5A DII playoff teams hit the road for Round 2

2 weeks ago 18

Three Valley teams remain in the Class 5A Division II playoffs as the Edcouch-Elsa Yellow Jackets, Mercedes Tigers and Sharyland Pioneer Diamondbacks enter the area round.

They’ll look to break through as they take on two teams from the San Antonio area and a Coastal Bend power today and Friday.

EDCOUCH-ELSA YELLOW JACKETS

The District 16-5A DII champion Yellow Jackets (9-2) are back in the area round for the first time since 2016, and they don’t plan on stopping now.

Edcouch-Elsa defeated Mission Veterans 15-7 in last week’s bi-district round by riding its “Thunder Defense” along with a strong performance from special teams.

In order to break through to the regional semifinal round, however, “La Maquina” will need to be rolling on all cylinders in their Region IV-5A DII area-round playoff game against Boerne (8-3) at 7 p.m. today at Shirley Field in Laredo.

Boerne finished as the No. 2 seed in District 13-5A DII and defeated Corpus Christi Carroll 39-21 in the bi-district round to set up the area-round collision with Edcouch-Elsa. The Greyhounds use a potent passing attack led by sophomore quarterback Hank Hendrix (3,241 yards, 34 touchdowns) to outscore opponents.

The Edcouch-Elsa defense is ready for the challenge with playmakers on every level led by linebacker Troy Barco (166 tackles, 22 tackles for loss), athlete Matthew Cano (132 tackles, 17 tackles for loss), defensive end Gaven Rodriguez (111 tackles, nine sacks) and 23 interceptions this season. including seven from defensive back Israel Campos.

MERCEDES TIGERS

The Mercedes Tigers (8-3) make their return to the area round after missing out on the playoff entirely last season. The quick turnaround can be attributed to a group that fought its way to finish as the runner-up in 16-5A DII after dropping their district opener.

Mercedes is up against a tough task in the area round vs. District 13-5A DII champion Alamo Heights, however. Kickoff between Mercedes and Alamo Heights is set for 7 p.m. today at Buccaneer Stadium in Corpus Christi.

The Alamo Heights Mules (11-0) took down Corpus Christi Ray in the bi-district round with a 70-14 win and one of the top players in the nation in senior athlete Michael Terry III, who holds offers from Texas, Nebraska, Oregon, Texas A&M and Baylor.

The Tigers will need to put together another strong performance as they did in their 45-20 bi-district playoff win over Sharyland High last week.

The Mercedes offensive line made way for quarterback Aaron Cortez and running back Robert Sanchez to have field days against Sharyland, as the pair combined for 344 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Cortez added 70 yards and a score through the air.

Defensively, Mercedes has four players with 100-plus stops this season in defensive back Frank Gonzalez (135 tackles), defensive end Anthony Velasquez (127 tackles, 21 tackles for loss), defensive back Emilio Valle (118 tackles, 11 tackles for loss) and linebacker Noah Buenrostro (110 tackles).

SHARYLAND PIONEER DIAMONDBACKS

Sharyland Pioneer is the most recent of the three 5A DII teams remaining to advance past the area round after doing so during the 2020 season.

The Diamondbacks (8-3) will look to break through once again as they travel for an area-round playoff matchup against Corpus Christi Miller at 7 p.m Friday at Buccaneer Stadium in Corpus Christi.

Miller (9-2) finished as the District 14-5A DII champion and ran through Kerrville Tivy 66-28 in the bi-district round to set up the area-round game against Sharyland Pioneer. The Bucs’ only losses this season have come against DeSoto and Sinton during non-district play. Quarterback Trevor Long has thrown for 3,014 yards and 41 touchdowns, and running back Broderick Taylor has 1,605 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns this season.

Sharyland Pioneer, meanwhile, started the year with a young team that has grown and gotten stronger over the course of the season.

The Diamondbacks finished second in 15-5A DII and did it primarily by running the ball, playing sound defense and picking their spots in the passing game.

Quarterback William Goodloe slid over from his receiver position to give the Diamondbacks a dual-threat option behind center. He’s thrown for 925 yards and 12 touchdowns, and run for a team-high 828 yards and nine touchdowns. The duo of running backs Dylan Tijerina (712 yards, five touchdowns) and Marcus Perales (523 yards, five touchdowns) provides a three-headed rushing threat out of the Pioneer backfield.

The Diamondbacks have a defense that has held opponents to 14 points or less in six of their games thus far. Linebacker Marcos Rauda spearheads their defensive unit with 92 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and six sacks, all of which lead the team. Safety Andrew Rivera will be key against Miller’s passing attack with his ball-hawking ability to create takeaways.