LOS FRESNOS — Weslaco High running back Eli Rodriguez has had the same pregame tradition for as long as he can remember. Prior to every game, Rodriguez literally throws up, a ritual he says gets out all the pregame jitters.
Rodriguez didn’t go through his pregame ritual before Friday’s contest against Los Fresnos, leading to a slow start against the Falcons.
The senior running back let the jitters out at the half, resulting in a four-touchdown second half performance to lead the No. 3 Panthers past the No. 5 Los Fresnos Falcons 42-23 in the RGVSports.com Game of the Week on Friday at Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium in Los Fresnos.
“Since I was little, I weirdly have to throw up before every game,” Rodriguez said. “It gets everything out. I was able to do that at the half. After that the jitters were out and it was time to go play my game.”
The Panthers offense looked like a completely different unit during the second half, exploding for 331 total yards and 35 points behind a dominant rushing attack.
Prior to the break, Weslaco High’s offense had mustered just 53 total yards and no scores, with their only score of the first half coming on a 96-yard kickoff return by Ryan Gonzalez.
“We challenged our line at the half,” Weslaco High head coach Roy Stroman said. “It was very simple. We needed to run the football. The kids took the challenge, seniors especially. They opened up some big holes for Eli (Rodriguez), but really it all started with that offensive line.”
Leading the second half surge was Rodriguez, who racked up 279 of his 307 rushing yards and all four of his touchdowns during the final two quarters.
Rodriguez scored on runs of 68, 57 and 75 yards during the third quarter, adding a 69-yard touchdown during the final two minutes of the fourth to put the final nail in the coffin.
“We feel amazing after tonight,” Rodriguez said. “I’m grateful for my O-line, our defense, Andy (Sepulveda) at QB and my coaches calling the plays. This was a team win. I couldn’t do this without my O-line. It all starts with them. They got those four touchdowns today. Not me. That was all them. I followed my left tackle, Diego Zavala; he does an amazing job. It was just an all-around team win today.”
Weslaco High’s defense made an impact on the game, holding an explosive Los Fresnos offense to just 308 yards and 23 points.
The unit left its stamp on the game with a pivotal fourth-down stand with less than two minutes remaining, forcing the fumble and recovering it in the end zone for the touchback.
The turnover resulted in the dagger touchdown by Rodriguez just four plays later.
“Man, Los Fresnos is really explosive offensively,” Stroman said. “They got a heck of a young quarterback who has two more years and is only going to get better. Our defensive coordinator, Coach (FIRST) Ramirez said it was going to be stopping the middle, so we challenged our big ol’ boys in the trenches to not get pushed back. They punched that ball out on fourth down and it was just a big stop.”
The Panthers (7-0, 2-0) return home for their next two contests, beginning with a game against Brownsville Rivera (1-7, 0-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco.
The Falcons (5-2, 1-1) continue district play at 7 p.m. Thursday, hitting the road for a contest against Brownsville Hanna (1-6, 0-2) at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville.
