SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR
Coming into Week 11, a couple scenarios could have prevented the Edinburg North Cougars from making the playoffs.
Edinburg North erased all of that doubt by putting on a dominant performance against a once-dominant team, beating the PSJA High Bears 28-10 on Thursday in Edinburg.
“It was tremendous,” North coach Rene Saenz said. “It was a testament to our team. We have had a ton of injuries. The fact that we have lost two or three really frustrating games that we could have won, it’s a testament to these kids. They come every day, and they are ready to play. They don’t hang their heads. Tonight was a perfect night for them to put it together. I was just happy, because it was senior night. We had a couple formations where we went all senior on offense and all seniors on defense. The whole night was a payoff for this whole season.”
Edinburg North (5-5, 4-3) clinched the second seed in District 31-6A Division I and will face San Benito in the bi-district round next week.
Junior running back Cristian Flores exploded for more than 230 yards on the ground. He started off the scoring with a touchdown run of more than 60 yards on the second drive of the game, and the Cougars never looked back.
“Cristian really busted out,” Saenz said. “It was nice. It was good to see.
Flores finished the night with three touchdowns.
Edinburg North’s defense shut down the best passing attack in the Valley.
“The defense played their hearts out,” Saenz said. “I think we had three or four sacks on the night. Our defensive line played outstanding. Number 11, Caleb Jimenez, had two picks. And I know we forced a fumble, also.”
North’s defense played so well that junior defensive player Roel de Leon played on offense, making a one-handed catch on third down to help cushion the Cougars lead. Edinburg North led 21-10 at the half.
EDINBURG HIGH 23, PSJA NORTH 21: At Pharr, with the win, Edinburg High (6-4, 5-2) clinched the first seed in District 31-6A Division I. The Bobcats will face the Los Fresnos Falcons in the first round. PSJA North (2-8, 2-5) missed the playoffs for the second year in row due to the loss.
Edinburg High jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter before taking a 16-7 lead to the locker room at halftime. PSJA North never quit, opening the second-half scoring and tallying again late to bring the game to within two points, but the Raiders couldn’t generate any points in the final eight minutes of the game.