DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
LA VILLA — La Villa graduated a quarterback that produced 545 passing yards, 541 rushing yards and 13 total touchdowns. The Cardinals are not concerned.
La Villa saw a running back that amassed 1,300 yards and 22 total touchdowns transfer 15 miles south to Weslaco East. The Cardinals aren’t worried about that, either.
Those things are out of the control of coach Joe Salinas and the 10 starters that do return from last year’s impressive 8-3 campaign. When he is asked about the loss of signal-caller Robert Serna, Salinas answers with junior Macario Perez, now the man under center. And when Salinas addresses the departure of tailback Lupe Moron, he cites opportunity.
“It’s hard to be replace a kid like Robert, but Macario has a lot of talent and skill himself,” Salinas said. “He has the potential to be as good as Robert. Losing a kid like Lupe evens out the playing field for the backs. The kids are looking at it as an opportunity to get more carries.
“Lupe was very productive, but now we can spread the wealth a bit more.”
Perez was a slot back for La Villa last season. Now he’s calling the shots. Like Salinas, he’s not occupying his thoughts with the loss of talent or playing the ‘what if’ game.
“Lupe and Robert are some big shoes to fill, and we’ve just got to do it,” Perez said. “This has been a learning process and the offense is coming along. We know the offense, we know the schemes, we know the cadence. We feed off each other’s energy and we’re building that chemistry.”
The Cardinals will be multiple offensively, with variations of the spread and Salinas’ precious slot-T incorporated, and though they lost their two best ballcarriers from last season, they still plan to run the ball, run it a lot and run it well.
“It’s an adjustment,” admitted lineman Michael De La Fuente. “Our backfield is new. The blocking schemes are new. But, still, our running game and our offensive line is our strengths. We’re going to keep running the ball and keep scoring those points.”
Sophomore Ramiro Cantu remains in the backfield and figures to play a lead role, and Isaac Silva and Arnold Salazar add depth. Along with Perez, that’s four strong runners Salinas has to tote the ball.
The veteran coach knows that. The players have embraced it.
“I was here every day in the weight room, showing up and getting everyone to come,” Cantu said. “We’re going to need everybody to put in work this year. More and more people have been showing up, and everyone’s giving effort.”
Serna and Moron are two big losses, sure, but the way the Cardinals see it, there is more to gain.
NICE SURPRISES
One of the surprises of camp so far has been junior center Joey Espericueta.
“I’m hoping if he stays healthy, he can be a big part of our offense,” Salinas said. “We’re going to have a good mix of youth and seniors on that (offensive) line, and we’re going to be relying upon Joey to be a big cog.”
Another promising talent is guard Matthew Felix, who is stronger than his brother Armando, who played last year, and runs a 5-flat 40-yard dash.
“The linemen are the strongest part of us,” Perez said.
REBRANDING THE ‘D’
The Cardinals return just four starters to a defense that surrendered 15 points per game last season. It’s the one area that is a legitimate concern.
“We lost a lot on defense and we have to keep working,” De La Fuente said. “Right now, that’s not a strong point for us. We have to address our defensive line and the corners. If we can do that, we’ll be OK.”
A new defensive coordinator is in place in Alex Richards, who hails from Corpus Christi, and though La Villa will be inexperienced on that side of the ball, the plan is still to attack, attack, attack.
“We want to give the defense time (to gel),” Salinas said. “One of the things Coach Richards emphasizes is communication. We’re not going to sit back; we’re going to come after you. A scheme like that takes time, and I think the coaching staff is patient enough to see that through.
“These kids have a lot of pride. We’ve done a good job finding guys who play with passion and find the football.”
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
The Cardinals still made the area playoffs last season despite a new coach in Salinas and an entirely new foundation, going from the spread to a slot-T.
“I wouldn’t say we were surprised,” Cantu said. “We were confident going in. We had a good season two years ago, a lot of guys coming back, and I knew we’d have a shot at being just as good.”
Cantu’s sentiments are common around La Villa practices this season. Expectations have not wavered.
“I feel we can make a deeper run in the playoffs this year,” De La Fuente said.
dsilva@themonitor.com
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PROGNOSIS
This is coach Joe Salinas’ fourth year at La Villa. He has never won fewer than seven games in a season at the helm of the Cardinals. He knows how to win, and La Villa has plenty in the tank to threaten for a third round playoff berth.
2014 Record: 8-4
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TENURE
Coach: Joe Salinas
Years at school: 4 (2006, 2007, 2013, 2014)
Record at school: 26-9-0