SaberCats steamroll Mustangs in first-place showdown

When the District 16-5A DI schedule was announced, both Edinburg Vela and McAllen Memorial circled their game against each other as one with the potential to be for a district championship.

On Thursday, the two District 16-5A DI heavyweights went toe-to-toe, but the SaberCats landed a flurry of devastating first-half punches to put the game away early as Edinburg Vela cruised to a 56-0 victory over McAllen Memorial at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg.

The SaberCats (8-0, 5-0 district) are now alone in first place in 16-5A DI with two weeks remaining. The Mustangs (6-2, 4-1 district) slide into second in 16-5A DI after their first loss in league play.

“It was just preparation and it all started Monday. We start Monday off looking to go 1-0 against whoever we play,” Vela center Ronnie Ramirez said. “Memorial is a good team but we showed we’re the better team. We came out and executed to a T.”

Edinburg Vela’s defense came out intensity, the SaberCats offense followed suit, and the Mustangs were unable to match it. 

Memorial received the opening kickoff but the Vela defense made a statement with a 4th-and-goal stop at the 1-yard line to prevent any points and give the ball to the SaberCats offense.

“On Monday, when we walked into the office, the coaches told us the game plan and told us we’re going to execute it and keep them at zero all game. We just came out here and executed and got the shutout,” defensive end Rolando De Leon said of Vela’s first shutout of the season.

Six plays after their 4th-and-goal stop, Vela running back Jonathan Flores was in the end zone after a 48-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead. 

The SaberCats continued to pour it on in the first half as they took a 42-0 advantage in the locker room at half before scoring twice more after the break for a season-high 56 points.

Flores finished with over 250 yards rushing and four touchdowns on the ground while Vela quarterback Geoffrey LeFevre had himself a day with four touchdowns, displaying the balance of the SaberCats offensive attack.

Two of LeFevre’s touchdown throws went to receiver Jay’r Guevara and one each to receiver June Garza Jr. and Noah Rocha.

“J-Flo was due for a good game and he had it this game. They said we couldn’t rush and we showed them tonight,” Guevara said.

The SaberCats defense was a turnover-forcing machine against the Mustangs as Vela defenders were punching and ripping at the ball repeatedly. Vela also pounced on a couple loose balls that were fumbled on Memorial snaps.

“Coming into this week, it was ‘they’re not going to score.’ Everything today was built off of 48 hours of practice (Monday and Tuesday),” Vela safety Derek Rodriguez said. 

If Edinburg Vela can win its last two games, the District 16-5A DI championship is theirs outright. The SaberCats close their district schedule against La Joya Palmview and Rio Grande City.

Vela hasn’t won a district title in three years, but this season’s SaberCats are determined to change that. 

“I don’t want to see anything less than what we did tonight,” Rodriguez said. “I want to bring the district championship trophy home this year after three years of fighting for it and never getting it, I want to bring it home.”

McAllen Memorial now sits in second place in 16-5A DI with two games remaining. The Mustangs wrap up league play against McAllen Rowe next week a

nd La Joya Palmview in their regular season finale.