Hoover’s takeaway frenzy and Fauls’ hat trick power Vela past Mission, 49–3

Edinburg — Vela turned a marquee district opener into a statement, overpowering Mission 49–3 on Friday night at Richard Flores Stadium with a blistering start, ruthless balance on offense and a takeaway-fueled defensive clinic. Senior quarterback Tyler Ruiz was near-flawless, hitting 12 of 14 for 195 yards and three touchdowns, while junior Gavin Castillo added 88 yards and another scoring strike as the Sabercats piled up 389 total yards (283 passing, 106 rushing) and seven touchdowns.

The tone landed on the very first series. Ruiz uncorked a deep ball to Ryan Rodriguez to crack open field position, then flipped a quick hitter that junior wideout George Fauls turned into a tackle-breaking sprint to the pylon. Minutes later, a play-action rollout found Fauls crossing the back line for his second score and a 14–0 cushion with 11:21 still on the first-quarter clock. Mission steadied behind tough early yards from Richard Acevedo and a 37-yard field goal, but Vela answered in layers: a laser post to Rodriguez for 21–3, then Caidyn Hoover’s first interception set up Tristan Cortinas’ 11-yard scoring run for 28–3.

Hoover never stopped. The junior playmaker rang up three interceptions, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and double-digit tackles, repeatedly erasing promising Eagle snaps and flipping the field for an offense that refused to waste short fields. Up front, Augie Perez, Vincent Gomez and Ethan Delgado collapsed pockets, while corners stayed clean on the edges to choke off bubble screens and option looks. By halftime, Mission’s best drive had been a field goal in fair, dry conditions before a crowd announced at 1,000-plus; after halftime, Vela’s defense slammed the door.

Head coach Ernie Alonzo said the message at the break was simple and freeing: “Well, we just want them to be relaxed. We understand the score is 28 to 3, and we want them to understand I don't have to play perfect football. I just play Sabercat football. Let's go have some fun with it and execute.” — Coach Ernie Alonzo, Vela head coach.

They did. Castillo rotated in and kept the throttle down, eventually hitting Fauls on a slant for the junior’s third touchdown of the night and a 35–3 lead late in the third. Antonio Villalobos added a fourth-quarter jet-sweep score on fourth-and-one, and Cortinas later bounced outside for his second rushing touchdown to cap the rout. The receiving corps spread the damage—Rodriguez (4–101, TD) stretched the field, Fauls (5–73, 3 TD) owned the red zone and intermediate windows, and Mason Cura/Chris Gonzalez chipped in chain-moving grabs—while the ground game stayed efficient at 9.6 per carry (Jeremiah Garcia 7–53; Villalobos 3–53).

Fauls kept the spotlight on trust and execution more than numbers: “I just believe in my coaches, I believe in the play calls… All the coaches are making us great.” — George Fauls, Vela wide receiver. And with a big halftime lead, he echoed the Sabercats’ reset mantra: “After every halftime we want to say zero - zero… We just got to keep pushing it until the end. Game's not over until it's over.” — George Fauls, Vela wide receiver.

Mission’s bright spots came in spurts. Acevedo churned through contact to nudge the Eagles into manageable downs, Eli Alvarado converted multiple third-downs on savvy routes, and sophomore kicker Angel Leiva nailed his first-quarter attempt. But Hoover’s takeaways and Vela’s relentless pressure frequently pushed the Eagles behind the sticks, and the Sabercats’ offense turned nearly every momentum swing into points. Vela finished 4-for-4 on passing touchdowns (three by Ruiz, one by Castillo) and 3-for-3 on rushing scores (two by Cortinas, one by Villalobos), with a clean night on PATs.

Next up, Vela (3–1, 1–0) visits McAllen High. Alonzo kept the focus tight: “We got to go in the film room and see exactly what we did wrong, correct our mistakes, and see what they do on film and get their tendencies and go from there.” — Coach Ernie Alonzo, Vela head coach.

Mission (1–3, 0–1) hosts McAllen Memorial.