MIKE GONZALEZ | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — This time last year, PSJA North was in the middle of one of the worst seasons in school history.
The Raiders would go on to finish 2013 winless at 0-10. A new coach with a new philosophy has given PSJA North a new beginning and some life. After Friday, the squad is now 1-0 in District 31-6A. While there is still work that needs to be done, the Raiders can hold their heads up high after coming to the Mid-Valley and earning a 14-7 win over Weslaco at Bobby Lackey Stadium.
“These kids needed confidence and belief,” first-year head coach Jorge Pena said. “They’ve been down and now they’re starting to believe in themselves.”
A stubborn defense held the Panthers’ slot-T attack to only 152 yards total. That after the unit gave up a 53-yard touchdown run on Weslaco’s first play from scrimmage. But after that, the defense allowed only 99 yards total.
“This offense is a tricky offense,” senior strong safety Nico Jaime said. “We had to stay disciplined and do our job. It wasn’t that difficult. Everyone just had to do their part and it all comes together.”
Pena has familiarity with the slot-T. Before switching to the spread 12 years ago, it was the offense he ran. He, along with defensive coordinator Cruz Gaitan, came up a solid game plan and had five starters who had missed time due to injury finally playing together. Defensive linemen Matt Garza and Dylan Montemayor were a major factor in winning the battle in the trenches. Playing a stack defense, the Raiders dared Weslaco to throw on them, but the Panthers managed only 13 yards on eight pass attempts. North cornerback Ciro Hernandez iced the game with an interception on Weslaco’s last try.
“We like to play pressure defense,” Pena said. “We’ve got to load them in the box until they can prove they can throw.”
But Weslaco (0-1, 1-4) stuck with what’s given the program success. The team set the tempo with their only score from Eric Gonzalez for a quick 7-0 lead. But the Raiders made a few more big plays and converted some key third downs. After giving up a score, North responded with a 10-play. 69-yard drive, culminating in a 13-yard touchdown pass from George Olivarez to Deion Hernandez. Weslaco still held a 7-6 lead for a better part of the game, but slowly, the Raiders would gain momentum. And on the first play of the fourth quarter, PSJA North took the lead via a 13-yard run by Olivarez. Joey Torres added the two-point conversion to stretch the lead to seven.
But the biggest play of the game occurred late in the game. On third and 17, Olivarez was picked off by Undrae Galindo for a potential 45-yard game-tying touchdown. However, the Panthers were called for pass interference. Then, a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty was added against the Weslaco bench. That gave the Raiders an extra set of downs and allowed them to chew up more clock.
Weslaco coach Tony Villarreal and staff surely didn’t like the call, and the veteran coach refused to comment after the game. As for the Raiders, it was a big stepping stone for a program that’s trying to get back to some winning ways.
“A lot of people didn’t believe we would go far,” Olivarez said. “But we’re proving people who doubted us wrong.”