Vela overwhelms Harlingen, 52–10
EDINBURG — Robert Vela stacked five passing touchdowns, a short scoring run and three takeaways to roll past Harlingen 52–10 on Friday night at Richard R. Flores Stadium.
Harlingen struck first on a 33-yard field goal by kicker Rowan Deleon late in the opening quarter, but Vela answered with 28 straight points in the second and never looked back.
“We had a couple penalties go against us and they went down and scored,” Vela head coach Ernie Alonzo said. “We came right back, responded with a big play to go up 7–3, and after that our defense took over.”
The Sabercats’ run began when junior quarterback Gavin Castillo connected with wide receiver George Fauls for a 41-yard touchdown to give Vela its first lead. Running back Christopher Caballero powered in a 2-yard run on the next drive after a long Fauls run set up first-and-goal. Versatile athlete Caidyn Hoover then found tight end Mason Cura on a 7-yard scoring pass, and defensive back Jorge Ordonez followed with an interception to set up senior quarterback Tyler Ruiz, who hit DeMarco Salinas for a 26-yard touchdown that made it 28–3 at halftime.
Senior defensive lineman Ethan Delgado set the tone early in the third quarter with a fumble recovery deep in Harlingen territory, leading to Castillo’s 12-yard strike to wide receiver Antonio Villalobos. Kicker Robert Gonzalez opened the half with a 42-yard field goal, and Castillo later added another scoring toss to Fauls, this one from 23 yards out. Ruiz capped Vela’s scoring with a 5-yard touchdown pass to linebacker Noah Lopez. Harlingen’s lone touchdown came late in the third on Woolery’s 42-yard pass to receiver Rowan Deleon.
“Coach Landers and the defensive staff had us prepared,” Alonzo said. “They were ready to go.”
Delgado praised the performance but pointed to the stretch ahead. “I feel like we did an amazing job,” Delgado said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done going into district. We’ll get on the film and critique everything.”
The Sabercats improved to 3–0 with the victory and will host Mission next Friday. Harlingen fell to 0–3 and will look to regroup to face Laredo United South.
