GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
When McAllen Rowe running back Jose Chavez was a sophomore last year, coach Paul Reyes saw him as the power half of a tandem with the quicker Ino Rios.
But after Chavez ran for a 35-yard score and added an 81-yard touchdown catch in last week’s 48-28 win against Edcouch-Elsa, that perception has changed slightly.
“The only thing that did surprise me was his speed,” Reyes said. “We knew he was pretty fast, but this year he seems a little bit faster.”
When combined with his power — he’s about 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds — that speed makes Chavez a dangerous weapon for the Warriors.
He showed the full range of his abilities in the win against the Yellowjackets, rushing 7 times for 71 yards, catching 5 passes for 132 yards and scoring three total touchdowns.
“Obviously, he’s a threat,” Reyes said. “He’s somebody that we always try to get in open space and take advantage of his abilities.”
Reyes said Chavez’s size and speed create mismatches not just out of the backfield, but as a receiver.
Chavez has the hands to succeed as a wideout and the toughness to withstand hits between the tackles.
“We always expected big things from him,” Reyes said. “Even last year, we knew he was a player.”
Chavez ran for 190 yards and caught 13 passes for 187 yards in 2013, and he’s only improved through both independent training and participation in Rowe’s offseason strength and conditioning program.
“Through his hard work, he’s really added some quickness to his game,” Reyes said. “He has high goals for himself. He’s always focused on trying to improve and trying to get better.”
NEW QUARTERBACK
With starting quarterback Jesus Cuellar out with a sprained ACL, Mission High is looking for junior William Arias to step up.
Arias struggled upon being thrust into the starting role when Cuellar was injured just before halftime last week against Mission Veterans.
Cuellar had completed 9 of 12 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown before leaving. Arias finished just 3-of-8 passing for 26 yards and an interception. The Eagles gained only 9 yards in the second half of a 14-7 loss.
“He knows that we’re depending on him offensively, and he’s got to step up to the challenge,” Mission coach Mario Peña said. “That’s basically what we’re telling him: ‘We need for you to command our offense right now.’”
Arias, a junior, was carried on the varsity team last season but got very little experience. Peña said Arias has good speed, a strong arm and good size at 6 feet tall. The biggest hurdle he’s facing is the mental side of the game.
“What I’ve told him, very honestly, is we just need to work a lot more on decision-making on the field,” Peña said. “More than anything else, a lot of mental training and confidence building. He’s got to feel that he can command the offense. It’s more mental training than anything else right now.”
Mission faces Brownsville Hanna, which is coming off a 35-13 loss to Edinburg Economedes, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Tom Landry Stadium.
Peña opted not to elaborate on how long Cuellar will be out, saying only that the injury is not believed to be season-ending.
MAN DOWN, MAN UP
Eric Medellin, PSJA Memorial’s versatile offensive playmaker, will be out for an extended period with an upper leg injury, coach Gus Cavazos said.
“Any time you lose a kid like that, it’s going to be a blow,” Cavazos said.
The good news for Memorial is that junior John Anthony Saenz shares many of Medellin’s strengths. Both offer speed and quickness at receiver, and both have taken snaps as a potential run-first option at quarterback.
“He does a lot of the same things for us, so it’s not going to be to where it’s going to cause major changes in our planning,” Cavazos said.
Saenz was on track to be a major factor in the offense last year, rushing five times for 37 yards and catching 8 passes for 87 in just three games before going down to a season-ending injury.
“He was one of our top players as a sophomore,” Cavazos said. “He was just starting to come into his own when he suffered an injury.”
Cavazos said Saenz has been 100 percent for a while, and he looked the part in Week 1, catching three passes for 59 yards and a touchdown in a 33-0 win against La Joya Juarez-Lincoln.
“He had a great offseason that allowed him to get bigger and stronger,” Cavazos said. “He’s got his speed back now. He’s done a great job.”