DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
There is a different feeling around Mercedes this season.
Yes, the Tigers are strong again. Yes, they’re in the hunt for another district title, and yes, that probably comes down to Friday’s showdown against rival Edcouch-Elsa at Tiger Stadium.
But Mercedes looks different. This is a Tigers team not only competing for its second district title in three years, but also has what it takes for a lengthy postseason run.
“One key word with them, and that’s balance,” Edcouch-Elsa coach Joe Marichalar said. “It sticks out. It’s a balanced, all-around team. They put points on you real quick and defensively they can stop you real quick. This is one of their better teams, yeah.
“But,” Marichalar added, “we’re good, too.”
Indeed, which is why Friday’s contest should be one of the finest games of the season. The Tigers are 5-1 overall, 3-0 in District 32-5A. The Yellowjackets are 4-2, 3-0. Mercedes has won five games in a row. Edcouch-Elsa has won four straight.
And while E-E holds a 33-28-1 all-time record in the rivalry, winning 15 of the last 18, it is going up against a Mercedes team that ranks in the top five, statistically, in the Valley in offense and defense.
“This is probably one of the best overall teams we’ve had,” said Mercedes first-year head coach Roger Adame, who has coached at Mercedes the last 12 years. “We’ve had teams with great offenses, teams with great defenses. But this is one of the few teams that have had a combination of both.”
Adame has changed the culture of the program, “changing the swagger,” as he likes to put it. Mercedes is more physical, more intense. And because of talent like quarterback Rene Presas and receiver Joshua Garza, along with a defense that may be more explosive than the offense, the Tigers have a good shot of breaking the losing skid and beating the Yellowjackets.
But a big “if” is in play.
Junior running back Isaac Vela was cleared to practice this week after injuring his leg during a Sept. 15 practice. But he has not progressed as much as Adame has liked.
Adame said he would only play Vela if he was “at least” 75 percent of full health. As of Thursday afternoon, Adame said Vela was 60 percent.
If the game had been Thursday, Adame said Vela would not have played. But he did not rule him out for tonight with one more walk-through and night of rest in store.
“We don’t want a reaggravated injury,” Adame said. “The doctors say it’s healing quick, and we don’t want to take steps backward.”
In three games, Vela has 216 rushing yards and three touchdowns, with three catches for another 120 yards. He adds a shifty, speedy element that has been visibly absent in Mercedes’ backfield attack while he has been sidelined. With him, the Tigers, primarily a passing team, averaged 120 rushing yards in three games and could control possession and tempo. Without Vela, however, the Tigers have averaged just 87 rushing yards.
“Obviously he wants to be on the field,” Adame said. “This is a big game he worked hard to try and get back for. But my first responsibility is the safety of our players. I won’t sacrifice a player’s health for one win.”
The Yellowjackets, meanwhile, have found their rhythm. After starting the season 0-2, Edcouch-Elsa has outscored its opponents 104-28.
Marichalar said attitude has been the backbone behind his team’s surge.
“We knew we had an inexperienced team, but because of the potential we thought it’d take us 2-3 quarters to get things going, not 2-3 games,” Marichalar said. “But even when we were 0-2, the vibe was never that we were out. Our vibe was to still shoot for state.
“Call it stubbornness, but that’s what we believe.”
Each coach will tell you Friday’s game is no more important than any other one. The fans and ex-players certainly don’t believe so; the game was sold out by Wednesday afternoon.
But each team has a bigger picture in mind, not just one game out of what each coach hopes is a long season. Still, a win tonight would be a big step for someone in reaching their ultimate destination.