No. 2 Raiders deny Jaguars at chance of turning upset

PHARR — After Friday night’s District 31-5A opener against PSJA North, Edinburg Economedes is likely wishing it could play the Raiders once more down the road. That’s because the Jaguars had the No. 2 team in the Rio Grande Valley exactly where they wanted them to start the third quarter. But one crucial play completely turned in PSJA North’s favor, ultimately leading to a 35-21 Raiders victory at PSJA Stadium.

Economedes forced North to punt on its first offensive series to begin the third frame, but on the Raiders punt the ball bounced off a Jaguars player’s helmet and North recovered it just inches before it fell out of bounds. That one play led to two quick TDs by the Raiders during the first 8 minutes of the third quarter to hold a commanding 35-14 lead.

Following J.J. Rodriguez’s score from 1 yard out two plays after the fumble recovery, North’s Fernie Martinez grabbed his second interception off of Jaguars quarterback Rudy Villarreal. Rodriguez then scored his third TD that capped off a seven-play, 61-yard drive, all of which came on the ground that gave North its 14-point cushion.

“We punted only once and that was a big play when the punt hit the (player) in the helmet,” Raiders coach Bruce Bush said. “I think that was a big turning point. They were gaining a little momentum by stopping us there. That was the only time I think they stopped us.”

The Jaguars responded on their ensuing possession, a 25-yard scamper from Nelson Hampton, but it was too little, too late. Even if Economedes could have avoided its crushing lost fumble, the Raiders offense had little trouble moving the ball on their opponents.

The Economedes defense struggled the entire night trying to contain North’s stern run game. The Raiders gained 425 yards of offense with 311 of those coming on the ground. Quarterback Noe Garcia and Rodriguez combined for four TDs and 227 yards.

“We stayed calm and very patient,” said Garcia, who gained 113 yards and scored one TD. “We didn’t let anything get us worried. We controlled the ball tonight.”

Bush was adamant earlier in the week the key to beating the Jaguars was to keep the ball away from their offense, and North couldn’t have perfected that game plan better than it did. The Raiders scored on all three of their first-half possessions and consumed more than 15 minutes of the second-half game clock.

Hampton led the Jaguars with 116 yards rushing on 13 carries and two TDs.