PHARR — This week’s Region IV-5A Division I semifinal between PSJA North and Brownsville Veterans pits strength against strength as the rushing attacks of the Raiders and Chargers collide.
For PSJA North’s defense, which will be tasked with stopping a team coming off a record-setting performance in the area round, strength versus strength is nothing new. The Raiders experience it every day in practice by battling against their own offensive line, one of the most dominant units across South Texas.
The Raiders (12-0, 7-0) and Chargers (10-2, 5-1) will duke it out for 48 minutes beginning at 6 p.m. Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville with the winner advancing to the regional final.
“We want to give it all we got and show everyone what we can really do, what the Valley can do, especially with two of us facing off,” PSJA North junior nose tackle Salvador Sanchez said.
It’s PSJA North’s second consecutive appearance in Round 3 of the playoffs. Last year’s team competed at the Class 6A level and saw their campaign end at the hands of Austin Westlake, which went on to win a state championship.
Now, the Raiders have made their return to the regional semifinals, this time at the Class 5A Division I level, and are focused on pushing their playoff run at least one step farther than they did last season.
“We’ve been saying it since last December that we wanted to be in this round with a chance to go onto the next one and if we’re blessed to keep going, so be it. But at the very least, we want to be in the fourth round. We’re almost there and we’re a little hungrier,” PSJA North defensive coordinator Brett Esparza said. “Now that we’ve gotten here, everything we’ve promised each other about getting to the fourth round is in our grasp.”
Standing in the Raiders’ way is a Brownsville Veterans team that topped Victoria West 74-59 in Round 2. Running back Bryan Chavez ran for 429 yards and nine touchdowns, while the Chargers’ offense posted program records of 718 rushing yards and 748 total yards.
“This offense is going to make us be responsible. We can’t be too aggressive in one facet of the game,” Esparza said. “They can also throw the ball very well. Us being fundamentally sound, being clean and systematically correct is going to be big, but also playing responsible football, understanding the concept of who’s got what assignment and understanding different looks.”
PSJA North powered its way to a perfect regular season record, a District 15-5A DI championship and demolished its first two opponents during the playoffs with a 41-7 win over Donna High and a 35-14 victory against Corpus Christi Miller last week. Miller’s offense was averaging over 49 points per game prior to their area round game against PSJA North. That changed when they ran into the Raiders’ vaunted “Blackshirt Defense.”
Now, the Raiders are ready for another tough test against Chavez and Brownsville Veterans.
“It’s all about whoever dogs it out more,” junior defensive end Danny Garcia said. “We just have to keep moving forward, not letting up and trying to be the team we have the potential to be, and that’s to be up there and hang with the best teams in the state.”
Garcia, Sanchez and Marcus Hernandez make up PSJA North’s defensive line. That’s where problems start for opposing offenses.
The trio has combined for 50 tackles for loss and 16 sacks this season. They make quarterbacks uncomfortable with their pass rush and shut down run games by eating up and shedding blocks, which also allows PSJA North’s speedy linebackers and secondary to step up and make plays.
“We take a lot of pride in playing tough up front and holding teams to few rushing yards,” junior defensive end Marcus Hernandez said, while also rattling off rushing yards allowed to opponents in key games this season. “We just have to sacrifice our bodies so other people can make plays.”
Sams Memorial Stadium will be the center of the Rio Grande Valley football universe Friday as the Raiders and Chargers square off with a spot in the regional final round of the playoffs up for grabs. It will be the first fourth-round appearance in program history for the winner. For the loser, a bitter end to a great season.
“It’s nice to be a part of it and we know they’re going to come to play, so we’re going to suit up and give them everything we got,” Hernandez said. “It’s definitely something we dreamed about. I would just hate to be off next week, so we have to do our thing this week.”
