LAREDO, Texas — United High School is prepping for Saturday when it faces district rival San Antonio Southwest at the Student Athletic Complex in Laredo.
The (3-4, 2-2) Longhorns are coming off a heartbreaking, last-second, and one-point district loss to the Laredo United South Panthers. Head Coach David Sanchez wants to see his team show resiliency after the defeat.
“You hope that your program has built some character and pride,” he continued. “We’ve got a lot of tradition here and we’ve got to bounce back as life is tough. Our kids have to show character and get a win this Saturday.”
San Antonio Southwest (5-1, 3-0 in District 29-6A) is a familiar foe for United. In 2016, the Longhorns dropped a hard-fought double-overtime contest to the Dragons by a score of 28-24.
“They’ve got two quarterbacks and a running back that they rotate that are very athletic and run hard,” Sanchez said about what he expects from the weekend matchup. “They’re a big, smash-mouth type of football team that’s really physical, offensively.”
The Dragons are a run-first offense spearheaded by running backs Sean Ruiz and Martin Torres. During last weekend’s game against the Laredo Alexander Bulldogs – Southwest won 35-24 – Ruiz and Torres propelled the team to a victory with a combined 210 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns.
Laredo United running back Oscar Villarreal (Sergio Martinez/Texas HS Football)
“They’re a very consistent team,” United senior outside linebacker Christian Cazares said. “We’re going to look to put them in a tough spot by having them throwing the ball. Our defense has been playing really good [this season], especially against these types of formations so I feel very confident going into this game.”
The Longhorns defense is going to need to slow down this potent ground attack if they are going to have a chance at victory.
“They’re aggressive so we’ve got to stay low, hold our gaps and keep containment to force the backs [to] bounce outside so [the] linebackers and safeties can clean up. We’re quick and very disciplined,” senior defensive tackle Brandon Brondo added.
Though the Longhorns’ offense is still a work in progress, Sanchez said there are positive signs as the unit seems to have improved weekly.
“We’ve got a young quarterback that’s shown a lot of promise,” he explained. “[The offense] has gotten better every game and our kids work really hard. We’ve just got to speed up the offensive game and do a better job of executing.”
The Longhorns need to put it all together this weekend against the Dragons to stay in the 6A Region IV District 29 championship mix. Considering their history, the game is likely to be another exciting battle.
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