BOBCATS HOLD OFF MCALLEN AFTER

LOSING SUPERSTAR LEADER GUERRERO

BY GREG SELBER

EDINBURG – It was like one of those old detective action movies, with a crazy car chase, a desperate brawl inside a dark, dank waterfront warehouse, and then the villains hurtling off into the misty night. The hero emerges from the warehouse in pursuit, hops into his car, revs it, and…nothing. The ol’ cable or sparkplug or something somewhere (we are never quite sure what or where or how) has been snipped/removed/sabotaged.

End of the action. The hero sits there in his car, slamming both fists against the steering wheel in dramatic frustration. He’ll have to wait another day to eradicate the bad guys.

Luckily for the Edinburg Bobcats, they were able to put together a half of championship caliber football, and it was enough to take out McAllen High here Saturday, 30-16. That was with Stevie “Ol’ Blue Eyes” Guerrero, the senior fire-starter with as much talent and leadership ability as anyone in the Valley. He paced the team to a 21-3 advantage midway through the second after two long and smooth touchdown drives but was knocked from the game after a somewhat late hit near his own sideline created the ultimate EHS nightmare.

The early word was a painful case of turf toe, which is a hyperextension of a digit, in not-so-plainspeak.

Though he would return to toss a 30-yard touchdown pass in the late-going of the quarter, Guerrero was visibly hobbled, and after the last completion, 30 yards to junior Anthony Acosta with 26 seconds left in the half making it 28-3, he hopped off the field on the toes of the good foot, and was soon seen on crutches, done for the evening and for who knows how long.

So with no Stevie G in the driver’s seat, it was not even close to “es-car-go,” for EHS. More like “nova,” to tell the truth. EHS, dominant to that point, gained just 65 yards in the second half, turned the ball over twice, and saw McAllen get into the groove for a couple of scores. The Bobcat defense came up with a pair of interceptions in the last 13 minutes to keep it sane, and Edinburg took its second triumph of the year. However, the ‘Cats were outgained 358 to 273 all told, and without their fearless guide, seemed deerlike in the Friday Night Lights.

This was a game that had been postponed Friday, after a late-summer deluge seemed to focus on Edinburg in general and Cats Stadium in particular. The lightning strikes were too frequent and the impromptu lakes ringing each sideline too deep. So it fell to Saturday, and the rain went away, it was a nice night, and “Blue Eyes” got hurt. What else is there to say from a Bobcat point of view?

Late in the match, after being fussed and fawned over like a rock star, he finally got a moment to himself. And it was odd to see the local folk hero perched on sticks, by himself, at least 15 yards away from the nearest teammate or concerned trainer. Being the type of kid he is, which is a rare bird with maturity beyond his years and a playful zest for life heretofore unrivaled, he was upbeat about the Major Bummer.

“They say it might end up being a pain tolerance thing,” he smiled, pale eyes showing just the slightest hint of worry. Very slight. “Meaning I can play soon if I tough it out…Hey, I always heard about this turf toe thing watching the NFL, so now I know what it’s about. I think I can play next week, if I can stand the pain.”

Guerrero knew that “next week” was materializing as an early Instant Classic for 2010, the battle starring two of the best quarterbacks in South Texas, magnificent lefty Matthew Kaufmann of McAllen Memorial and himself.

“That’s two Top 10 teams in the Valley, what are they, like number two?” he offered cheerily. “That would be awesome…don’t count me out yet.”

He knows that the decision is not his alone, and that the coaching staff is going to look terribly askance at the possibility of losing its vital sparkplug for the season in a non-district game. EHS has worked too hard the past couple of years to be tripped up by something like that; the ‘Cats are looking more and more like the class of the city after North’s steady reign of late is in jeopardy, and some people have tagged them as worthy competitors against everyone’s favorite villain (the best are always hated), the defending 31-5A champ Harlingen Cardinals.

So with all that big medicine coming down the road, one may not see The Duel next week. Or one may. Depends on a number of factors. But be apprised that in the event of any extended grid time without Guerrero – who has a knack for making the game-breaking play when his mates need it most, and is loved and almost deified by everyone in the program and on its periphery – we’re talking about that old detective movie again…end of the action.

