BROWNSVILLE — Before Sharyland High took the field to face Brownsville Pace, senior receiver and defensive back Danny Peña told his coaches he wanted the ball.
After four quarters against Brownsville Pace, he dominated it.
Peña finished with two receiving touchdowns and two interceptions as the Rattlers took down the Vikings 27-13 at Sams Memorial Stadium to win their season opener.
“He told me he wanted the ball, and we found ways to get him the ball,” Sharyland head coach Ron Adame said with a smile after the Rattlers’ win. “He’s a tremendous track athlete and we knew we had to use him both ways. Every expectation that we had coming into this season, we saw tonight with this performance.”
With only two starters back on the offensive side of the ball, the Rattlers needed players to step up and they found their answer in Peña and first-year starting quarterback Benji Valdivia. The duo connected twice for scores, the first on a backside post for a 21-yard touchdown, and the second on a slant which Peña hauled in, shook off a would-be tackler and coasted to the house for a 56-yard touchdown.
“The corner hit me on my back shoulder, so I kind of flipped around and saw nothing but green grass in front of me, so I just took off,” Peña said. “In the first quarter, we were running our plays, but I noticed my corner playing soft, so I had a lot of open spots on the field. I told our coaches, ‘I have windows to get the ball, so if it’s possible, try to get the ball to me.’ We come out next series and call a backside post and it just opened up.”
While his plays on offense were huge to put points on the scoreboard for Sharyland, Peña closed the game out with an interception of Brownsville Pace’s Jose Banda late in the fourth quarter. One period earlier, Peña jumped an inside-breaking route and came up with a point-saving pick at the Rattlers’ own goal line to deny the Vikings.
“The guys at practice are always telling me I could be a good help on the defensive side, so I came out and we were balling out there,” he said.
After Peña’s fourth-quarter interception, Valdivia put the game away with a 46-yard touchdown burst up the gut of the Pace defense. A junior, Valdivia admitted he was nervous at the start but grew more comfortable as the game went on.
“Going into the game, I was real jittery, I was kind of nervous, but now I feel real confident in our weapons with our receivers and our O-line. I believe in my offense and we’re capable of making those plays. I trust every single player out here and we were able to get it done tonight,” Valdivia said.
Valdivia also connected with receiver Will Patterson for a touchdown as the Rattlers’ quarterback finished with three touchdowns through the air and the game-sealing touchdown run.
“We did a lot of good things today, but there are certainly areas to improve,” Adame said. “That’s what these non-district games are about. We faced a good opponent today and they challenged us.”
While Sharyland High was one of the Rio Grande Valley’s first teams to kickoff Week 1, Peña and the Rattlers are ready for more.
“This was just our first game, I’m excited for the rest of the season,” Peña said.
Sharyland High will host McAllen Memorial in Week 2 at 7:30 p.m... Click here to read full article
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