BROWNSVILLE — Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s offense relies heavily on all running backs to be involved and when all of the backs do well, the holes in the defense opens up for everybody, making the offense unstoppable at times.
Chargers senior fullback Bryan Chavez has grabbed attention with his multi-touchdown performances and when the Chargers had a near-perfect offensive showing against Victoria West, Chavez scored nine touchdowns.
Chavez has 1,642 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns this season, but he is not the only Brownsville Veterans player putting up big numbers. Fellow seniors Jay Valdez, Michael McHale, Reece Sampayo and junior Gerry Gomez have had standout seasons in the Chargers’ offense.
The Chargers meet PSJA North at 6 p.m. Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville in a Class 5A DI regional semifinal.
“At the end of the day, it is all about moving the ball,” Chavez said. “Everyone getting involved is better than just one player, because we all are going to win together.”
Valdez has rushed for 1,025 yards on 98 carries, averaging 10.5 yards per carry and has four touchdowns.
Valdez started the Brownsville Veterans party against Victoria West with a 25-yard touchdown where he broke multiple tackles in the 74-59 area-round win. Valdez rushed for 140 yards on 14 carries and the one touchdown against the Warriors.
“I see myself improving a lot,” Valdez said. “But, I could not do this without my teammates and offensive line. Any mistakes I make, my team is there for me. They never let me stay down.”
Michael McHale missed the first four games of the season after tearing his MCL, a ligament in his knee, in a preseason game against PSJA Memorial. The tailback has 458 rushing yards and 168 receiving yards with 10 total touchdowns after easing back into the team.
“It just feels good to be with the team,” McHale said. “After sitting out so long, just to come back and do good, block for my teammates and do whatever it takes to win, feels good.”
Chargers head coach Kelley Lee praised McHale and Valdez for the season they are having.
“The thing I am most proud of those two guys is how much better they block now,” Lee said. “They really block well for each other and for Chavez when he is running the ball. They have really become outstanding blockers.”
All backs agreed that none of this would be possible if not for the offensive line.
Nick Tovar, Israel Yanez, Matthew Pinon, Jezreel Garza, Santiago Sanchez and Manny Lerma make up the offensive line. Lerma is the only senior of the group.
“They have just gotten better every week,” Lee said. “They have really played well together, study film, they are technicians. They take a lot of pride in what they do.”
Sampayo commands the offense and also benefits from the open holes created by the offensive line and the backs. Sampayo has rushed for 548 yards and has found the end zone eight times running the ball.
In run-heavy offenses, having a quarterback with the ability to take the top off of a defense makes the offense even more lethal as the defense will load the box to slow down the run. Sampayo has flexed his arm with 1,156 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and only two interceptions, on 68 completions.
Sampayo’s favorite target this season is Gomez.
“In the triple-option, the scheme is awesome – that is why we are here, but the number of balls you get are counted,” Gomez said. “So, when you do get them, you have to make the most of them.”
Sampayo has connected with Gomez 34 times for 740 yards and six touchdowns. Gomez averages 21 yards per catch as the Chargers have racked up 6,212 yards of total offense.
The Chargers’ defense did not have the most glorious night against D’Andre Fillmore and the Victoria West offense, allowing 59 points. Four touchdowns went to Fillmore on long plays, but they made stops when needed.
“We knew that game could be a high-scoring game because of they are really talented offensively,” Lee said. “We felt like we were going to be able to move the ball on them, so we just needed to get a few stops.”
The Chargers faced a spread offense against Victoria West and will see a different offense when they line up against PSJA North, an offense closer to theirs.
Lee rattled off similarities in how they dispatched common opponents, the stats of key players and how they both approach the game, with physicality.
“We are running teams, but we both can throw the ball really well and hurt you when we need to do that,” Lee said. “I think that those programs are built to win in the playoffs. It is a great opportunity to play a great program like that and to be able to do that in Brownsville, in front of our home crowd, is the icing on the cake.”