Winning Position
Huskies host Warriors tonight
Juarez-Lincoln Huskies (0-4) vs. Rowe Warriors (2-2)
It’s Week 5 of Valley High School football and this week we’re going to have a wonderful matchup between two teams that are fighting for position in District 15-5A-1. This week we’ve got some of the most passionate football the Big 7 Sports has to offer as the Nikki Rowe Warriors travel to our Juarez-Lincoln Huskies in our Big 7 Sports Football Game of the Week! Let’s get this show on the road.
The last time we checked on the Huskies, they were going up against fellow Big 7 Sports team, the Mission Eagles. The Huskies and the Eagles were both looking for their first win of the season. The Eagles ultimately came out on top as the Huskies fell to (0-3). Since then, the Huskies went on to lose their next game to the Rio Grande City Rattlers. Though the Huskies lost the game, they gained something from it. They saw their potential.
I talked to the Huskies’ head coach Mark Gonzalez about what they saw in their last game. Gonzalez told me that the Huskies saw a lead in the first quarter, something that has been hard to come by this season. He went on to explain what happened quarter by quarter. The team was put in the winning position all the way up to the half, but it might have been too much for this team to handle. Gonzalez explained, “We take for granted the knowledge we have for this game. We know what to do when we’re in a good spot on the field, but our defense didn’t know they could ease up on the field. They played a 1st and 20 like a 3rd and short.” Gonzalez continued to break it down for me and the more he did, the more we took from it. This team was ready to break out and if they were able to put the pieces together, they would do it.
This week is no different: The Huskies want to win. “This is a game that we want to win,” Gonzalez told me. After speaking to Gonzalez, I got the chance to speak to two leaders on the Huskies offense. Here is what quarterback John Menchaca had to say about this week’s game, “I’m looking forward to throwing more, I am getting my confidence up.”
Confidence is something that this young quarterback is going to need if he wants to get it done against the Warriors. John is going into this game with little under 300 passing yards to go along with his three passing touchdowns. He has also rushed for 104 rushing yards with three more touchdowns on the ground.
The Huskies’ running game is arguably one of the best that the Big 7 Sports has to offer and it is dominated by running back, Pedro Menchaca. It’s no coincidence that these two share the same last name. They are brothers. They make for a duo both on and off the field. I asked John to tell me more about playing with his brother, “It feels good to play with him. Our dynamic is really good. Whenever he gets mad I tell him to chill out, he gets mad when we make mistakes but I tell him that we can come back on the next play and make it better.”
Pedro, the elder of the two brothers, has been carrying the offensive load for the Huskies this season. He has rushed for 416 yards and two touchdowns. He also has accumulated 52 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.
I asked Pedro to tell me about the role that he has on this team, “It feels great to be one of the leaders, I gotta keep the other players on track and focus on making sure everyone is doing their part. I gotta focus on my brother too, he’s gotta do his part by being disciplined to the team.” Pedro continued on about his brother, “It feels good to play with my brother, I think that’s what everyone wishes for. I think it’s pretty cool.”
A win for the Huskies would be huge. They would improve to a (1-3) record while getting their first win of the season. They would also be setting themselves up to make a run for the playoffs by improving to (1-1) in district play. This is very much a game that could go the way of the Huskies.
Juarez-Lincoln High School is home to a team that plays the game of football with a lot of pride and a lot of heart. They have a competitive drive that can take them far. But will they be able to put it all together against Rowe? With the way they are playing on the field and along with a head coach who is continuing to put his team in a winning position, there’s a good shot. Good luck to the Juarez-Lincoln Huskies on their journey to get their first win of the season.
