BROWNSVILLE — The Mercedes Tigers came into the 2021 season with a lot of expectations on their shoulders, and they showed they’re capable of upholding them in their season opener Friday.
Mercedes, ranked No. 2 by RGVSports.com, defeated No. 10 Brownsville Hanna 42-14 at Sams Memorial Stadium. The Tigers quickly took control of the contest and dominated on both sides of the ball to start the season in style.
“We were playing Mercedes Tigers football. We’re really excited about the team that we have,” Mercedes coach Roger Adame Jr. said. “That is a really good Hanna team, and we matched them physically. One of our goals is to win our opener. When we scheduled Hanna we knew we would be put to the test, but we felt we were up for it. The boys prepared all week. The same effort you saw tonight is the effort they bring during the week in practice, and we feel that’s the difference.”
Hanna’s offense struggled to find and maintain a rhythm throughout the game. The Eagles burned a timeout on the first play of the contest to avoid a delay of game penalty. Junior running back Kriz Pena picked up a first down on three straight carries, but the Eagles’ opening possession stalled shortly after.
Pena was Hanna’s most efficient offensive weapon during the first half. He ran hard behind the line and pushed the pile with his legs to break off some strong runs, but overall, Mercedes’ defense kept the Eagles’ offense quiet.
Junior quarterback Josh Vela connected with junior receiver Joshua Villafranca and senior receiver Ethan Pena to set up Hanna’s only score of the first half. Vela took a 4-yard carry to the end zone, and a Christian Escalante PAT made it 14-7 in favor of Mercedes.
“We saw some bright spots in the running game. Kriz had some good carries at times. But we can’t cough up the ball. Any time you turn the ball over three times, it makes it really tough to win,” Hanna coach Mark Guess said.
The Tigers jumped out to a 28-7 lead at halftime. They forced two turnovers during the second quarter with their swarming, aggressive defense. Senior lineman Patrick Olmos recovered a stripped fumble, then sophomore middle linebacker Jacob Broussard brought down an interception.
Senior quarterback Michael Cisneros threw three touchdown passes during the opening half — two to junior receiver Xavier Sanchez and one to senior Joseph Rocha. Senior running back Miguel Jimenez scored the third touchdown of the game on a 3-yard carry.
The first half ran long as things got chippy between the teams. Players scuffled, both head coaches were on the field yelling at each other and at referees about “dirty” plays, and penalty flags littered the gridiron. The tension pushed Mercedes into a second-and-41 situation with the ball on its own 11-yard-line. The Tigers ultimately scored on a 50-yard touchdown pass to Sanchez. His first score was off an 81-yard pass.
“I felt when we were put in adverse situations with some penalties, we were able to get out of those,” Adame said. “Second and 41, to be able to come out and make plays, we faced some adversity really early and the way our team responded is the sign of a good team.”
Mercedes relied more on the run game during the second half, and Jimenez did not disappoint with his speed and power. He scored on a quick pass from 8 yards out to open the fourth quarter, showing extra effort to reach the end zone. In the third, Cisneros threw his fourth touchdown of the night, this time connecting with sophomore Ramulus Ayala for a 42-yard reception.
After two scores and an interception by senior linebacker Brandon Gomez, the Tigers put in their backups for the remainder of the fourth quarter.
Hanna tacked on a touchdown late in the third as Vela found Villafranca for an 8-yard reception. The Eagles defended the run well and got pressure on Cisneros. Humberto Garcia, Anthony Ambriz and Christian Garcia played tough to lead the defense.
But Hanna’s young secondary with four newcomers struggled to contain the explosive Tigers offense. Guess was also upset with some extracurricular activity that went uncalled on the field. He’s glad the Eagles handled the tense game well and knows they can build on lessons learned in the opener.
“We didn’t quit, we played as hard as we could, but we have some growing up to do in some spots. We showed some youth,” Guess said. “But there’s also a lot of things that don’t have to do with football that were done on that field, and there’s no excuse for that to happen. I’m just so proud that my kids did not react or instigate a thing.
“I just want us to get better from this one,” he added. “Mercedes made some great plays. They’re very athletic, and their kids play hard. I credit them for that. They beat us, that’s the way it was, so we’re just going to get better from it.”
