GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
Weslaco East coach Mike Burget has heard the things people are saying about his Wildcats.
Even as East sits at 5-1 overall and 1-1 in District 31-6A heading into Thursday’s matchup against Edinburg Economedes (2-3, 0-1), onlookers have found plenty to be critical about.
For one, East has thrown for just 128 yards this season, the least of any 5A or 6A team in the Valley. But, even trailing by 13 points entering the fourth quarter last week against PSJA Memorial, Burget knew better than to panic. East came back to win 34-26, despite not throwing for a single yard.
“A lot of people have criticized the run teams in the Valley, and I sort of laugh at that,” Burget said. “We do what we’ve done forever. We run the ball. If we’re down, we can throw the ball if we have to. We have a whole quarter to go. We weren’t going to panic. We’re going to do what we do. We feel good about the outcome of the game. We’re 5-1 for a reason.”
Burget hears people saying quarterback Darren Rivas can’t throw. Rivas has run for 425 yards despite being slowed by injury during the early portion of the season, but he has completed just 11 of 32 passes for 128 yards on the year. Still, Burget knows that Rivas has proven himself as a capable passer in practice.
“We’ll be able to throw the ball,” Burget said. “I know people are going to call me a liar or whatever. I don’t really care. I think Darren is a good passer. We’ve been sort of fortunate where we don’t have to use him yet.”
Burget has also heard criticism of his defense, which has allowed 1,369 rushing yards this season, the second most in the district. Yes, he’d like to see a better job of getting off blocks and wrapping up from his young unit. But, at the end of the day: “Teams are only averaging 21 points against us,” Burget said. “That’s not too bad.”
East will be tested on the ground against Economedes. The Jaguars average 220.4 rushing yards per game, good for third in the district.
Economedes is coming off of a bye after falling 34-14 to PSJA Memorial on Sept. 26. Jaguars coach Gabe Peña could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
“Watching them on film they’re like us: They’re big, and they like to run the ball,” Burget said. “They’re a fantastic ball club.”