'I hate them': Mosquitoes swarm first day of football practice

High school football players weren't the only ones running lines across the gridiron during the Rio Grande Valley's first official two-a-day training sessions Monday.

Mosquitoes were out in full force, too.

Despite fumigation efforts after Hurricane Dolly, the Rio Grande Valley's mosquito population has continued to grow.

And fast.

"This morning, it was just terrible," Santa Maria High School head football Coach Lupe Perez said. "You'd go outside, and just dozens and dozens would pop out."

The mosquitoes on the field forced Perez to move his team's first morning practice of the season into the gym.

"We're kind of stuck in a bind," he said.

The team's first game is two weeks away, and if the players cannot practice outside, they will not have the physical endurance to play outdoors once the season is in full swing, he said.

Local officials hope an aerial spray assault on mosquitoes that began Sunday will do the trick.

And whatever those aerial sprays can't cover, loads of Off! insect repellent will have to catch.

Brownsville Pace High School Assistant Coach T.J. Salazar and his players virtually showered in sprays of Off! before heading onto the field Monday.

"You can't walk outside without getting bitten," Salazar said.

At the other end of the Valley, Edinburg High School Coach Joey Cacerescq pointed to a mosquito perched on a reporter's chin just about she was to start talking to him - she was a prime target for the blood-sucking beasts since she seemed to be the only one on the field who hadn't sprayed down with Off!

"There's an Off! cloud in the locker room," Caceres said.

Bobcat player Brian Garza, 16, said if it weren't for Off!, he might've ended up covered in bites.

"I hate them. They're everywhere," Brian said as he took a break from scrimmaging.

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Lynnea Olivarez covers general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4422.