number lately. The Tarpons’ defense has been its strength all season and its due for win over the Bulldogs.
PREDICTION: Port Isabel 28, Orange Grove 27
— Andrew Crum
Non-District
MARINE MILITARY ACADEMY AT ST. JOSEPH ACADEMY
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Friday
WHERE: Canales Field
RECORDS: MMA (1-5); SJA (5-1)
GAME NOTES: It’s homecoming this week for SJA and there are all the indications of Friday’s game against MMA being a mismatch. At one point, the Bloodhounds and Leathernecks were fierce rivals who played annually. However, in recent years, they haven’t played one another. The last game between the two schools in football was 2011 when SJA defeated MMA 65-16 at Canales Field. The year before that, the Bloodhounds defeated the Leathernecks 32-18 in Harlingen at Bowman Field. It appears MMA’s last win against SJA in the series came in 2007 when the Leathernecks beat the Bloodhounds 35-29 at Canales Field … The Bloodhounds were open last week and are coming off a 68-6 win at home Sept. 30 against Hidalgo … MMA is coming off last Friday’s win at home against Premont … After playing MMA, SJA opens TAPPS district action on Oct. 21 at San Antonio Central Catholic and returns to the Alamo City to play San Antonio St. Anthony’s on Oct. 29. The Bloodhounds close the regular season at home on Nov. 4 against San Antonio Antonian … MMA has a game scheduled at home on Oct. 21 against “Los Avispones.” The Leathernecks are scheduled to close out their season on Oct. 28 with a home game against Pharr Oratory.
PREDICTION: SJA 35, Marine Military Academy 7
— Roy Hess
Saturday’s Game
District 32-6A
WESLACO HIGH AT RIVERA
WHEN: 7 p.m., Saturday
WHERE: Sams Memorial Stadium
RECORDS: Weslaco High (3-3, 1-2); Rivera (1-5, 0-3)
GAME NOTES: Weslaco High lost to Harlingen High 13-7 in a defensive battle in Week 7. … The Wildcats’ offense averages 256 yards and 17 points per game. Izaiah Ramos leads the ground game with 316 yards and a pair of touchdowns and AJ Gonzalez has thrown for 219 yards and three scores. … The Weslaco High defense allows 273 yards and less than 17 points per game. … Rivera lost to San Benito 70-6 in Week 7. … The Raiders’ offense averages 226 yards and 13 points per game. Running back Jaden Endsley has 324 yards and a touchdown on the season. … The Rivera defense allows 354 yards and 43 points per game.
PREDICTION: Weslaco High 24, Rivera 14
— Andrew Crum