EDINBURG — Two days before his first fall practice as a head coach, Edinburg High’s Joaquin Escobar sat down and made a list of all the things he could be doing better.
Before he knew it, he was on a second page. More home visits, making contact with freshmen sooner and being more organized were just a few of the items.
“There’s a lot of things that I have to learn and get better at,” Escobar said.
His players are in a similar position. Edinburg returns only five starters and about one-third of the staff to a team that finished last season 2-8.
The next few months will involve a lot of learning and growth for a team that essentially enters 2014 with a clean slate.
“We get to start all over from the beginning,” linebacker Armando Palacios said. “It’s a different coach and different things, but I think it’s a good thing.”
Edinburg will be switching to new schemes on both sides of the ball. The defense goes from a 4-4 to a 3-4 that brings heavy pressure from the outside, and the offense will be incorporating more spread elements with a lot of pre-snap motion.
Escobar and his players say they got a great jump on the learning process during the spring, and that’s only carried over into the fall.
“I really like the technique that coach Escobar has brought to us,” cornerback Angel Lara said. “It’s really helped us out. We’re working a lot harder than we’ve worked before.”
Escobar has gathered his assistants from across the state. The defensive coordinator came from Mission, and the offensive coordinator came from Corpus Christi King, where last season Escobar served as the offensive coordinator and associate head coach.
He’s also brought in assistants from Odessa Permian and Abilene Cooper. They’ve all brought in new ideas for the players to learn and absorb, adding another layer to the installation process.
“We always worry that we don’t have enough time,” Escobar said. “You’re not ever going to install everything in your first year.”
So far, though, Escobar has been pleased. About 120 kids turned out for the team’s first practice, which Escobar called “a pleasant surprise.” In most cases, Escobar noticed major improvements from the spring in terms of speed and strength. Quarterback Angel Diaz said practices have been more intense.
The players have responded to Escobar and his coaching style.
“It’s been a real good process from the beginning. From day one of spring ball, it’s been real different,” Palacios said. “He pushes us to our last percent that we have. He pushes us to the last sweat.”
Once district play rolls around, the time for learning and installation will be over. The Bobcats will need to simply execute what they know as effectively as they can. Sacrificing a year to rebuild is not an option.
“This senior class has done a great job, and they deserve better than that from us,” Escobar said. “If they hadn’t worked hard, and I didn’t think they earned the right, then I would say you know what? It’s a rebuilding year. But from what I’ve seen from our seniors and our juniors and everybody else, they’ve earned the right.”
RETURNING DB
Every Thursday night before a game, Lara does everything he can to learn about the opposing offense. He watches any video he can find.
Last year, that preparation helped him rack up a team-high seven interceptions.
“He’s just good at being a football player,” Escobar said. “Being at the right spot at the right time. Just knowing the game.”
When Escobar was at coaching school during the summer, he let one of his assistants open the weight room. Lara was there every day during the summer, and that week he became one of the leaders.
“I watched him encourage kids, even when they got beat,” Escobar said. “That’s something that I haven’t seen in a while. That was our whole goal, to make him a better leader, because we knew he could play.”
NEW QUARTERBACK
One of Escobar’s first moves was to make practices more physical, especially during the spring. Maybe none of the Bobcats benefitted more than quarterback Angel Diaz.
“By the time spring was over, he got tougher,” Escobar said. “The kids hit him, and hit him, and hit him, and he said, ‘It’s part of it. I’m going to be tough.’ And he got a lot tougher and mentally tougher, which is what’s going to be key.”
Diaz’s strength as a quarterback is his rushing, so he’ll need to be ready to take some hits. He’s also improved as a passer through the spring and the offseason.
“Last year I didn’t have a really good arm, and now I’ve kind of developed the strength to throw it out there,” Diaz said. “Strength, accuracy, speed. Everything is improving from last year.”
THE WEAPONS
When asked about the position group that most stands out, Escobar immediately cited the improvement of the receivers. The group of John Murillo, Ramon Garcia and Matt Garza should be the strength of Edinburg’s offense.
“Our receivers on the outside are pretty good,” Diaz said. “We’ve got some speed.”
======================
PROGNOSIS
Edinburg High enters 2014 with a clean slate. Coach Escobar will work to install his schemes and establish his culture, but wins could be hard to come by for this inexperienced group.
2014 Record: 3-7
=====================
TENURE
Coach: Joaquin Escobar
Year at school: 1st
Record: 0-0