By Ramiro Paez

Special to 956Sports.com

MERCEDES – Apparently, a few hard hits is all it takes for Weslaco East running back Aaron Munguia to get going. After last week’s outstanding performance against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, Munguia continued to roll during the Wildcats’ 37-12 victory over the Mercedes Tigers on Friday night at Tigers Stadium.

Munguia looked a bit battered after the game and downplayed an undisclosed injury, but still ran for 175 yards and three touchdowns one week after his memorable 297-yard and seven-touchdown performance against the Huskies.

“It’s nice having a win behind our backs,” Munguia said. “Still, I feel bad getting hurt. I was hurting since the first play. I’m not going to say how hurt I am, but I’ll be 100 percent next Friday.”

Other than a noticeable hobble off the field in the first half, Munguia played off the injury well. The Tigers struggled to contain the quick and elusive back, whose 25-yard spin move to the end zone in the third quarter helped seal the win for the Wildcats, who remain unbeaten in District 32-4A play.

Munguia had only two yards on two carries in the fourth quarter before being pulled out midway with the game well in hand for Weslaco East (3-1 overall, 2-0 District 32-4A), which led 30-6.

“I’m kind of disappointed,” Munguia said. “I know I could have ran for more yards. But I want to thank my offensive line.”

Quarterback John Arevalo (1-for-3, 36 yards) attempted only three passes for the Wildcats, who did their damage on the ground after rushing for 285 yards and four touchdowns on 51 carries.

And they had help doing it.

The Tigers turned the ball over three times during a span of six minutes in the first quarter, which led to 17 Wildcats points and gave Weslaco East short fields to work with. Munguia scored on runs of 3 and 2 yards in the first half, while Peter Gonzalez (8 carries, 59 yards, TD) provided Weslaco East with its final score after breaking loose for a 25-yard touchdown run with 1:33 remaining.

Kicker Jose Luis Hernandez was perfect on the night for the Wildcats, connecting on three field goals (22, 39, 30 yards) and four extra points.

“I am very, very happy,” Weslaco East coach Armando Cuellar said. “I am very proud of the staff and the way the kids played. We’re doing what is expected. The kicking game was there. That was a big positive for us. Defense was outstanding. Special teams did a great job. The running game everything starts with the offensive line. And Aaron. He knows what to do.”

Mercedes does too.

The Tigers are in desperate need of a victory to stay in district contention. Mercedes (0-4 overall, 0-2 District 32-4A) remains winless and is in jeopardy of falling even farther behind if it cannot get going in what figures to be a wide-open race for the district’s final two playoff spots.

Although playoff talk and scenarios at this point of the season is a bit premature, for the Tigers it’s already something to at least keep in mind. That is why Mercedes coach Michael Uribe said there is “a huge sense of urgency” heading into next weekend’s pivotal game at Mission Veterans Memorial.

“The hardest step to take is always the first step,” Uribe said. “We need to get some momentum. We have six district ballgames left. We are still believing that we are a playoff-caliber team. We got to get out of this slump that we are in. The best way to do it is to win.”

The return of quarterback Christian Zamora, who returned in the fourth quarter in place of Isaiah Garza, could help. Zamora went 6-of-6 for 107 yards and connected with Garza on a 21-yard touchdown pass with 4:44 remaining.

Garza threw for 64 yards and a touchdown on 10-of-18 passing, including his 15-yard strike to Brandon Wooton in the second quarter.

It was a welcoming sight for Uribe, who despite the loss, saw positives on a night when his team committed costly turnovers and nearly matched the Wildcats’ offensive output (295-284).

“Those three turnovers early put us in a hole that we couldn’t climb out of,” Uribe said. “But I was proud of our kids for not giving up. Physically, we matched up with them. We played hard. The score is not an indication of the way we played. Not at all.”

Tags: mercedes, weslaco east