La Feria News

Lions Bite Gators

Lions take the field. #4 Elijah Vela, #18 Brian Lawson, #57 Orlando Morales, and #48 Vincent Chapa. Photos via La Feria ISD’s Facebook page.

Kevin Narro

La Feria News

The La Feria High School football team has set itself to dominate District 16-4A Division II again this year. After a come from behind 51-34 victory over the Grulla Gators, the Lions are 2-0 in district play and the overwhelming favorites to stay on top of the standings.

The offense is rolling for Coach Oscar Salinas. In the Lion’s first district victory over Zapata the team also scored over 50 points.

#28 Zion Dickerson. Photos via La Feria ISD’s Facebook page.

The game against the Gators may prove to be the biggest test for La Feria in district play. Down in the first half, the offense relied on big plays to take over the game, while the defense stepped up to stop the bleeding.
The ground game was the bread and butter for the Lions. The team piled up 341 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns.

Senior Quarterback Aaron Trevino kept the Grulla defense honest with an effective passing attack to complement the running game. Trevino passed for 100 yards and 2 passing touchdowns to go with his 110 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns on 6 carries. The passes were spread around to four different receivers: junior Justin Rodriguez, junior Julian Torres, sophomore Joaquin Trevino (TD), and sophomore Zion Dickerson (TD).

The bulk of the ground yardage was carried by Rodriguez. He carried the ball 8 times for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns. That with his receiving and kick returning gave this rising star 186 all purpose yards for the game.

Adding to the ground attack were sophomores Zion Dickerson and Isaiah Longoria. Dickerson carried the ball 13 times for 85 yards. Adding his receiving and kick returns he clocked 191 all purpose yards against the Gators.

Seniors Elijah Vela, EJ Serna and junior Travis Menchaca led the defense with 18, 18 and 16 tackles respectively. Six of Menchaca’s 16 tackles were for a loss and 2 of those were quarterback sacks. Senior Vincent Chapa had 4 tackles for a loss with fellow senior Chris Davila adding two with one being a sack.

Youth, experience and depth are coming together for the Lions. Games remain against Kingsville and Hidalgo. Both of those teams have not been able to make much noise so far. The key will be to use those opportunities to be as sharp as possible for a deep playoff run.

#1 Justin Rodriguez celebrates with #3 Aaron Trevino’s touchdown. Photos via La Feria ISD’s Facebook page.
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