It isn’t necessarily in the stats that we can glean the making of a winner, although glittering numbers are certainly one of the metrics used to delineate such. It’s more in how the team responds with a certain kid at the helm, how much said team can grasp beyond its reach to compile acts of glory that might previously have seemed unobtainable. But before we lapse into the dreaded infomercial territory and testimonial overload, let’s talk about the game, shall we?

SETTING THE TABLE, FIRST-HALF FEAST

Edinburg had wasted La Joya last week, 45-0, with Guerrero throwing three TD passes in the first half and piling up 185 yards before leaving the fray at the half. This time, however, he would do the same exit, but not on such happy terms.

The Bobcats have almost always been a grind-it-out ball club through the years, with big linemen and hard-running backs, plus the occasional star QB such as Jimmy Wright in the 1950s and Clarence Cruz at the turn of the century. They have usually been content to pound the ball, batter away at opposing offenses with mean hats on D, and let the chips fall where they may.

In making the playoffs last year for the first time since 2005, they parlayed that usually stiff defense and the solid run game, with an emerging Guerrero working his magic in a number of close games, to punch a postseason dance card. Most prominent of the cardiac cases was the one against P-SJ-A, where he rallied the troops from way behind to nip the Bears by a point in overtime. That thrilling comeback set the beat for the team’s eventual rise to the area round of the postseason, and had the Red and Blue hordes salivating at just what might be in store for the next campaign.

So the next campaign, or this one, began with the rout of La Joya, but that was expected. In McAllen High, the ‘Cats were facing, after the day’s delay, a unit that frankly was mad as hell coming in.

The ‘Dogs had been flat run out of the game by P-SJ-A Memorial last week, and Coach Tony Harris’s smarting bunch knew that four turnovers, 12 dropped passes, and like that and like that, well, this was not what observers had become accustomed to seeing from The Mac. This is a successful program with a proud tradition, and that meant that Saturday, the Purple Gang was out for revenge.

It started not good for McHigh, again, as the offense was jittery and the defense a step slow. Guerrero broke off four sweet double-digit rushing gains after EHS took the opening kickoff, and the 9-play, 69-yard drive ended in a roar of applause from the gallery when “Ol’ Blue Eyes” took off from the 17 on a roll right, saw the scene and jetted left and goalward, racing untouched into the end zone at 8:38.

The kickoff. After a motion penalty and two incompletes by Justin Salinas, forced by great pressure from speedy end Stavern Joseph (a lithe newcomer who can really jam from the edge), EHS had served notice. The ‘Cats had no plans to become the McHigh Mulligan.

When the Bulldogs got the ball again, another offside call stunted their growth, but a nice 23-yard pickup from Trey Dube righted the ship. They drove to the 19 before trouble arose again, this time with Joseph and powerpack tackle Michael Padilla clobbering Salinas for a minus-7 that spelled doom. McHigh had shotgun-snap woes all night, and it kept the offense from finding any sort of workable rhythm until the second half.

After the D forced the turnover on downs, Guerrero and Friends went to work with an 8-play, 74-yard Bobcat Special behind a line paced by senior muscleman Joey Galvan at guard. Squatty horse Aaron Garza busted loose for a 35-yard run to make the highlight reel and eventually Aaron Gonzalez found paydirt from the 7 at 1:21 for a 14-0 lead.

Guerrero started 1 of 6 through the air, though he is much better than that, a solid thrower with impeccable poise whose arm strength is good, not great. But his running and decision-making on the first two scoring drives were perfect; you cannot rattle the kid, he will find a way to figure it out before the defense can corral him, seeing the field like a basketball general, which he has been for two varsity seasons, and using super instincts to pull the ball down and take off at the right time.

Danger Zone for the visitor, but McAllen has been here before, and responded with a clutch effort that produced a field goal of 34 yards from Jose Arzate, one of the Valley’s most dependable kickers.

Dube, who would rumble for 159 yards on 21 carries with his lethal combo of strength and exquisite vision, knocked one for 16 on the march and it took a couple of hard hits from linebacker Adam Alonzo of EHS to make it three markers, not seven. Alonzo’s brother, Tony, was a fine EHS LB a few years back, and the younger fellow is turning into a perfect complement to superstar Ciro Reyna and relentless tackler Roy Ortiz. This linebacking crew is for real.

