By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
ALAMO — On paper, PSJA Memorial didn’t appear to have the makings of a district champion.
The Wolverines entered the season having graduated a half-dozen starters, replenishing the roster with JV call-ups, all while coming off a 4-8 season in which they had endured plenty of slim-margin losses.
And while it boasted a young and inexperienced roster, PSJA Memorial has maximized its potential, entering Friday’s District 31-6A match as one of two undefeated teams. The Wolverines left Audie Murphy Middle School as the only program with that distinction, though, after beating Edinburg North 3-0 to take sole possession of first place in district with a 6-0 record.
“The kids really wanted this one,” Memorial coach Alejandro Cruz said. “They were talking about it all day long, and they got it.”
The Wolverines closed out the first half of its 31-6A schedule by scoring all three of goals after the break. Fernando Rubakara and Osvaldo Villanueva buried their attempts two minutes apart early in the second half, the former from distance. And Geovany Salinas, one of the Wolverines’ leading scorers all year, drilled his shot from 40 yards out with 20:20 remaining.
Though Cruz said he didn’t believe the wind influenced the outcome of the game, it didn’t appear to hurt Memorial’s chances of winning. With the wind going in its favor during the second half, Memorial scored twice during the first five minutes of the frame while Edinburg North struggled to develop any type of consistency with its shots on goal.
“When you have a game like this with the wind, it’s going to be a half for you and a half for the other guys,” Cougars coach Elias Moran said. “And whoever takes advantage of the wind is going to take the game.”
PSJA Memorial capitalized on those opportunities Friday, and now it finds itself as the favorites to win the 31-6A title.
A couple months ago, it seemed unlikely, given their inexperience. But the roster largely comprised of sophomores and juniors has been able to establish some continuity on the field. They have a more refined offensive attack compared to last year’s team, and they’ve developed a better passing game, as well.
They debuted in the RGVSports.com top 10 ranking last week, and are sure to move up following Friday’s win.
“It’s incentive to keep going, keep going,” Cruz said. “Trying to get that undefeated season, if we can. It’s going to be a challenge, but we want it.”
Moran, for his part, didn’t see the loss as a defining moment in the Cougars’ season. By all accounts, Edinburg North has exceeded expectations in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the program. They’re 4-1 now in district, trailing only PSJA Memorial for the 31-6A lead with the regular-season finale scheduled on the Cougars’ home field.
“We’re going to be motivated,” Moran said. “They’re a young, talented team. Very, very tough opponent. They’re outscoring pretty much all the teams in our district, so we expected something like this to happen today.
“But it’s going to be a different motivation for us (in the next meeting). We’ve already studied them, so we’re going to be more prepared next time.”