BY GREG SELBER

PHARR – After the strains of the famous “Redskin Corrido” had serenaded them, and after they’d mooned for one of the myriad video cameras vying for their attention, the Redskins finally settled down to listen to their patient coach.

Manny Moreno could afford to wait a bit, especially after his upstart bunch had put the wood to a perennial power, on the road no less, to start the 2011 Valley football season off with a bang, 34-21. This is a big year in town, from the 50^th anniversary of the state title team of 1961 to the inevitable and grinding pressure on the program after last season’s uncharacteristic 4-6 showing. All eyes are on Moreno and his crew this fall, and with the eyes on Pharr North-Donna for the night’s only football game, the sight was a bit of a surprise. For sore eyes, say the Braves.

Dominating the Raiders up front, the Redskins grinded away with bull-rushing Eduardo Fraire, who picked up 119 yards. And after the rampaging 220-pound senior had softened up the defense into tenderloin, quarterback Dion Padilla was able to find the mark for four perfect touchdown passes. Meanwhile, the ‘Skin defense was in the process of basically stopping the vaunted Raider attack, holding it to 155 rushing yards, and just four first downs after the half.

The result was a 13-point win, as Donna led 13-7 at the break, went down early in the third 14-13, but then exploded for the next three six-pointers to take this one going away. For a squad that had come in as at least a touchdown underdog, this was one for the books.

“You played hard, and you answered the call,” said Moreno to a chorus of cheers from his kids. “We can’t be 10 and 0 and not win the first one, way to go!”

Padilla, a tall and as it turns out accurate, junior passer, fired three scoring balls in the third quarter as the Redskins found gaping holes in the Raiders secondary; two of them came within 20 seconds of one another with a Pharr North fumbled kickoff sandwiched in between. Ball game.

“We have been throwing a lot in practice, so we were ready,” said Padilla, who completed eight of 14 for 153 yards. “They were biting a lot on the run, really coming up, and so we came with the pass. This win shows a lot, to the fans, the community, and the Valley. We always have great expectations in Donna and our job is to come out here and meet them.”

As for Fraire, who bided his time last season when he was used mainly on defense, the upset against North was extra sweet. Running through and at times around the smallish opponent, he was able to keep drives going all night; one of the coaches likened him to NFL Hall of Famer Earl Campbell, and Thursday, Fraire indeed unleashed some punishing blows upon would-be tacklers.

“The holes were there, I just had to hit them hard,” he commented, agreeing with Padilla and Moreno that the offensive line was able to establish the line of scrimmage mastery that usually leads to good things; strong O-line play has been a Donna staple for generations. “We beat a good team when maybe a lot of people didn’t think we could. But we shocked everyone and we are going to keep on shocking the Valley until we make it back to the playoffs!”

WHO’S ON FIRST?

This was somewhat testy to try and adjudicate, the opener of openers, the marquee game to begin 2011. These two have been playoff constants for the better part of recent history, Donna for way longer, though neither went to the postseason a year ago. North just missed out, and then waved goodbye to a ton of kids via graduation. But farmers have been able to set their watch by the progression of Coach Bruce Bush’s units. They are always in the hunt and why should 2011 be any different?

Donna meanwhile had limped to a 4-6 mark in 2010, and the hue and cry against that unhappy fact could be heard emanating from the halls of power in that football-mad town from the final game on into the winter of their discontent. Moreno weathered the storm like a stoic warrior, like someone who has been a mainstay in Donna football country much of his life, which he pretty much has. Still, it was vital for the Redskins to come out and give the Raiders a good ball game, and they did way more than that.

But first it looked like another solid ground round from the steady Raiders, as they marched 61 yards in eight plays on their first possession, scoring the first Valley TD of 2011 on a 7-yard romp by veteran Alex Gutierrez, who is of course no stranger to the end zone after having visited 20 times as a junior.

But Donna responded well, putting together its own nice cruise, 69 yards in 12 snaps, with Fraire hammering a first down out of a fourth-down chance. Overcoming a holding penalty (the refs were super busy Thursday) the ‘Skins evened the count at 7-7 when Padilla’s 22-yard scramble led to a 2-yard romp from Fraire at 0:59.

The first half was a swiftly moving deal, with the teams sticking to the run as is their traditional wont. North set sail after Donna’s TD, moving from its 8 (an illegal block on the kick return carved the hole) and converting four first downs to reach the Donna 9 in good shape. New quarterback Austin Navarro was running the show smoothly until a motion penalty at a key juncture. Later, a field goal try hit the crossbar and boinged back onto the field of play at 5:52, and the Black Attack had missed a gimme scoring opportunity.

Given a reprieve, Donna then resumed its charge, firing out up front behind center Joseph Guerrero and his mates, getting a pass completion for 10 yards from Padilla to Alex Montalvo, and then dodging a big bullet. Padilla’s ball to Jack Lopez (excellent performance on both sides of the ball) was fumbled, with Donna teammate Darien Hernandez alertly falling on it at the North 47. Seven plays later, Hernandez, a smooth junior wideout, hauled in a 25-yard floater from Padilla at 0:43, to send the underdog into the lockers on front by six. Padilla showed amazing courage on the play, completing the TD pass under a thunderous Raider rush, one of the few times the home side could manage some pressure.

