When crosstown rivals like the Edinburg Bobcats and Vela SaberCats collide, it’s hard to escape the overplayed clichés of sibling rivalries. This game is bigger than that. Vela staked their claim for city superiority during the latest battle Friday with a 44-13 win over the Bobcats.
The Bobcats and SaberCats are two perennial playoffs teams always in the mix for a district title in their respective districts. They schedule each other to ensure they are testing and challenging the best teams in the Valley; the fact that they share the same zip code is mere coincidence.
“It was going to be a tough ball game, crosstown rival. That’s a playoff team we played, but we did what we had to do tonight. We can be very explosive and we played good defense tonight,” Vela head coach Ernesto Alonzo said.
Explosive may be an understatement. On the third play of the game, Geoffrey Lefevre opened the scoring for the Sabercats with a 70-yard touchdown pass to June Garza. Lefevre’s strike up the left side found Garza, who out raced the defender. They connected a second time on a shorter but impressive pass in the back of the end zone.
“He has a lot of reps under his belt and a great quarterback; he’s fun to watch. From the cerebral standpoint, he knows the offense like the back of his hand,” Alonzo said.
Lefevre stood tall in the pocket with the confidence of an experienced quarterback. He was calm even with Bobcats defenders bearing down on him. On his 21-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Rodriguez, Lefevre was smothered and taken down while still delivering the most delicate of passes.
The Bobcats defense matched the energy. They forced turnovers and wreaked havoc early. They were led by their big man, Diego Gonzalez. After recovering a fumble at the SaberCats 41-yard line, the offense pounced. Quarterback JT Santa Maria invaded the Vela secondary while Oscar Jasso carried the offense into the red zone. The Bobcats called a timeout to rethink a 34-yard field goal attempt and lined up in the ‘Swinging Gate’ offense. Jude Vega scrambled out of the unorthodox formation and found Orly Martinez for a 16-yard touchdown pass.
“We had a great game plan, but we have to execute better. They were clicking on all cylinders, and we can’t make mistakes in big ball games…we made too many of them,” Bobcats’ head coach Rene Guzman said.
By the end of the first quarter, the Edinburg powerhouses were tied at 7. Each defense held serve through most of the second. The Bobcats proved their mettle and held the explosive SaberCats at the 2-yard line. Later, they held again and forced a 23-yard field goal. Again, Gonzalez ruled the middle and swarmed Vela’s Jonathan Flores on goal to go situations.
Even though Vela’s offense struggled early, there was a sense they were finding their rhythm. Flores is like an old man’s pocket knife, sharp and versatile. His razor cuts got the team 8 yards when they needed 1, and his ability to bounce off tacklers like a pinball created challenges for the defense. Flores shrugged off a tackler, spun and sprinted for a 21-yard touchdown. Later, he rocketed past defenders seemingly untouched for a 41-yard touchdown.
“He’s got big shoes to fill. He runs really well and doesn’t get the credit he deserves. He’s a special back and is finally getting his opportunity,” Alonzo said.
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