Alexander's offense flashes true potential in win over Brownsville Veterans Memorial

The Bulldogs finally executed for all four quarters as they defeated the Chargers 45-42 on the road

By Garrett Kroeger

Friday is what the Alexander Bulldogs were waiting for.

Alexander head coach Edwin Garcia has helped produce some of the best offenses Laredo has seen in recent years, going back to his days as United South’s offensive coordinator. Entering this season, Garcia had high hopes for his offense, and rightfully so.

The Bulldogs returned arguably the best offensive line in the Gateway City and had a bunch of skill players with high upside. And for the first time this year, Alexander finally flashed its full offensive potential on the road against Brownsville Veterans Memorial Friday.

The Bulldogs defeated the Chargers 45-42 in a wild shootout as the two teams traded scores left and right. And the Navy & Gold emerged victoriously because of their consistent execution.

“I am just really proud of our kids and our coaching staff,” Garcia said of the win. “They worked hard all week. They just put their heads down and worked all week. This one goes to the coaching staff and the kids. They were just determined to come out with a victory over a tough opponent.”

Friday was the first time this year in which the offense executed during all four quarters.

In the Bulldogs’ previous three non-district games – Alexander ends non-district competition 2-2 heading into next week’s District 30-6A opener against United South – their offense would have spurts of greatness, but never sustained them for an entire game. Alexander would execute properly for one or two quarters, and then hurt itself the other quarters with either turnovers or penalties. But against Brownsville Veterans Memorial, the Bulldogs didn’t hurt themselves like in games past.

Alexander played arguably its cleanest offensive game of the season. It had maybe three offensive penalties all game, unlike the handful it committed in past matchups, and it didn’t turnover the ball once. The Bulldogs committed a turnover, though, but it was on special teams.

“We were all on the same page,” junior quarterback Karlo Tenorio said. “We were tired of losing. We didn’t come just four hours just to lose to Brownsville. We executed.

“This should be the standard for us, but we always want to go higher than our standard is. We want to keep executing more and more.”

Tenorio had the best game of his young career as he played with a ton of “swagger,” according to his coaches. For the first time this year, Tenorio didn’t seem rattled by pressure. And it showed in the box score.

The junior signal caller completed 14 of his 21 passes for 307 yards and three touchdowns.

Fellow junior receiver Jayden Gonzalez was Tenorio’s top target as he caught two passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Gonzalez wasn’t the only productive receiver as senior Julius Vaughn had four receptions for 62 yards, too.

While Tenorio had a special performance, senior running back Joe Fernandez did, too. Fernandez, who has the potential to be Laredo’s best back this season, ran for 137 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. He even caught five passes for 100 yards and a score, too. And not only did Fernandez have a good game on the ground, but sophomore back Brennan Kisslinger did, too, as he rushed for 88 yards and a score.

“If we are on the same page, there’s no team that can beat us,” Tenorio said of the team’s offensive potential.

Garcia had high expectations for his offense this year, and rightfully so. Alexander had all the elements to have a deadly unit this season. And for the first time this year, it flashed that potential.

For the Bulldogs to achieve what they want to accomplish this year, which is winning a district title and making a deep playoff run, they’ll need their offense to execute like it did against Brownsville Veterans Memorial for the remainder of the season. Executing in high-pressured situations has held Alexander back in recent years. It’s been the program’s kryptonite.

Friday is what the Bulldogs were waiting for from their offense. The unit finally lived up to its hype. It moved the ball well and executed for all four quarters, barely making mistakes. And if the offense executes like it did Friday for the remainder of the season, Alexander could very well potentially lift the District 30-6A title at year’s end.

“All year long, we’ve talked about this. Actually, the past two years we’ve talked about this,” Garcia said. “We have talked about getting to games like this and executing. It takes special performances like we got from Karlo, Joe, Julius and Jayden, all the guys chipped in when we needed them the most. So, it all goes to execution.”