BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — When Weslaco East is on defense, Ram Mendoza is usually shouting. On a group that starts eight underclassmen, the middle linebacker has a lot of organizing to do. Mendoza knew coming into the year that taking on that leadership role as a senior would be critical.
“Coach tells me I have to be a leader out there,” Mendoza said. “I have to put everybody in their place.”
Junior defensive back Ciro Rojas said he hears Mendoza nearly every play. ‘Let’s make tackles.’ ‘Let’s break to the ball.’ ‘Let’s get to fourth down.’
“It’s on every level,” Mendoza said. “I have to get them lined up, and then also I have to guide them. I have to get them better. Some of them are freshmen, so obviously they need to stay focused.”
Mendoza has also become a leader with his play, topping the team with more than 140 tackles this season. Coach Mike Burget cited Mendoza as the biggest reason Weslaco East’s defense has gotten better from week to week.
Before the team’s Week 8 bye, the Wildcats allowed 362.1 yards per game. In five outings since, they’ve allowed 263.6 yards per game. A group that struggled to get off blocks and wrap up early on has become better at both with continued weight training during the season.
“They’ve gotten stronger,” Burget said. “When they get stronger, when you wrap up, it seems like you can bring a kid down a lot easier.”
The young players have also learned the system and their roles. Rojas said the team’s biggest improvements have been figuring out pursuit angles and eliminating arm tackles.
Mendoza has played a key role in all of it. When he came to Weslaco East from Donna as a sophomore, coach Mike Burget said he didn’t stand out in any way.
“He was an average athlete,” Burget said. “And then he got in that weight room, and he made himself really strong. And then he became vocal. And when he became vocal, people started to follow him. He does all of the talking on defense. All of it.”
Mendoza is the perfect player to fill that role. He said his biggest strength is being able to read the opposing offense, something he learned from coach Mike Gonzales, a former linebacker.
Mendoza also puts in a lot of time watching film, picking up on the offense’s tendencies so he knows how to adjust.
“You see little keys, and you pick it up. It just becomes second nature,” Mendoza said. “When I was younger, it was kind of harder. Now that I see it, I can see the big picture. Everything got a lot easier. Adjusting, moving around, speed wise, everything. I think I’ve progressed a lot.”
Mendoza sees the young players around him slowly making the same progress. As the year has gone on, every position group has learned how to do its job. He credits his tackle total to the defensive linemen and outside linebackers properly funnelling the play his direction.
“Everybody is flying to the ball,” Mendoza said. “It’s a lot more chemistry. We’re all just coming together really good.”
Weslaco East’s high-powered rushing attack has gotten most of the publicity this season, but Burget said the Wildcats would not have even made the playoffs were it not for the defense. Yes, the group ranked towards the middle of the district, but that’s not the whole story.
“They don’t talk about the turnovers our defense has got,” Burget said. “They don’t talk about our defense flying to the ball. Our kids have done a great job. Our defensive coaches have done a great job of putting game plans together. And it’s because of them we’re sitting at 10-2.”