By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — For one half of play, Sharyland Pioneer stood toe-to-toe with one of the better teams in the Valley.
The Diamondbacks fought feverishly to try to contain a high-octane Edinburg Vela offense, staying within striking distance by creating turnovers. But following intermission, the SaberCats blew the doors open, scoring four unanswered touchdowns to run away with 49-14 victory Thursday at Cats Stadium.
Quarterback Fabian Pedraza accounted for four touchdowns, all of them after the break, including one on the ground, as Vela (7-0, 3-0) broke away from a 21-14 halftime edge to remain undefeated on the season.
“Coach got on us at halftime,” said Elijah Reyna, who hauled in two TDs during the third quarter. “He said we had to come out fast, line up fast, because when we do that, they can’t stop us.
“We’re at our best when we’re our fastest.”
That the Diamondbacks (6-1, 2-1) were that close after two quarters came as something of a surprise, considering they were down to their third-string quarterback following injuries sustained during last week’s win over Rio Grande City.
The matchup pitted the last remaining undefeated teams in District 31-5A — and two of five in the Valley. But in producing 543 yards offense, including 289 in the air, Vela dealt Pioneer (6-1, 2-1) its first loss of the season.
After yielding a score, Pioneer fumbled the ball on its first drive of the opening half, and Pedraza scored on a 16-yard keeper two plays later, as Vela put up three touchdowns that quarter.
“That gave them a lot of momentum,” Pioneer coach Jason Wheeler said. “They took it and ran with it.”
Pedraza finished the game completing 19 of 27 passes for 281 yards and four touchdowns. Robert Guerra also ran for 20 times for 178 yards and two touchdowns..
CLOSE CALLS
Late in the second quarter, Edinburg Vela quarterback Fabian Pedraza was nearly intercepted twice on the same drive. One pass was dropped by Jesus Sanchez, and other was bobbled by Tristan Guerra.
Pedraza has been intercepted only once all year. The senior entered the game first in 31-5A in passing yards (995) and second in touchdown passes (12), while completing 68.9 percent of his attempts to lead all 6A and 5A starting QBs.
Also, after giving up a 59-yard scoring run to Pioneer, the SaberCats nearly countered with an eight-play scoring drive that began at the 27. But cornerback Anthony Jimenez stripped Vela’s Guerra 3 yards from the end zone, immediately after catching a 15-yard pass, resulting in a touchback.
FILLING IN
Receiver Tyler Bulthuis stepped in at quarterback last week, after starter Alejandro Ramirez (hip contusion) and backup Christopher Melendez (concussion) sustained injuries against Rio Grande City. Bulthuis rallied the Diamondbacks to a 20-10 victory.
With Ramirez listed as a game-time decision and Melendez having missed practice time, Pioneer went with Bulthuis as the starting signal caller on Thursday. The sophomore completed 5 of 15 passes for 51 yards and one interception.
He evened the score at 7-7 on a 13-yard pass, and then Sal Gonzalez ran 59 yards to the end zone to bring Pioneer within 21-14 with 8:10 left in the half.
UP NEXT
Vela will go on the road next week to take on Valley View (0-5, 0-1) at 7:30 p.m. next Friday.
Pioneer continues a rigorous four-game stretch to close out the regular season, facing playoff caliber opponents in Mission Veterans Memorial (3-2, 0-1), Sharyland High (3-3, 1-1) and Roma (5-1, 1-1), respectively.