MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Sharyland High found itself in a helpless situation last week, with his team trailing late and their opportunity to turn around the game around fading.
The eventual loss — snapping a 26-game regular-season winning streak, dating back to 2011 — prompted coach Ron Adame to remind his players about putting matters into their own hands. On Friday, the second-ranked Rattlers made all the necessary plays to do that, running out the clock in the closing moments of a 27-24 win over Edinburg Vela in both teams’ district opener.
In a situation that very much mirrored last week’s late-game situation at Richard Thompson Stadium, Sharyland High (4-1, 1-0) recovered an onside kick inside of 5 minutes to play, using a 12-play, 57-yard sequence to close out the game with possession, denying the SaberCats (4-1, 0-1) any chance of getting within field-goal range.
“When you really take look at it in hindsight, last week’s loss might’ve been a blessing because we refocused and talked about finishing the game,” Adame said. “We didn’t do that last week. And this week, we got a chance to do that. We got to finish the game with our offense on the field, running the clock out.”
The Rattlers again were led by quarterback Lance Madden, who followed up a brilliant performance in Week 4 with 196 yards in the air and 171 on the ground Friday. He scored on runs of 2 and 62 yards, respectively, and connected on a pair of TDs, including an 88-yard strike to James Cole that gave Sharyland High a 27-17 lead with 3:11 to play in the third quarter.
What appeared to be a surefire interception near midfield by Edinburg Vela’s Tristan Flores was ripped away by Cole as Flores fell back. Cole, the senior wide receiver, darted unscathed to the end zone, providing the Rattlers enough cushion to withstand a pesky SaberCats push in the final period.
“This is a great win for us,” Madden said. “The four (non-district) games were tough and we knew this one was going to be tough, too. It’s a great win. Enjoy tonight, but tomorrow we get ready for (Mission) Veterans next week.”
COMING UP SHORT
Edinburg Vela’s best start in program history came to an end, with its winning streak ending at four games. The SaberCats, tied for fifth place in the latest RGVSports.com top 10 poll, scored once to start the second half. But after that, they went three-and-out on four consecutive offensive possessions as Sharyland High started to pull away.
Through those sequences especially, the Rattlers slowed an Edinburg Vela team that entered Week 5 as the top scoring team in district (199 points), producing the most offensive yards on average (429). On Friday, Sharyland High held Vela below that figure, keeping the SaberCats at 258 yards.
Quarterback Ebher Lopez, who led all district QBs with 15 touchdowns, finished with one. He completed 13 of 25 attempts for 97 yards, recording a season-low in passing yards and completion percentage. The ground game struggled as well, turning in 173 yards. On average, it churns out 255 yards.
“Offensively we didn’t execute how I would have liked and that’s 100 percent my fault,” Edinburg Vela coach Michael Salinas said. “If we could learn something from this loss, it’s going to be beneficial for us in the long run.
“We’re a second-year program going on our third year and we went blow-for-blow with the best (team) in the Valley. I think our kids have proven that hard work and preparation have allowed them to be at this place. I’m just upset as a head coach that I didn’t have them prepared to get the victory tonight.”
MARQUEE MATCHUP
The Fox Sports Southwest crew was at Friday’s District 31-5A battle taping its DQ Big Game of the Week segment, which is featured in High School Scoreboard Live.
The segment aired at midnight following the game. The show will replay at 9 a.m. today and on High School Spotlight, FSSW’s 30-minute Texas high school magazine show, at 10:30 p.m. Sunday and at 3 p.m. Monday.
The Emmy Award-winning segment is in its 12th season on FSSW.
NEXT UP
The order of Sharyland High’s district schedule resembles something of a power ranking. On Friday, the Rattlers opened district with Edinburg Vela, the last remaining undefeated team in 31-5A. Next week, they face Mission Veterans (2-1, 0-0), coming off a bye.
From there, the Rattlers will square off against Roma, fourth in district, followed by fifth-place Sharyland Pioneer. Valley View and Rio Grande City, respectively, are the latter two teams in district.