DONNA — The Donna North Chiefs continued their perfect start to district play Tuesday, steamrolling the Weslaco East Wildcats 6-0 at Bennie La Prade Stadium in Donna.
The Chiefs improved to 4-0-0 in District 32-5A on the year, outscoring their first four opponents 24-1 during that span. The loss marks the first of the year for the Wildcats after winning their previous three contests in penalty kicks, dropping them to 0-1-3 on the year.
“We’ve been blessed to be able to score,” Donna North head coach Andres Sanchez said. “In reality, our defense has stepped it up. We have that combination of both sides of the ball doing their job really well. It is still early in the season so a lot of things can happen, but we’re thankful for the good start we’ve had so far.”
Five different players found the back of the net during the Chiefs’ victory, including four during the second half.
Melvin Gomez got the scoring started during the opening period, delivering a laser shot from outside the box to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead midway through the first half.
A deflected corner kick by Gomez resulted in the Chiefs’ next score, with Jonathan Juarez corralling the loose ball inside the box and tapping it in to make it 2-0 at the break.
“We watched the film and saw where we could take advantage and it was the sidelines,” Sanchez said. “They tend to put a lot of men in front of the goal, so we took the sidelines and asked our players to take shots from far. It paid off. Once that happened, it forced them to attack us and that opened up space for us to take advantage of it.”
The Chiefs kept their foot on the gas during the second half, with Richard Martinez blowing past the defense and finding paydirt to make it 3-0 just two minutes into the final period.
Goals by Chris De Leon and Enrique Torres gave the Chiefs a commanding 5-0 lead with just 20 minutes remaining, with Martinez adding the final touches on the victory with a booming goal during the final minute.
The shutout marks the third during district by the Chiefs’ defense, with only Donna High scoring against Donna North during a 6-1 loss by the Redskins.
“This defense is a great complement,” Sanchez said. “Yeah, the goals are there, but the reason they are is because we don’t have to play from behind. We keep the ball under control and on the ground. It just makes it easier for our offense.”
Donna North looks to continue creating distance atop the standings at 5:30 p.m. Friday, when it is scheduled to take on Harlingen South (1-3-0) at Harlingen South. The Wildcats return home for a tilt against the Brownsville Veterans Chargers (3-1-0) at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
