Bloodhounds face tough challenge at home against La Feria

Most football teams would rather gain some valuable confidence by opening the season against a fairly easy opponent.

It’s not going to happen that way for the St. Joseph Academy Bloodhounds this year, though, as they play host to a strong La Feria ballclub at 7 p.m. tonight at Canales Field. It’ll be the season opener for both squads.

While St. Joseph came out on the short end of scrimmages against Progreso and Santa Rosa in the preseason, the Lions flexed their muscles by dominating Class 4A Mission Veterans Memorial in their final scrimmage last Saturday. The Lions played solid defense and passed for more than 300 yards against the Patriots.

Bloodhound coach Hector Garcia has been telling his team all week to be ready for the Lions of District 32-3A.

“La Feria is going to be very aggressive — the Lions have always been that way,” said Garcia, who returns six starters on offense and six on defense from last year’s 0-10 team. “I know Coach (Roberto) Valdez is not there anymore, but Eli (new Lion head coach Elifonso Esquivel) does a great job. He’s their former defensive coordinator, so they’re going to be swarming to the ball, and they’re going to hit you on every play.”

La Feria returns four starters on offense and six on defense from last year’s 8-3 playoff squad. With Esquivel as the new head coach, and his son, Eleazar, at quarterback, the Lions are expected to unleash a potent passing attack.

The Bloodhounds also have been improving their passing game. New quarterback Sterling Ameel, a junior transfer from Pace, and running back Ricky Rendon hooked up for a touchdown pass in each of St. Joseph’s scrimmages.

“Sterling is getting better and just has to get a little more comfortable working with his receivers,” Garcia said. “He worked with them through the summer and in our scrimmages, so he’s improving as the weeks progress.”