Edinburg High looks for its second upset of postseason

SAN ANTONIO — Last week, the Edinburg High Bobcats showed exactly why games are won on the field and not through any kind of verbal engagement. Outside of the Bobcats community, very few if not any thought Edinburg could pull off what some were calling the improbable.

All signs just seemed to be pointing in Brownsville Hanna’s direction. The Golden Eagles had everyone convinced they would roll by after winning nine straight en route to the District 32-5A crown.

But an 18-14 victory changed all that and gave Edinburg its first playoff win since 2004.

Not much will change for the Bobcats, who again enter as the underdog in Saturday's Class 5A Division I area round game against Del Rio at Alamo Stadium in San Antonio.

Bobcats coach Joey Caceres didn’t sense last week’s matchup as what others made it out to be, admitting that his team was confident all along it could triumph.

“I tell you the truth, we felt like we were going to win the game,” he said. “I think the kids felt the same way. It was a little tougher than we expected, but we always thought we could win.”

Much of the credit in the win is owed to Edinburg’s defense, which not only scored 11 of the team’s 18 points, but more impressively held a stout Hanna offense to only one touchdown. The Golden Eagles entered the postseason averaging 40 points per game and almost 400 yards of offense, but the defense exposed their capabilities early, something Caceres said was one of the main game plans.

“Our defense has been playing well all year,” Caceres said. “As a matter of fact, we’re peaking at the right time. We’re getting better every week. That’s a tribute to our kids and our defensive coordinator who have been doing a great job.”

Caceres is now trying to instill in his team that complacency should not be a point of emphasis.

For a team that was predicted by many to fizzle early in the season, reaching the postseason would have been an accomplishment. But the win against the Golden Eagles changed the program’s entire dynamic.

The Bobcats (6-5) want to see how far they can go but to do so will have to eliminate the Rams’ 1-2 punch of running backs Josh Washington and John Steed. In last week’s 31-7 win over Donna, the duo allowed Del Rio (9-2) to control the game. Washington rushed for 100 yards before leaving midway through the fourth quarter with ankle injury. Steed was battling a leg injury, which limited his play against the Redskins.

Del Rio coach Stephen Hoffman assertively laid the concern to his rest when asked on his RBs’ prognosis.

“They’re fine,” he said. “They looked good this week. They just had some nagging injuries but they’ll be fine.”