BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — One of the biggest stories heading into the season for Edinburg Vela was the migration of Daniel Enriquez from defensive secondary to receiver.
The hype was warranted, as Enriquez caught five passes and had a classic 97-yard kickoff return Thursday in Vela’s 48-27 win over Laredo United at Richard R. Flores Stadium.
But what made the move even sweeter was the play of the guys who took over for Enriquez on defense.
Jaime Perez Jr., a sophomore safety, picked off the first pass of the game on United’s first play from scrimmage.
“It was nerve-wracking, because it was my first varsity play,” Perez said. “The quarterback turned my way. I cheated that way, and when he let it go, I broke on it. Intercepted it.”
The perfect start became even more perfect. Vela’s first play from scrimmage was a 31-yard TD run by senior running back Cristian Flores.
“Honestly, I’ve been waiting for this for a while,” Flores said. “The past is the past, but coming out here with my boys and getting it done, it was a lot of fun.”
Perez was not done, though. He picked up a second interception later in the first half. The pick was crucial because it came in the end zone, and Perez was able to return the ball to near midfield. Enriquez’s return prompted United to kick it to Perez, who also broke a kickoff return for a touchdown, but it was called back because of a penalty on Vela.
“We have a lot of things to clean up,” Vela coach John Campbell said. “I think overall, we weren’t very consistent. We saw the explosive plays, which we are not going to knock that, but the consistency, the ability to sustain drives, the ability to go three-and-out on defense, that’s where we didn’t do a real good job. First game of the year.”
Perez is joined in the defensive secondary by fellow sophomore safety Ivan Mendoza.
“Two talented sophomores. You are always a little bit skeptical when you have two sophomores back there,” Campbell said. “I was very proud with their performance tonight.
“We thought that little Jaime, Mito is what we call him, had a chance to be a special player for us,” he continued. “We put a lot on that, because he was the guy who allowed us to move Daniel over to the offensive side of the ball. He came out and performed just like we thought he had the ability to. We are very pleased with his performance tonight.”
Perez said he had nerves coming in, but he knew he had to perform for his seniors.
“Ivan and I worked our tails off all summer,” Perez said. “We wanted to get everything right, learn our assignments, get stronger and get bigger. Mentally, we prepared for this game, especially to set the tone of the rest of the season.”
“We always want to set the tone,” Flores said. “My coach said he wanted to put 60 on them, because they were talking trash. Stuff happens. It’s a preseason game. We had fun.”
Flores rushed for 105 yards on Thursday. He scored Vela’s first three touchdowns, and by the time he needed a sip of water, Vela was up 21-0.
“All the credit to my line. They set me up,” Flores said. “This O-line, they are always juiced, honestly. Once they are working, they are working, and they don’t stop.”
The line was also pivotal in the performance of the quarterbacks.
Sophomore AJ Sotelo opened the game under center. Sotelo completed 9 of 15 passes but for just 27 yards. After halftime, Elijah Trujillo took over at QB. Trujillo went 5-for-10 passing for 114 yards and 2 TDs.
“I think Elijah performed well in our scrimmage. (Senior quarterback) Frankie (Zuniga) did, as well,” Campbell said. “We have a little bit of a quarterback battle on our hands. AJ is getting his wings, getting going. We figured we needed a little bit of a change-up. Elijah came in there and executed a component of our offense that was missing in the first half.”
Sotelo did not play in Vela’s last scrimmage.
“We are not knocking AJ,” Campbell said. “He made some good decisions. He got us in some good plays, but looked a little bit rusty at times. But, when the bullets were flying, he made some good decisions. He had a big-time scramble, knew where the ball was supposed to go. They both did a good job, particularly, for the first game of the year.”
Trujillo said he wasn’t expecting to get in the game so early.
“I thought eventually I would get something, but I knew our team would put up a lot of points, and everyone would get the opportunity to get in,” Trujillo said. “I didn’t expect to go in that early, but I am glad I got my opportunity.”
Trujillo made the most of it, and it started with his first pass. In the first half, junior receiver Justin Cantu had just one catch. On the first play of the second half, Trujillo rifled a pass to Cantu.
“I think that play really picked up a lot of people: me, him, the crowd, the team,” Trujillo said. “It was a great tone setter for the whole night.”
Cantu finished as the team’s leading receiver in yards (99) and tied for the lead in receptions (five). He caught two touchdowns, both from Trujillo.
Trujillo also credited his line — a trend across the team. Campbell highlighted Vela’s lack of consistency but was quick to point out that the O-line was reliable throughout.
“Cristian does real good reading the outside zone. He was hitting some cuts. We still have Aaron (Alvarez) back there, and to be honest with you, I was very pleased with some of Kevin McKinney’s runs, as well,” Campbell said. “None of that is possible without the offensive line.”
“Obviously, we have to go as an O-line,” senior left tackle Jayden Borjas said. “If it doesn’t start up front, we are in trouble. So, we just go. We don’t stop. We push each other, but we have each others’ backs.”