An interception by PSJA Memorial senior Jacob Amaro would prove to be the difference in a crazy game, as the Wolverines beat the Edinburg Economedes Jaguars 24-23 on Thursday at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.
“Because of the challenges we have had over the last couple of years, I value every win regardless of how tight it was or how many obstacles we had to overcome,” PSJA Memorial coach Michael Uribe said. “This win is extremely valuable. I appreciate our kids’ efforts, and I appreciate the win.”
Economedes (2-3, 1-1 in District 31-6A) had a lead in the fourth quarter, 23-18, and the Jaguars were driving and controlling the ball. Amaro intercepted the pass of Economedes junior quarterback Albert Guerra and returned it more 40 yards for a touchdown to put Memorial (2-3, 1-1) up 24-23.
The teams exchanged punts as time dripped off the clock.
Economedes had the ball in field goal range with under 15 seconds to play, but the Jaguars were out of timeouts, and they failed to execute the would-be game-winning field goal.
“The timing of it, combined with the pressure we brought and the mishandling of the snap, they were not able to get the kick off,” Uribe said. “Last week, I had a sense of relief. This week, I had a sense of joy, even though it wasn’t pretty. Because I understand how valuable these games are. And we are 2-0 in district.”
PSJA Memorial had four turnovers in the first half and a deflected punt that led to good field position and an eventual score for Economedes.
The Wolverines also forced some of that ugliness from Economedes. After Economedes scored the opening touchdown, Amaro blocked the extra point, and senior linebacker Frank Estrada picked up the loose ball and returned it to the end zone for the puzzling score of 6-2. After two Econ touchdowns and a field goal from Memorial, the score right before half was 21-5. But Memorial got some momentum heading into the locker room.
Junior quarterback Orlando Muñoz found his brother, sophomore wide receiver Michael Muñoz, in single coverage on a deep ball and threw a perfect pass that traveled more than 40 yards in the air.
“(Michael Muñoz) made an exceptional catch over the opposite shoulder,” Uribe said. “There was great coverage on the play. It was just one of those unbelievable catches from a young sophomore that we have been waiting for him to break out. A big play right before the half that was crucial.”
EDINBURG NORTH 17, PSJA SOUTHWEST 10: At Pharr, Edinburg North started off a little shaky, but the Cougars came into the second half ready to go and scored the game-winning touchdown on the opening drive to improve to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in District 31-6A.
“A district win is always good,” North coach Rene Saenz said. “It was a tough battle. These guys haven’t won a game, but they played like they were undefeated. They played well tonight. We were a bit sloppy. But you know what, a win is a win.”
Junior running back Cristian Flores punched it in from a few yards out after a sustained drive to put the Cougars up for good.
“That’s exactly what we talked about at halftime,” Saenz said. “We were able to line up and do some fundamental football: block, run the ball, and then we got a stop defensively.”
PSJA Southwest stormed out of the gate and scored first, but North responded with a field goal from junior Frank Cantu to cut the Southwest lead to 7-3. The Javelinas got a field goal of their own to push their advantage to 10-3.
Just when it looked like Southwest had all the momentum, North made a play. The passing game has struggled to get going, but sophomore quarterback Izaiah Rangel found senior Alejandro Cardenas for a touchdown pass of more than 40 yards to tie the game up before the half.
“It’s frustrating, but that is just part of football,” Southwest coach Michael Evans said. “They made a catch. We didn’t make the play. That is just part of the game.”
Still, Southwest has shown very well in its first two games, and Evans is confident his team will continue to improve.
“Every week, we have to get better,” Evans said. “We got better this week. And we will have to get better next week as we prepare for Edinburg Vela.”
DISTRICT 30-6A
McALLEN ROWE 21, GRULLA 14: At McAllen, Rowe had another player step up and take control on offense Thursday night. Angel Rodriguez scored twice to lead the Warriors against Grulla.
Grulla scored first and also scored on an 80-yard fumble recovery.
Rowe coach Bobby Flores said the benefits of playing Grulla are twofold.
“They’re coached by a very good coach, Abel Gonzalez and his staff do a very good job over there preparing those kids,” Flores said. “It was good to see a different style of spread offense.”
Injuries have been a theme for Rowe this season. This non-district tuneup allowed some players to get much-needed rest, while others got major minutes.
“We had a couple of guys still in. Angel’s always been with us,” Flores said. “Alex Anzaldua took the bulk of the carries. We sat Raudel Garcia out.”
DISTRICT 31-5A
LAREDO MARTIN 45, VALLEY VIEW 19: At Laredo, Valley View lost its third game in a row after drawing first blood on a first-quarter touchdown run by running back Brandon Gonzalez. Valley View (2-3) dropped its third district game in a row, while Laredo Martin (2-4) captured its first district victory of the season.