DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
Heading into last week’s non-district finale against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, quarterback Marco Aguinaga had accounted for 81 percent of Edcouch-Elsa’s rushing yardage. Aguinaga had 324 of the team’s 400 rushing yards during the first two games.
So when the Yellowjackets rushed for 242 yards in their 47-14 win over the Huskies on Thursday — with three rushers besting Aguinaga’s total of 26 yards — coach Joe Marichalar was pleased to find more contributors to the run game.
“We talked about finding that running back that’s a great asset to have next to Marco,” Marichalar said. “That will make people back off Marco. That just means the offense gets better.”
“That” running back appears to be Jorge Gomez, who rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries against the Huskies. Aside from Aguinaga, Gomez has had success carrying the ball.
In three games this season, Gomez, who Marichalar said has great vision, great patience and is a good runner, has 177 yards on 17 carries.
Christian Contreras and Joel Cardoza are also in the backfield mix, though they have not received as many opportunities as Gomez. All three players are just as effective blockers as runners, and that is crucial to the Yellowjackets’ spread offense.
“The running back we want is an all-around kid,” Marichalar said. “He’ll be doing quite a bit of blocking in our offense. We want to throw the ball, so they have to learn how to block and how to do it efficiently before any type of running gets thrown their way.”
Edcouch-Elsa defensive lineman Seth Garcia, a 2015 all-state selection, is day-to-day in recovering from an ankle injury and is close to returning to full-time action. Garcia has yet to play this season.
STRUGGLING EARLY
Offensively, slow starts have not been unusual for Rio Grande City this season, and they caught up with the Rattlers last week.
For the third time in four games, the Rattlers’ offense sputtered against Laredo Martin, falling behind by 4 at halftime and 10 in the second half before the Rattlers lost 20-16. It was Rio Grande City’s first defeat this season.
Friday’s slow start can be credited to blown chances. In the second half, especially, the Rattlers dropped crucial passes; an open receiver was missed late during the fourth quarter for a score that could have put Rio Grande City ahead.
Coach Aaron Garcia admitted starting quicker is a point of emphasis, but couldn’t attribute it to anything in particular.
“It’s about continuing to build on our confidence,” Garcia said. “(Quarterback) Jason (Perez) had a pretty good game and I like his poise. It wasn’t a bad game by any means. We just missed opportunities, and they capitalized. It happens.
“It hurts because a win would’ve put us in a really good position in the district. But by no means are we out of it.”
TO BE DETERMINED
Mercedes quarterback Zach Gomez is expected to be a game-time decision for Friday’s district opener against Donna High after he sprained his shoulder during the first half of the Tigers’ Week 3 loss against Weslaco High.
The injury is to Gomez’s non-throwing arm. Initially, Gomez was said to be out two weeks from when the injury occurred, which would put him right up against game-time Friday.
Coach Roger Adame Jr. said Gomez’s recovery is ahead of schedule, however, and Gomez’s strength and conditioning have been keys to that progress. Gomez will be re-evaluated Friday.
In the meantime, the Tigers will turn to Mark Ledesma, who has completed 64.6 percent of his passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns and two interceptions in relief of Gomez this year. Gomez has only played six quarters of football — the season opener against Calallen and the first half against Weslaco High.
“Mark’s got leadership ability and a drive and focus,” Adame said. “He’s got the quarterback mentality and kids respond well with him. Mark’s got good speed and is athletic and he’s got good arm strength, too. He’s very similar to Zach, aside from the varsity experience.”