The Sharyland High Rattlers have had the Mission Veterans Patriots’ number during their five meetings, coming out on top each time the two have met on the gridiron.
The Patriots (3-2, 3-0) look to flip the script, taking on the Rattlers (3-1, 2-0) in a pivotal District 16-5A DII clash at 7 tonight at Richard Thompson Stadium in Mission in The Monitor’s Game of the Week.
“It’s certainly not a fluke,” Mission Veterans head coach David Gilpin said. “Sharyland is a good football team year-in and year-out. They’re extremely well-coached.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for their program. I think they do things right over there. It’s not some big rivalry where we feel like we have to go out there and prove something. But we definitely need to get that statistic changed.”
Since opening the season with back-to-back non-district losses, the Patriots have emerged as district-title hopefuls, earning three consecutive victories en route to a tie for first with the Mercedes Tigers.
Quarterback Ricky Reyna’s hot stretch has been key to the Patriots’ run, throwing for 825 yards, 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions during their three district contests.
Reyna has been aided by the play of his wideouts, including Marckopolo Cavazos and Dylan Velasquez, who have combined for 546 yards and eight touchdowns during the past three contests, while Vincent Abrego has emerged as a red zone threat, hauling in four catches for 58 yards and four touchdowns during district play.
The Rattlers’ defense looks to cool down Reyna’s play, led by playmaking defensive backs Alan and Alek Gonzalez and terrorizing linebacker Tennessee Cano. The trio has combined to force six of the Rattlers’ nine turnovers this season.
“Any time you got a quarterback that’s that mobile and can throw the ball, you have to be able to get pressure on him and make him frustrated,” Sharyland High head coach Craig Krell said. “That’s something we’re going to try to do. He’s a great athlete and a great kid. We’re going to try and get some pressure on him and hopefully frustrate him a little bit.”
Despite losing starting quarterback Orly Lopez to injury during a non-district contest against Brownsville Hanna, the Rattlers remain in the mix for a district title, opening district play with a 2-0 mark.
Junior quarterback Cole Gerlach took over the reins following Lopez’s injury, finding his groove with back-to-back two touchdown performances during his two starts.
Still, the offense runs through junior running back Alan Guerrero, who has seen an uptick in carries since the start of district play. The bruising runner has carried the pigskin 60 times for 505 yards and six touchdowns, ranking No. 2 in the district.
The Rattlers’ offense faces its biggest test thus far Thursday, with the Patriots’ No. 2-ranked defense waiting on the opposite side. Led by Luis De Hoyos’ 83 tackles and Mark Champion’s five sacks, the Patriots are allowing only 235.6 yards per game.
The winner of tonight’s contest takes one step towards their season goal of a district crown, both teams trying to keep pace with the Mercedes Tigers, who have cruised past opponents en route to a perfect 5-0 mark.
“A win for either Sharyland or us (to)night keeps you in that high seeding for the playoffs and it keeps you in the district title hunt,” Gilpin said. “It’s just huge. It’s our biggest game of the year so far. No doubt about it. This is one we’re going to have to play at the level of Patriots’ football we’re accustomed to and it’s still going to be a dog fight, no matter what.”