Feeling better about the course of events, The Mac kicked away, looking for a quick three-and-out and another Dube Trip. However, when ‘Cat Sal Martinez weaved his way here and there on a scintillating 95-yard kickoff return 12 seconds after the field goal of Arzate, one could sense quite a lot of air expiring rapidly and rudely from the Purple balloon. It was 21-3. Simply put, that was the hackneyed and trite but soberly defensible Key Juncture of the Game.

Quietly desperate now, McAllen answered with another solid excursion, as Salinas (22 of 32 for 216 yards but took a series of hard shots from the onrushing EHS D) found his groove with four straight completions. The ‘Dogs reached a first-and-goal at the 5 but Armando Garza netted just two yards in two tries. A defensive encroachment put the ball at the 1 but then a fairly high snap from center splintered through the hands of Salinas and he was deposited on the turf 15 yards in the wrong direction at indubitably the wrong time. When Alonzo hammered in to block Arzate’s three-point attempt and corner Anthony de la Vina tackled some Bulldog who tried to advance the mistake, it was a very bad thing for McAllen at 4:05 of the second. Alonzo later batted away an extra-point try.

Taking over at the 22, EHS benefited from a personal foul call to get to the 37, whereupon Guerrero found tight end David Ramirez for a pair of first downs. But during this drive, Guerrero was knocked out, and a crowd of teammates, trainers, and who knows, maybe even a priest or two in civvies, formed a mushroom cloud of angst around the fallen warrior. Bleeding from the elbow and with the docs working on, no, not a knee…maybe an ankle, it was bedlam. Though he was carted to the training table, Guerrero soon returned, amid loud huzzahs.

He completed a long out to Acosta, who fooled his man with a little dipsy-doo in the right flat and scooted 30 yards to the house in the closing seconds of the half.

Though it was now 28-3, and the band and student section turning into a human cauldron of glee, in the backs of the minds of the wary was the vision of “Blue Eyes” wincing in pain. As stated, he’d hopped off the field like the winner in a One-Legged Potato Sack Race, and as the teams retired to the dressing room, all eyes were on No. 7. What in the world would happen next?

TIDE TURNS, SOMEWHAT

Harris has said that though this year’s edition of The Mac has some work to do – and the season-opening flop against the perennially promising Wolverines showed this to be true – he is certain that in time, it will be in the thick of the 30-5A race. He noted that there are a number of new kids on the roster who have not faced varsity competition, or dealt with testy moments under the unforgiving glare of the Big Time.

So with a leg, or toe, up on the Bobcats despite a 25-point deficit, McAllen wasted no time in taking advantage of the cruel vicissitudes of fate. Not exactly, really.

Their first possession was a dud, as Dube was dropped for minus-2 by Padilla, and Salinas went INC thanks to pressure from Joseph again, and then a nice play in the secondary from Marcos Castillo. The Edinburg DB group was glutted by graduation, losing such long-time luminaries as A.C. Sifuentes and Jeremy Salinas, among others. But in Sal Martinez at strong safety and Teddy Lara at the free, the ‘Cats have plenty of star power back there.

McAllen’s punt was a woeful 12-yard thing, and the Bobcats rolled from the 32 to the 17 behind backup Brandon Perez before missing a field goal. But the first Bulldog snap was way, way too much, sailing into the end zone 20 yards back, where Salinas avoided a ‘Cat TD by falling on the ball. Now, 30-3, and so much for the quick start against a wounded animal.

When Fabian Quintanilla returned the free kick all the way to the Mac 32 (a penalty made it the 42), it looked like curtains. But the ‘Cats went nowhere with Guerrero on the side, and David Ramirez punted, his kick being downed at the 1.

Could it get any worse? No. McAllen bowed up and began to play Bulldog Football, winging 99 yards with a pair of perfect spirals from Salinas, one for 33 yards and the second, carrying 42, to a sprinting Manny Mendoza for a long-awaited touchdown at 5:14 of the third.

