The routine was a little different Monday on the west side.

Instead of the normal practice taking place on Coleman Field, the Odessa High Bronchos instead were focused on one thing: recovery.

It was a much-needed break after the Bronchos defeated Harlingen South 44-17 on a marathon weekend that dealt with everything from rain, humid conditions and nearly 1,200 miles round trip on a bus.

“The coaches were exhausted,” head coach Danny Servance said Monday. “I can only imagine that the players are even more tired because of the effort they put in during the game.”

“This past week took a toll on us and the bye week couldn’t have come at a better time.”

Odessa High enters the bye week with a 4-1 record — surpassing its win total from a year ago.

The Bronchos also come in having won their last two games and got another strong effort on Saturday. Odessa High accumulated nearly 500 yards of total offense and was able to jump out a 21-3 first-half lead by scoring on its first three possessions.

With the adjustments that the team had to deal with entering the game, Servance was pleased that the team was able to take care of business.

“I thought out team did a great job and I was really impressed by their maturity,” he said. “They understood that we were going on a business trip to play a football game.

“They did everything they need to do in order to be ready by kickoff.”

One of the main points of emphasis that Servance and the coaching staff had had focused on hydration. That was put to the test in the second quarter, as Harlingen South put together a 20-play, 70-yard drive that challenged the Bronchos defense.

“They (Harlingen South) really tried to go up-tempo on us,” Servance said. “I thought our guys did a terrific job of just hanging in there and battling to overcome the conditions because it was really starting to catch up with them.”

After regrouping at halftime, the Bronchos put their stamp on their final nondistrict game with two touchdown runs from Josh Lara and a safety that put the game out of reach.

“This win gave us the confidence that we can go on the road and play well,” Servance said. “Our kids showed that they were up to the task and that’s very encouraging.”

The Bronchos enter the bye week feeling confident about where they stand. That said, Servance knows the challenges that will lie ahead in district play, starting with the crosstown game against Permian on Oct. 12th.

“Our team knows they have something to prove,” he said. “I don’t think you have to do anything to get Odessa High and Permian hyped up to play each other.”

“There isn’t anything you have to do to get your kids ready to play.”

That said, Servance knows that there will be plenty to work on during the week off.

“We just want to be sharp,” he said. “You don’t have a lot of opportunities to go back and try to improve on the details. With the down time, that’s what we’re going to address.” 

>> BACKS ARE BACK: After dealing with injuries, running backs Lara and Senjun McGarity each returned to the field against the Hawks. Lara finished with 16 carries for 77 yards and three touchdowns and McGarity had one carry for one yard and saw time mainly as an H-back.

“It was good to get both of those guys back,” Servance said. “They mesh really well together because of their different styles and the consistency is something that I like out of both of them.”

>> SPREADING THE WEALTH: Quarterbacks Trey Smith and Kameron Gonzales put forth their best passing effort on Saturday, combining to finish 19-of-24 for 347 yards and three touchdowns. What stood out in Servance’s mind, however, was the fact that eight different receivers caught a pass in the win over Harlingen South.

“We were very efficient as far as the passing game,” Servance said. “With Josh coming back, we saw that the defense packed the box and it gave some mismatches that we were able to take advantage of.”

>> COLLEGE OFFERS: Senior offensive linemen Brandon Jones and Luis Nunez both announced on social media they had received offers to play football at Culver-Stockton College over the weekend.

The NAIA school is located 150 miles northwest of St. Louis in Canton, Missouri. The Wildcats compete in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