Yardage was about even for the half, with North having blown the shot inside the Red Zone, and that was the difference there. The rain that surprised the Valley Thursday afternoon began to dissipate, as most rains do around here, and the second half was going to offer calm and halfway cool conditions. And a Maroon Storm.

THREE TIMES A TOUCHDOWN

North, which has gone to the postseason seven times in the past 11 years, including three-deep trips in 2003 and 2009, was determined to come back strong, and also dead set on making good work out of the kickoff reverse, something it had tried twice already.

As the third period opened, ha ha! some trickery, with senior Marcos Davila FAKING the reverse and finding a ready road, steaming 94 yards down to the Donna 5. This time, the Raiders did not botch the Red Zone occasion, as Navarro, a lanky lad who resembles former Edcouch-Elsa great Erick Nino more than a bit, scored from the 4. Navarro had broken off a 45-yard run in the first, and shows promise for the future with solid wheels. His run at 11:04 gave the Raiders a 14-13 advantage, and the home fans ceased their grumbling and started to enjoy the game, school night or no.

But Fraire immediately re-tooled his onslaught against the sagging Black D, to great benefit for his team. Though safety Chris Sustaita (13 tackles, he was the guy whose Pick Six last year turned the tide in North’s favor for the win at Donna) and linebacker Marco Garza (14 to lead all humans) were ready to take him on play after play, Fraire is, as his coach will attest, a horse.

“And we’re going to ride him!” quipped Moreno after the final gun. “We did what we needed to do on offense, whatever they gave us, we took. We’ve got great kids and they really paid the price in the offseason. I thought our line did a nice job up front, and when we had the openings, we passed it well too.”

And the pass was indeed the avenue through which Donna careened to 1-0 for the nascent year. After North took the lead, the ‘Skins used Fraire’s thrashing runs to set up Padilla with room to toss. He hit the shifty Montalvo for a 14-yard gain, Fraire bulled 12 yards to the 29, and two plays later it was Padilla to Montalvo, 22 yards and the TD at 6:04.

From there, lightning.

North went three and out with junior Marco Lopez (seven stops) halting two runs and junior DB Michael Cadena (10 tackles) continuing to come up with big hits. Jack Lopez, who had six tackles, ran for 38 yards, and blocked well, was consistently good. Though the Redskins jumped offside an amazing six times Thursday, Moreno noted that yes, that’s not OK, but added that he would rather have an aggressive defense than a passive one.

The former, he had against the Raiders. The three and out the Redskins forced looked even nicer when the Raider punt was terrible, traveling just 16 yards to the North 34. That bear, Fraire again, for 14 on third and three, and Padilla capped it with a 28-yarder down the middle to Lopez for a 27-13 lead at 1:44 of the third.

The striking thing about that backbreaking score is that a touchdown pass from Padilla (he really threw some sweet peas) to Montalvo on the backside had been nullified by a penalty. A 4-6 team would have collapsed after losing the six, but Donna showed that it might be way more of a force in the 30-5A race than folks have predicted, coming right back on the next snap to play it again, Sam.

At this stage, the usually imperturbable Raiders were showing definite signs of cracking. Their defense had not been able to put the halter on Fraire, and Padilla was beginning to find way too much open pastureland in the secondary. Defensively, Donna had done the job against the pesky Slot-T, getting penetration, keeping eyes open for the fakes, and generally knocking the Raiders around with bad intentions. Gutierrez, who was held to 51 yards, never got going much, and that is a testament to the gang-tackling Redskin effort. They outhit the Raiders, and that don’t happen much, kids.

The wheels came off for good now, as North fumbled a squib kickoff after the Donna TD, one of several times the home side had trouble with the tricky kicking of a program long known for producing first-class special teams units.

Taking over at the 24, Donna needed, oh…one play, and it was Padilla up top to Hernandez again for a 34-21 lead at 1:31, or 13 seconds after the last Brave bite.

With one last gasp of pride, North bowed up and made it 21 points in under a minute after Davila snared a bomb from Navarro and sprinted 70 yards to the end zone on the next play from scrimmage.

This dizzying segment ended the meaningful moments in the season opener. Penalties and a fumble for North, with its kids looking somewhat dismayed at the turn of events against a team that was supposed to be there for the taking.

For Donna, back to the running game with no real reason to risk putting it in the air, up 13. As the night ended, the Redskins had control of the ball and who knows, perhaps their destiny in 2011. They were an afterthought for the most part in the preseason prediction parties, while the Raiders by unofficial consensus were picked to return to the playoffs. The coming weeks will indicate whither each.

This is what makes all tingle with anticipation and impatience before the summer gets too long in the tooth. Because all know that despite the should and mights, the prognostications of sure things and bridesmaids, there are always going to be wrenches in the machine, surprises, disappointments, and the like once two-a-days are done and the evenings start to count. This is why they play the games, and why the kickoff classic to 2011 might just have ushered in a wild and wooly campaign during which all sorts of strange and marvelous somethings will present themselves for our unending entertainment.

Donna in an emphatic shocker to start the parade. What do you know about that?

Tags: donna, Football, psja north