Progreso Looks to keep dream alive against Raymondville [Archive]

footballgal

09-21-2007, 02:15 PM

Red might
Progreso aiming for first 4-0 start in school history

Sep 20, 2007 11:46 pm

By ARMANDO GARZA
armandog@valleystar.com
956-430-6255

RAYMONDVILLE — The Mighty Red Ants of Progreso feel pretty good about themselves right now.
And rightfully so.
For the first time in 12 years, the Red Ants are 3-0 heading into their fourth game of the season.
But they’re looking for more.
Progreso takes its show on the road as they travel to Burnett Stadium in Raymondville to take on the 2-1 Bearkats in a non-district clash tonight.
With wins over Class 4A Mission, Brownsville St. Joseph’s and Marine Military Academy, the Red Ants have already exceeded their win total of a year ago.
“Everybody’s pumped up and excited,” said fourth-year head coach Elvis Hernandez. “But everybody wants more. We believe that it’s our turn to go out there, win, and show the Valley what we can do.”
In their three wins, Hernandez’s squad has done it with solid defense and a productive running game.
The Red Ant defense ranks second in District 32-3A, allowing only 186 yards per contest. That total is also good for the second-best defense in the Valley, yardage-wise, behind Rio Hondo.
“They’ve been our support. They’ve played as a team for the first three weeks,” Hernandez said of the defense. “They’re aggressive, fast and the chemistry of that whole defense is really neat. They’ve got size, speed and endurance. They’re playing real good football.”
On offense, running back Juan Vega has stepped into the feature back role nicely.
So far, Vega has rushed for 405 yards and seven touchdowns in three games. His 228-yard, two-TD performance helped the Red Ants shut out MMA 35-0 last week.
“They know who Juan Vega is and they believe in him” Hernandez said of his squad. “He’ll run anywhere for you. He’s elusive and he’s got that second gear. You’ll see him change gears, and he’ll speed off.
He’s really a hard worker and a real good kid.”
But it’s not all Vega, however.
Quarterback Mando Garcia has taken the reins of the offense and is solid with help from a good offensive line.
As Progreso aims for its first-ever 4-0 start in 23 years of varsity play, Hernandez said his team is staying grounded heading into tonight’s matchup.
“They’ve been real focused on what’s at hand,” he said. “They believe that they can go 4-0, and that’s what we want. We don’t want them to be overconfident, by the same token, we don’t want them to feel intimidated.”
His quarterback agrees.
“We want to prove to everybody who we are,” Garcia said. “We’re happy to be 3-0. But we want more. Right now, we’re focused on the Raymondville game because we’re taking it one game at a time.”
On the other side, Raymondville has played well and comes off a 48-0 win over St. Joe last week.
But it wasn’t just any win. It was head coach Alex Leal’s 200th career victory.
Now, the focus is on the Red Ants.
“They’ve got an outstanding running back (Vega) and their quarterback (Garcia) is a serious athlete,” Leal said. “They’re very quick on defense and they are going to be a handful for us and for everybody, but we’ll be ready. We’ve had a good three days of work.”
The Bearkats offense features the speedy Dustin Alejo, who leads 31-3A with three touchdowns. He’s used as a Reggie Bush-type player, spreading out at receiver and returning kicks and punts.
“They have real good team speed,” Hernandez said. “That kid they use as a utility player (Alejo) does it all and he’s got a lot of speed. We need to stop him before he gets going.”
Raymondville’s two-quarterback system also presents a challenge for any team.
Quarterbacks Raul Salinas and Orlando Mesa have split time in the backfield for the Bearkats.
Mesa has 200 yards rushing, while Salinas has chipped in 138 yards passing and two TD passes.
Raymondville took last year’s contest at Progreso by a 29-6 score.
Rio Hondo at Roma
The other 3-0 team in the district, Rio Hondo, will look to push its record to 4-0 as they travel to Starr County to take on the Roma Gladiators (0-3).
The Bobcats took care of business last week at Valley View, handing the Tigers a 35-3 defeat.
Rio Hondo has that top-ranked defense, allowing a paltry 107 yards per game; however, their offense is also tops in the district with 418 yards per contest.
Quarterback Joseph Vela and running back Jacob Martinez have combined for 642 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns so far. Vela also has 351 yards passing and four TDs to his credit as well.
Rio Hondo will come back home, where they haven’t played since Week Zero, to take on Raymondville next week.
Poly Tech Monterrey at Lyford
Lyford will try to get back into the win column when they host Poly Tech Monterrey at Bulldog Stadium tonight.
The Bulldogs (1-2) dropped a tough one at Santa Rosa last week 27-20.
But a continuous bright spot has been the Lyford passing game with quarterback Johnny Esparza pulling the trigger.
Esparza leads the Valley in passing yardage, going 53-of-105 for 778 yards and five touchdowns so far.
Star sportswriter Paul Conatzer contributed to this report.
ej

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