Raiders makes another statement against Wolverines

PHARR — PSJA North coach Bruce Bush calls himself “a routine person.” For coaches who refer to themselves that way, who like things done at a certain time before every game, a 40-minute lightning delay might be a hassle.

Bush’s Raiders, however, weren’t bothered much by the late start.

North quarterback Noe Garcia rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns, both of which came in the first quarter, to lead the No. 2 Raiders (5-0, 2-0 District 31-5A) to a 42-7 win over PSJA Memorial. Garcia, whose Raiders led 21-0 after the first, capped the first-quarter scoring with a 68-yard TD run with 17.5 seconds remaining.

It was a first quarter that began with Memorial losing a fumble on the opening kickoff, one that was recovered at the Wolverines’ 16 that led to Garcia’s first score. The first also set the tone for the Raiders defense, which allowed only 144 yards of offense and nine first downs all night.

“I thought it was going to be a big momentum game, because (Memorial) needs something good to happen for them,” Bush said. “(The fumble) kind of set the tone for the game.”

Memorial coach Gus Cavazos, who has seen his team drop three straight after starting 2-0, said “everything went wrong” for the Wolverines.

“Obviously we weren’t prepared and we played poorly,” Cavazos said. “This one’s on me. I didn’t prepare them enough.”

Based on how the Raiders are playing, though, it would be hard for most coaches to prepare their teams enough to compete with them.

Their defense forced two turnovers and held explosive Memorial wide receiver Gilbert Gutierrez to just three catches for 38 yards. The offense rushed for 326 yards and picked up 18 first downs while scoring from 41, 68 and 29 yards out.

At this point, Bush has the kind of team that can make his worries about a displaced routine or a potentially solid opponent seem unfounded.

“We play as a team. And when one side gives up a little bit, the other side steps up,” Bush said. “The defense really stepped up tonight.”

One bright spot for the Wolverines for most of the night was running back Jonathan Gonzalez. Gonzalez rushed for 81 yards on 14 carries but left the game in the fourth with an air cast on his right arm after getting tackled.

Cavazos said “it looked like an elbow injury” and that he’s probably “going to be out for a while.”

Brian Sandalow covers sports for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4436.