By FREDDY GONZALEZ
Staff Writer
LA VILLA – For the past two years, Santa Rosa head coach Arturo Garcia and his staff have hoisted the Sugar Bowl trophy – awarded to the winner between the Warriors and the La Villa Cardinals.
And if history has anything to say about it, the trophy might have to renew its lease for another year at Santa Rosa High School.
When the two sides meet at 7:30 tonight at Weslaco East High School’s football stadium, history will not be on the Cardinals’ side.
In fact, seven out of the last 11 encounters have gone the Warriors’ way, including the final two games, which Santa Rosa has won by a combined score of 41-22.
However, La Villa fans don’t have to look too far back to find the program’s last victory against the Warriors. In 2012 the Cardinals took home the golden trophy with a 21-14 victory.
While Cards’ first-year head coach Shawn Alvarez might be the new man in town, he knows exactly what this game means to his team and the community.
“It’s obviously a big game between the two communities and a rivalry that’s been going on for years,” said Alvarez.
“We know there’s a lot of outside hype about the game, but I tell the kids to remember that we still have to play a football game.
“We know it’s going to be a tough battle and we’re going to have to play very well to win. Santa Rosa is a good football team that has done a lot of good things, not just now but they also have a tradition of it.”
An 0-3 record isn’t a direct representation of the talent the Cardinals have on the team this season. All three of the opponents La Villa has faced this year (Lyford, Taft and Brownsville St. Joseph) have been bigger schools with larger enrollment numbers.
Regardless of their winless record, the Cards have been able to move the ball and score.
This season, Alvarez has incorporated a strong running game that has allowed the Cardinals to rush for more than 1,100 yards using four different runners.
Defensively, the Cardinals struggled to contain Brownsville St. Joseph QB Kai Money last week and this week the defense will face another similar quarterback in Leo Lara.
Through Santa Rosa’s first two games, Lara has thrown for more than 280 yards (142 against Rio Hondo and 139 against La Feria) and three touchdowns while rushing for an additional 100 yards.
More than 200 of Lara’s passing yards have gone to his No. 1 target Devyn Saldivar.
But starting the season at 0-2 has been a big disappointment for the Warriors.
“Coming off of two straight losses is not good,” said Warriors defensive lineman Vince Olivarez. “We’re coming into this week’s game ready to play and we’re going to give our all. We’re fired up”
And Lara agrees with his teammate’s sentiment.
“First of all, it feels horrible,” said Lara about being winless this season. “You always want to win every game. We feel pretty good going into this game and everybody’s ready to play.”