Sophomore Alex Cantu then stepped in for Perez at QB for EHS, to the tune of a three-and-out led by DB Phillip Cantu (nine tackles to lead his team) and inspired play from linebacker Stanley Hanvey, the mountain in the middle who made the majority of his eight licks after the half. The Mac D is not very big and still learning the ropes, but in Hanvey it has a veteran pounder, while junior Jake Wiggins at LB and stellar DB David Champion can hang with the best of them.

A hold ruined the next McHigh try, along with the superb tackling of Edinburg’s Reyna, who made 12 stops Saturday, joining corner de la Vina (10), Martinez (10), and the very talented Lara (a dozen corrals) to lead the EHS charge.

The quarter was on the wane, with the ‘Dogs showing signs of life while the ‘Cats were sluggish and still stunned at the injury news. Then Edinburg put it on the ground and McAllen was there, in the person of Hanvey, whose recovery at the 45 gave Salinas 55 yards to go to keep an improbable comeback going.

Despite a sack from the active Padilla, the ‘Dogs rode a 39-yard smash from Dube to the 13 of the Bobcats but the next four plays told the tale. Ortiz and end Jacob Benavidez popped Dube three yards behind the line and then two snaps later it was Joseph (unsung hero of the night, well, not unsung anymore, one guesses) and big Brandon Anzaldua nailing Mendoza for minus-5.

Lara then picked off Salinas, and that is the four plays. And the tale.

Of course, Edinburg did fumble once again soon after, with Russell Parada for McHigh getting the ball. But by now it was the fourth period. At 7:53, Dube sliced in from the 16 to make it 30-16, after Salinas had gone 4 for 4 on the sequence. By the way, Mendoza caught 11 balls for 121 yards Saturday and is very much in the running for high All-District honors so far. The offense came alive late for McHigh.

The ever-expected onside kick was nearly a go for the ‘Dogs, who had first shot at the ball before ‘Cat Mark Solis made the great scoop to avert disaster. Edinburg then ran off two first downs thanks to a 21-yard poke from Garza (90 yards on eight carries) and a 16-yarder from burly Freddy Guajardo. Down to the 14 but from there, nada, as the Bulldog defense held, forcing a turnover on downs.

Down came McAllen again inside of five minutes, probably out of time but with no shortage of guts. This after all was more than just a win or loss situation, according to Harris. Later, the venerable leader said that though his team, of course, always seeks the win, the second half was all about progress. They had to come out and regain their composure.

“Sometimes it’s more about psychology with the kids than just wins,” he commented after the game. “So while we wanted to win, it was important for us to come out and get better, to get ready for district, and I think we accomplished that, though I know some second-teamers were in on defense for them [EHS] in the fourth quarter.”

McAllen advanced with three first downs, Salinas tossing well and overcoming a 12-yard sack by EHS’s Benavidez and Jazziel Trevino. But it ended as it had begun, with a mistake, as Ortiz intercepted a ball near midfield in the final minute.

FINAL MUSINGS

When Guerrero went down near the end of the first half, Edinburg Coach Joey Caceres was more than livid that there was no personal-foul penalty whistled against McAllen. Later, he was more sanguine about the way the night went. Still, he understands quicker than anyone what a Guerrero-less offense will mean to the program’s quest to repeat as a playoff combatant.

“It’s just different with Stevie out there, no doubt,” said the coach who has taken his team from a 0-10 season just three years ago to the brink of The Return as a Valley power. “He is such a great leader who always seems to get the other players to compete and achieve at the highest level.”

Caceres told his team that the injury was a test of its character, exhorting the ‘Cats to step up and be counted in the interim until their senior rudder can make it onto the field.

“You’ve got to tighten up, every one of you,” he barked. “No matter who’s in there, somebody has to take charge! Congratulations on a good win, now I want to make sure everyone is here Monday, no excuses! We’ve got work to do, men.”

Caceres supposes that his QB will be back soon, and so does Guerrero. After an initial period of distinct dread and terror, it appears that if all things go as planned, No. 7 should be OK in a week or two. Certainly for the 31-5A wars. But truly that is just an educated guess based on preliminary data. None may intuit with unerring certainty how the saga will unfold.

“He’s a fighter, always has been,” the coach noted. “He’ll be back.”

Tags: bobcats, bulldogs, edinburg, Football, mcallen, mchi