(Pharr, Texas)-The PSJA North Raiders defense proved to be too much for the Corpus Christi Veterans Eagles on Thursday night as they lost 35-7 in the McDonald’s Game of the Week-Thursday Night Special. With the loss, the Eagles fall to 3-2, 2-1 in District 15-5A Division I while the Raiders stays unbeaten 4-0, 2-0. “We played great defense tonight. Our defensive coordinator Bret Esparza did a great job and he put together a great plan,” said PSJA North Raiders head football coach, Marcus Kaufmann.
From the start, the Raiders defense forced three turnovers by stripping two receivers of the ball and blocking a punt, which led to a touchdown by quarterback Darren Garcia as the Raiders dominated the first half of play. For the Raiders, this win was pure redemption from a previous loss in 2022 when both teams met in the Class 5A Division I Quarterfinals with the Eagles winning that contest 20-16.
North let loose of their star-junior running back Ethan Guerra and he did not let his Raider Nation team down. He finished the night with a 37-yard touchdown run on a draw followed by a 62-yard run for a total of 204 yards rushing on 21 carries with two scores. Garcia also added one score with WR Nick Torres scoring twice. The Raiders held the Eagles to under 174 total yards of offense. “That was the difference tonight,” said Kaufmann. “Our defense played lights out.”
The Raiders will travel to play Harlingen South (2-2, 1-1) next Friday night at Boggus Stadium with kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (HSSMImages)
Time to Celebrate! PSJA North Raiders running back Ethan Guerra scored two touchdowns in their 35-7 win over CC Veterans on Thursday night. (HSSMImages)