PSJA Memorial rolls in opener

PHARR – The opening play foretold an exciting effort for PSJA Memorial, which rolled 566 total yards in a dominating 59-34 victory against Brownsville Lopez in both teams’ season opener Thursday at PSJA Stadium.

The play – a 61-yard completion to Gilbert Gutierrez from Louie Gonzalez – set up the first of three touchdowns by running back Jonathan Gonzalez for the Wolverines, who benefited from a series of Lopez miscues in the blowout win.

Two bad snaps led to a safety and touchdown. Two fumbles led to two more touchdowns. By the time Lopez woke up, PSJA Memorial was well in command, 52-6, late in the third quarter.

“I’d like to think that we would have still done this if that had gone incomplete,” PSJA Memorial coach Gus Cavazos said the game’s opening play. “I’m real proud of our boys. Offensively, we played well. I like what we did on defense too even though we had some breakdowns in the last quarter and a half.”

Lopez quarterback Danny Perez made up for a miserable first half with four TD passes in the final two periods. But all those scores came when the game out well in the Wolverines’ favor.

PSJA Memorial’s offensive line manhandled Lopez all night long. Several of the Wolverines’ long gains came through gaping holes. On a couple of scores, the Wolverines raced through untouched like on Mike Fonseca’s 80-yarder that finished the scoring for PSJA Memorial.

Quarterback Louie Gonzalez accounted for four touchdowns, including three completions to Gutierrez. He added a scoring run, a 39-yard option keeper where he went untouched.

“I have to give credit to my offensive line,” he said. “They gave me the time I need to make those passes. They made me a better quarterback.”

Gutierrez hauled in five passes for 125 yards. The athletic receiver was wide open on many of those scores. He showed some muscle too when he out-dueled a Lopez defender for a pass in the end zone that gave the Wolverines a 35-6 halftime lead.

“We’ve been playing together for the last four years,” Louie Gonzalez said of Gutierrez. “We have good chemistry, he and I.”

Cavazos sang Gutierrez’s praises before the season and Thursday the junior receiver showed why.

“He’s the real deal,” Cavazos said after Thursday’s game. “He’s definitely going to be one of the best receivers in the Valley.”