By GREG LUCA and MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITERS
When La Joya Juarez-Lincoln quarterback Andrew Rodriguez came off the field after the controlled portion of the team’s preseason scrimmage against Grulla, he delivered an honest message to coach Tommy Garcia: “I was nervous.”
Rodriguez, a senior, was playing quarterback at the varsity level for the first time after transitioning from cornerback. But when he stepped into a real game Friday against PSJA Memorial, Rodriguez didn’t show any signs of nerves. He completed 5 of 9 passes for 109 yards with two scores and ran 6 times for 41 yards and another touchdown as the Huskies rolled to a 35-7 win.
“From the get-go he was very focused and took control of the huddle,” Garcia said. “He showed great leadership.”
Juarez-Lincoln’s 35 points and 360 total yards were more than the team’s best totals in any game last season.
Garcia said the biggest difference was the team’s maturity, which stems from Rodriguez.
On Friday, Rodriguez wasn’t afraid to look for the deep pass, averaging 21.8 yards per completion.
“The reason we changed him was because we know he’s a playmaker and he’s a leader,” Garcia said. “He’s throwing the deep pass, and that’s what we want to see.”
Rodriguez connected with Carlos Gonzalez and CJ Flores for touchdowns, while Livan Pequeño and Elias Gutierrez scored on the ground.
RUNNING THE OFFENSE
In his first start under a new offense, McAllen Rowe junior quarterback Jesus Sanchez shined.
Moving from last season’s air raid attack to a more balanced spread system under new coach Bobby Flores, Sanchez completed 20 of 26 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns without an interception in a season-opening 30-14 win against Edinburg High.
“He controlled the tempo of the game and delivered the messages to our team, getting the signals in there and making sure guys were lined up in the right places,” Flores said.
Under Sanchez’s leadership, Rowe also racked up 142 yards on the ground.
Flores said Rowe’s play-action and pre-snap motion opened up the short to intermediate passing game. Sanchez’s 20 completions averaged 9.4 yards.
“Along with his accuracy, of course, he made some very, very good throws,” Flores said. “I don’t want to take away from that. He made some very good throws and adjustments on the ball. It was a combination. He threw the ball well, and our play action helped us free up some receivers.”
Sanchez worked the ball to seven different targets on Friday, with leader Adrian Bernal hauling in 8 passes for 67 yards.
With Rowe aiming to push the tempo and create confusion through motion, Sanchez’s ability to find multiple threats will be paramount, Flores said.
“One of our keys also is we want to tire the defense out, and that’s one of our ways,” Flores said. “We have several people rotating in and out, and that’s a good thing for us.”
UNDER CENTER
After sharing snaps during spring ball and two-a-days, junior Nate Garcia started under center for Edinburg Vela in Week 1.
Garcia played sparingly last year behind then-senior Fabian Pedraza —among the Valley leaders in passing yards (1,617), TDs (21), completing percentage (65.2) — as the SaberCats won district and reached the third round of the playoffs. Garcia won the starting spot over sophomore Marc Buhidar, the starting quarterback for the freshmen squad in 2015.
In his first start Friday, Garcia completed 12 of 24 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing 19 times for 137 yards in a 63-62 win over Victoria East.
“I felt Nate did a good job,” Vela coach Michael Salinas said. “We got put in about every situation in the first game of the season that we could be in: playing from behind, dealing with turnovers — self-inflicted and some we created on defense — and we went through some highs and lows. So he responded really well.”
Salinas added: “The biggest thing from the scrimmage to last week was his comfort level throughout the course of the ball game, and being able to battle through some of the tough situations we had offensively and bouncing back and answering when his number was called. He showed some patient, he showed some maturity and he showed some leadership Friday.”