By MARK MOLINA AND FREDDY GONZALEZ
Staff Writer
After sustaining a collarbone injury during the second half against Rio Grande City on Sept. 27, Brownsville Veterans Memorial running back Mauricio Garza will be sidelined at least four weeks. At that point, he is scheduled to be re-evaluated by doctors.
Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu said there is a chance Garza sees the field again this season.
Prior to the injury, Garza rushed for 230 yards and a pair of scores during the 35-21 win and was District 16-5A Division I’s leading rusher, so his absence leaves a void for the Chargers.
It doesn’t appear to be one the Chargers can’t fill, as they put up 39 points in a win against the Porter Cowboys on Friday with a committee of running backs.
Quarterback Liam Longoria continued to throw the ball well, collecting 199 yards and three scores on 12 of 23 passing and three touchdowns. Gilbert Garcia and Guadalupe Moran carried for a combined 108 yards on 15 carries and two scores.
Longoria has passed for 980 yards and 11 touchdowns, and rushed for 231 more yards and 10 scores.
Receiver Elijah Masten has come on strong during plast three games with seven touchdowns and 227 yards. The speedy receiver has 399 yards and eight touchdowns on the season.
BANDA BREAKOUT: The Pace Vikings’ defense has been the main story for its 5-0 start to District 16-5A Division I play this season, but during the past two weeks, the offense has come alive.
A big part of that has been due to the play of sophomore quarterback Jose Banda.
After accounting for six touchdowns during a Week 5 win at PSJA Memorial, the Vikings’ signal caller accounted for four more in a 35-14 win over La Joya Palmview.
Banda hit Ilijah Solis, Brandon Zapata and Carlos Pulido for touchdown passes of 22, 9 and 20 yards, respectively, and broke a run for 51 yards to the house.
The sophomore QB threw for 168 yards on 12 of 20 passing and ran for 104 more.
During the past two games, Banda has passed for 416 yards and rushed for 182 more, and the offense has averaged 436.5 yards per contest.
WITH MOMENTUM: The Raymondville Bearkats are coming off an impressive 42-38 victory over the Orange Grove Bulldogs this past weekend.
The Bearkats improved to 5-1 as they get ready for a District 16-4A DII showdown against the Rio Hondo Bobcats on Oct. 19.
The win also gives the Bearkats a momentum-building five-game win streak heading into district play.
Raymondville’s Jacob Posas posted a performance to remember against the Bulldogs. Posas rushed for 167 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries, while also passing for 134 yards. Posas scored on runs from 6 yards, 63 yards and 70 yards out.
This season, the senior quarterback has rushed for 688 yards and 11 touchdowns.
KEY ’CATS: Another pair of players with performances to remember were Rio Hondo’s Josiah Ortega and Daniel Vasquez. The duo proved to be the deciding factor in their victory over the La Feria Lions.
Ortega, a senior quarterback, took control of the game early, but Vazquez’s 33-yard touchdown run during the fourth quarter was the eventual game-winner.
Ortega finished the game with 206 yards passing and two interceptions. In total, the senior has passed for an impressive 1,859 yards and 20 touchdowns. Vasquez has rushed for 751 yards and five touchdowns on 104 carries midway through the season.
With the win, the Bobcats enter the bye week undefeated at 6-0.
GROUND GAINERS: Port Isabel’s attacking combination of QB Cesar Aguilera and running back Bryan Media have turned things around for the Tarpons.
After starting the season 0-2, Port Isabel has won three of its past four games heading into the District 16-4A Division II schedule, including a 48-21 victory Friday over the Grulla Gators.
Against the Gators, Aguilera rushed for a jaw-dropping 267 yards and five touchdowns on 13 carries, and teammate Medina added another 194 yards and two touchdowns. In total, the Tarpons rushed for 518 yards against the Gators.