Sharyland’s Air Attack, Harris’ Leadership Power 45-28 Win Over Weslaco East
MISSION — Sharyland leaned on a balanced passing game, quarterback runs, and second-half adjustments to defeat Weslaco East 45-28 on Friday night at Richard Thompson Stadium.
The Rattlers struck first when quarterback Calvin Harris connected with Sebastian Martinez for a 20-yard touchdown early in the first quarter. Weslaco East responded immediately with a 37-yard scoring pass from Aiden Gonzalez to Jay Herrera, but Sharyland answered with a fourth-down conversion that set up a touchdown pass to Oscar Cantu.
The Wildcats tied it again on a short run from Elias Rodriguez, before Martinez hauled in his second touchdown catch of the night. Gonzalez broke free on a keeper late in the half to bring Weslaco East even once more at 21. Harris then pushed Sharyland back in front with a touchdown run at the 1:18 mark, and after a mishit punt gave the Rattlers the ball with just seconds remaining, they added a field goal to take a 31-21 lead into halftime.
“Our coaches told us exactly what coverages they’d run, and when we executed, everything fell into place,” Harris said. “The chemistry with my receivers has been building since middle school. We make sure to stay after practice and get every detail right.” Harris finished the game with three passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns.
Sharyland took control after the break. A fumble recovery by linebacker Daniel Cantu set up Harris’ second rushing touchdown late in the third quarter. On the next drive, junior receiver Bruno Cavazos caught a screen pass and turned it into a 60-yard touchdown, stretching the lead to 45-21. Weslaco East managed a final touchdown on the game’s last play to close the scoring.
Head coach Craig Krell pointed to the number of reliable targets in his offense. “Sebas had two of the first three touchdowns, and Rambo had a long run off a screen. Calvin can throw and run, and we’ve got receivers who’ve been together since seventh grade,” Krell said. “We’re excited about the depth we have. Defensively, we need to tackle better, but once we settled in during the second half, we did our jobs.”
Harris credited the adjustments made during the break. “We understood what needed fixing. Our defense came out after halftime and really tightened up. Even when they had momentum, we kept them under control until the very last play.”
Krell also looked ahead to next week’s challenge. “Hanna’s had our number before, but last year we turned the tables,” he said. “We know they’ll come looking for redemption, so we’ve got to keep improving each week.”
Sharyland (1-0) heads to Brownsville Hanna on Thursday, while Weslaco East (0-1) returns home in search of its first win.
