BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
The Sharyland High Rattlers put together a rigorous non-district schedule back in February, but it was hardly expected that the District 16-5A Division II favorite would lose two of its first three games.
Sharyland High needed overtime to beat Brownsville Pace in Week 1 and lost to a top-10 McAllen Memorial team in overtime the following week. Last Friday, the La Joya High Coyotes stomped into Richard Thompson Stadium and ran away from Sharyland High 31-7.
“We met a better team (La Joya High), plain and simple,” Sharyland High coach Ron Adame said. “Everything seemed to be clicking that night, when you throw in special teams. They built their offense around (running back) Eddie Villarreal, and you certainly need good linemen to make it work, which they do.”
Ordinarily, Sharyland High senior quarterback Edgar Longoria is driving the Rattlers offense. He racked up 32 total touchdowns against three interceptions in 2017 but has stumbled out of the gate. Longoria has just one touchdown pass this season and only threw two passes, both incomplete, in Friday’s home loss.
“Edgar was under the weather,” Adame said. “We weren’t going to play him the whole game unless we felt it was necessary. We sent him but quickly took him out, because he wasn’t feeling well. We realized it wasn’t helping him recover, so there’s no sense in exposing him to a potential injury.”
The last of Sharyland High’s four non-district games will be a road contest against No. 4 Brownsville Hanna. The Eagles had an impromptu bye last week due to the cancellation of their matchup with Weslaco East.
“One of the things that we’re harping on is, ‘Don’t give up the big play,’” Adame said. “Hanna’s not just a run-dominant team like La Joya. They’ve got a good quarterback and good receivers. (Brownsville Hanna senior) Miguel Payan scored a few touchdowns against (McAllen) Memorial to start the year. We’ve got quite the challenge ahead of us.”