BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — By now, a lot of people know a few key players on the Weslaco East defense.
There are the All-State guys in linebacker Freddy Cardenas and defensive lineman Jacob Banda, both seniors. There are the guys that play on both sides of the ball: safeties Ramsey Vasquez and Hector Muniz, both juniors, and senior cornerback Dimas Alvarez.
But, the unsung heroes on the East defense are just as valuable to the No. 1 defense in the Valley.
“Everybody out here works very hard,” Cardenas said. “It’s not just me or Banda or Hector or Ramsey, it is all 11 of us. If you watch film on us, it is very sound football, very disciplined. We all worked very hard this season, and we all came together.”
Many of the players on the defense have played for years, in some of the biggest matchups East has had.
“Everybody knows Freddy Cardenas and Jacob Banda. Everybody knows they are two of the best players in the Valley. And they are, they have proved that,” Mike Burget said. “Not everybody knows about Rob Vera, he plays inside linebacker. He’s a two-year starter. Robert has been there the whole dang year and he’s right behind Freddy in tackles.”
Vera, a senior, has 78 tackles, Cardenas has 86. Each has one sack this year.
“We also have Robert Torres, a defensive tackle a lot of people don’t know about, because they hear about Banda. He’s a three-year starter,” Burget said. “Then we have Carlos Espinoza, outside linebacker, he’s been solid, and I mean solid. His play has been great.”
Torres has 29 tackles and one tackle for loss. Espinoza has 36 tackles and two sacks.
“Dimas started last year, playing corner. The other corner is Jose Serna. Serna has been solid. I didn’t know he could do what he did, and he came out and worked hard this summer,” Burget said.
Speaking of unsung heroes, the East offensive line has been through a hellish season, and they are just now starting to put it all together.
One of East’s best players Mario Trevino, a junior center, was injured earlier this year, and the line had to adjust.
“We had to come together as a team,” senior lineman Alexis Gil said. “As soon as Mario went out, I had to move to the center position, and we had to move someone else into my guard position.”
Things weren’t easy for the guard who hadn’t played center in at least three years. He described some of his early snaps as “ugly.” Since then, Gil has worked tirelessly to ensure his snaps are as sound as his blocking already was.
The line has dealt with several injuries, Trevino’s being the biggest blow. The style of play East utilizes demands the offensive linemen give everything they have. Still, the group’s confidence has never wavered. The coaches have supported the line and helped them improve and learn on the fly.
“The coaches are like father figures to us,” Gil said. “They help us through everything. I look up to them.”
That patience has paid off, as the line is peaking at just the right time, according to Gil.
“I feel like we are starting to come together,” Gil said. “We are getting on our blocks and staying on our blocks. We are making the running backs look good again.”
East suffered a tough defeat at the hands of rival No. 4 Weslaco High last week. The loss robbed East of a chance to play for the outright district title. But the Wildcats know a share of the district title is on the line this week when East travels to Richard R. Flores Stadium to take on No. 1 Edinburg Vela. The game starts at 7:30 Friday night.
“Last week was a tough loss, but our kids shook it off,” Burget said. “We are getting ready for Vela and then the playoffs.
“They are the No. 1 team in the Valley for a reason. They are 9-0. They have had a great schedule. They play great football. My hat’s off to them. They have a lot of athletes over there, and it will be a big challenge for us, but we are looking forward to it.”
East has been to the playoffs 12 consecutive years.
“That tells you a lot about the program, we haven’t been around for very long. These seniors knew coming in, what they had to do,” Burget said. “We have lost to one Valley team now, last week. Like I said it was a tough loss.”
Earning a playoff berth is not the destination for East, it is the beginning of a new season.
“We have nine seniors that want to win a game really bad,” Burget said. “But they also know that, last week, the world didn’t stop just because we lost a game. We have Vela, which is the best team in the Valley, we see that on film. But we are going to go play East football and see if it is good enough.”