By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
BROWNSVILLE— Brownsville Veterans Memorial coach David Cantu’s main objective in Thursday’s scrimmage with Weslaco High was twofold – keep the starters healthy and give his backups reps against a 6A squad that made one of the deepest playoff runs of any team in the Rio Grande Valley last season.
While the Panthers left Sams Stadium with a 14-0 victory, Cantu was pleased with his squad, which features a deep bench of returning players with experience at the varsity level.
“(We accomplished) exactly what we wanted to accomplish,” Cantu said. “Our ones, our skill kids on offense played maybe 10 plays during the entire scrimmage, and that’s what we wanted. We looked at our twos and our threes and our fours and we wanted to stay healthy. We went against a 6A team that made it to the third round of the playoffs and for the majority of the night we were right there with them.”
Senior starting quarterback Liam Longoria did not see action beyond the early portion of the controlled scrimmage, which Cantu said was by design.
“When he was in there with the skill guys, it was exciting,” Cantu said. “We moved the ball real well, we just couldn’t get it in. In my opinion, Liam Longoria is one of the top two or three quarterbacks in the whole Rio Grande Valley, and that’s just how I feel about him.”
Nonetheless, junior running back Marlon Montelongo and junior wide receiver Nate Fernandez shared the duties for the Chargers under center most of the night, and Fernandez connected with Montelongo for a highlight-reel grab. Fernandez found Montelongo on a short fade along the near sideline, and Montelongo hung on to make a leaping catch while being shoved out of bounds.
Meanwhile, the Brownsville Veterans defense had its hands full trying to contain Panthers quarterbacks Jacob Cavazos and Rodney Garza, both of whom were at ease outside the pocket and frequently scrambled for first down yardage. Weslaco High receivers K-Jay Jones and Peyton Knaub gave the Chargers’ secondary fits, both hauling in touchdown catches Thursday night.
Linebacker Jesus Rosas made several big hits, and safety Angel Rodriguez nearly came up with a diving interception off of Garza in the red zone.
Cantu said he was impressed by sophomore standout Jose “Houston” Moreno, a dual-threat running back and roving free safety who is well-positioned to have a breakout season.
“He’s an exciting player on either side of the ball,” Cantu said. “He’s really stepped it up as far as our young kids. He’s a legit guy with varsity experience.”