That extra work, staying late and building chemistry, has paid dividends for Pioneer (1-1, 0-0) early in the 2019 season.
Marburger leads the Rio Grande Valley with 619 passing yards and 11 passing touchdowns, leading the Diamondbacks to light up the scoreboard with 98 points in just two games, the second-highest total in the RGV behind La Feria’s 104.
While the numbers are nice, Marburger’s only goal is to fill one category — the win column.
“I wouldn’t say it’s really about numbers, we’re 1-1 and we’re trying to get to 2-1. We don’t care about numbers or anything, we just care about wins,” Marburger said.
Second-year Sharyland Pioneer head coach Tom Lee has seen growth in the junior quarterback who started six times for the Diamondbacks last season.
“He’s a lot more confident in the pocket, a lot more confident with this group of guys and it shows,” Lee said.
Marburger’s completed 37 of 53 passes for a 71.4 completion percentage, and his 11 touchdowns have been caught by five different receivers.
“He’s done a great job with us as lineman and working with his receivers, it’s fun playing with him,” offensive lineman Sandalio Garcia said. “We’re still figuring ourselves out and getting better. Down the line, we’re going to be moving even faster and putting up points.”
Senior wideouts Lavar Lindo (111 yards, 2 TDs) and Luke Padilla (72 yards, 2 TDs) return to give Pioneer two threats on the outside, while running back Tristan Castillo (98 yards, 2 TDs) carries the load on the ground out of the backfield. But two other Diamondbacks who have gotten off to a tremendous start this season are receivers Gavin De La Garza and Allen Vasquez.
“It’s a blessing having all these assets on my team. God has blessed me with these guys,” Marburger said.
De La Garza leads the team with 178 receiving yards and two touchdowns on seven catches. Vasquez is right behind him with six catches for 123 yards and three touchdowns.
“Those two guys are no surprise. Allen was big for us last year, but he was interchanging with other guys. This year, we’ve moved him inside and he’s taken a great role as a senior leader,” Lee said. “We’ve always known Gavin has the ability and he’s really stepped onto this stage this year and upped his game. It’s tough when you have four or five guys, plus you throw Tristan and Taylor in the backfield and we’ve got a good, dynamic group. We’ve been fortunate to make some plays and we hope we can do this again this week.”
The challenge awaiting Sharyland Pioneer’s offense in Week 3 is Mission High, the No. 4-ranked team, according to the RGVSports.com Top 10 poll. The Eagles have outscored opponents 92-8, including a 37-0 win over rival Mission Veterans, another high-powered, aerial attack.
“We’ve done a good job, but obviously this week is a different challenge. They’re not ranked No. 4 in the Valley for no reason,” Lee said about the Eagles. “Mission has given up eight points in two games, we’re well aware of that, it’s all over the newspapers. They’ve got a lot of good kids over there, coach(Koy) Detmer and that defense is playing really well. We’re going to have to play well to continue what we’ve been doing.”
Kickoff between the Diamondbacks and Eagles is set for 7:30... Click here to read full article
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