Caidyn “Cold-Blooded” Hoover shakes off late INT, leads SaberCats rally

EDINBURG — With just over eight minutes remaining in regulation, Edinburg Vela senior quarterback Caidyn Hoover made a costly mistake.

Down 26-22, the first-year signal-caller fired a pass down the middle intended for wide receiver George Fauls. Instead, the ball landed in the hands of Weslaco High safety Saul Ramirez. The Panthers capitalized on the turnover, with junior Malachi Rodriguez scoring on a 49-yard touchdown run on the next play.

Hoover didn’t let the fourth-quarter interception shake him, however. He led back-to-back scoring drives in the final minutes to erase an 11-point deficit and rally the SaberCats past the Panthers 37-33 on Thursday at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Weslaco.

“I challenged them to smile through adversity,” Edinburg Vela head coach Sean Landez said. “I knew it was going to be a dogfight against Weslaco. They prove themselves all year long. I knew it was going to be a rough one. Our kids really tuned into their beliefs and tuned into the willpower to be successful and executed when it mattered most. Just hats off. Extremely proud of our guys and proud of our coaches. They coached their tails off.”

Points were hard to come by early in the highly anticipated District 31-6A matchup, with the only points of the first quarter coming on a safety by Edinburg Vela defensive end Trey Rodriguez to give the SaberCats a 2-0 lead.

Vela found its offensive rhythm in the second quarter, with Hoover connecting twice with Fauls for touchdowns of 47 and 58 yards to help the SaberCats build a 19-3 lead. Senior Robert Gonzalez added a 40-yard field goal.

“Kudos to our guys,” Landez said. “Their foundation is unshakable, and they prove it every time they get onto this field. Whether it’s pretty or ugly, you know, they do their job, and they don’t complain. They keep their nose on the grindstone, and that’s a testament to how much they truly believe in each other, truly believe in the program and truly believe in the coaching staff and the four pillars that we stand on.”

Weslaco answered Vela’s second-quarter surge with a run of its own, scoring the game’s next 23 points across the second and third quarters to take a 26-19 lead into the fourth.

Senior Swiss Army knife Seth Moya spearheaded the Panthers’ offensive surge, opening the scoring run with a 2-yard touchdown run as time expired in the first half.

Moya added a 43-yard touchdown run with 5:46 remaining in the third quarter to give Weslaco its first lead of the game. Granados accounted for the Panthers’ other touchdown during the 23-0 run, breaking loose for a 70-yard scoring run on the first play of the second half.

A field goal by Gonzalez brought the SaberCats within four points with 10:16 remaining. After the defense forced a three-and-out, Hoover and the offense took over with another opportunity to reclaim the lead.

That’s when disaster struck. Hoover threw an interception, setting up Rodriguez’s 49-yard touchdown run to extend Weslaco’s lead to 33-22 with 7:50 remaining.

“Throwing an interception in a game like this isn’t the best feeling, but I just had to keep my head high,” Hoover said. “I’m the leader on this team. If my team sees me down, they’re going to get down. I just have that mentality to move on and get ready for the next play.”

Hoover quickly bounced back, leading a 14-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped by a 2-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Villalobos with 3:30 remaining to cut the deficit to 33-30.

Another three-and-out by the defense gave the SaberCats possession once more, with a field goal needed to tie and a touchdown to win. Hoover delivered, directing an 83-yard drive and finding Ryan Rodriguez for the go-ahead touchdown with 11 seconds remaining to seal the 37-33 victory.

“Just for us to come out like we did and execute, I know some balls were a little wobbly, but I have to give props to my O-line and receivers for making plays,” Hoover said. “I believe in my players. He’s such a consistent catcher, and I know he’ll be able to make a play and get space.”

The victory gives Vela an early edge over reigning district champion Weslaco in the District 31-6A standings and improves the SaberCats to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in district play.

Meanwhile, the Panthers’ hopes of another district title took a hit. Weslaco will need Vela to lose at least one of its remaining four district games to have a chance to reclaim the championship, depending on the district standings and tiebreakers.

Weslaco will look to bounce back when it returns to Richard R. Flores Stadium for a second straight week to take on Edinburg Economedes at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Vela, meanwhile, will look to keep rolling when it continues District 31-6A play against La Joya High at 7:30 p.m. Friday at La Joya ISD Stadium in La Joya.

“I’m just so proud of the guys,” Landez said. “Just got to continue to work and continue to be humble and be blessed and acknowledge God’s grace.”