SAN JUAN — PSJA High second-year coach Steve Marroquin said it during spring ball and he reiterated it again earlier this week.
The area the Bears have seen the most progress this offseason is offense.
“Spring ball helped us out a lot and the kids did their part in the summer with 7-on-7,” Marroquin said. “They’ve been doing the things they’ve needed to get better.
“I like our continuity and I like our tempo. For me, it’s always been about those two things. Those things translate well to winning.”
PSJA High rebounded from a 1-9 2012 season to go 6-4 last season, falling 10 minutes short of its first playoff berth since 2010. Defense was responsible for the turnaround.
The defense will again be strong this season, with six returning starters, but the offense figures to finally be on par.
“The offense is starting to move the ball more,” senior receiver/defensive back Bobby Guajardo said. “Last year, the defense is what got us wins and almost got us to the playoffs, but now the offense is starting to come along. It’s more of a balanced game for us.”
After being forced to start the last three games of last season because of injury, junior Andrew Castaneda will have his first full season as starting quarterback. Coaches and teammates rave about his maturity.
“He’s been doing better,” senior receiver Nathan Sifuentes said. “He’s more vocal. Last year he was more quiet, but he’s loud now. He’s a leader.”
Castaneda will have help. Andrew De La Cerda takes over as the No. 1 running back, but Marroquin plans to have multiple ballcarriers, including star linebacker Christian Sanchez, Erik Castillo and promising sophomore Mark Castillo.
The offensive line returns just one starter, but the offense consists of mostly seniors. It begins with De La Cerda.
“He knows what it’s like to be a running back at PSJA High,” Marroquin said. “It’s like ‘Running Back U’ over here. The kids that grow up here in San Juan know that in order to win games, we need to run the football.”
Marroquin exhausted four quarterbacks last season because of injuries. The result was a shaky offense that never got comfortable. With Castaneda in charge, the hope is that is cured sooner than later, particularly considering the Bears won’t be sneaking up on anyone this season.
“Teams aren’t going to be taking us lightly anymore,” De La Cerda said. “We’ve turned things around and we know people are going to be expecting more from us. We’re ready for it.”
NEW IN CHARGE
Veteran coach and Bears defensive coordinator Elifonso Esquivel abruptly retired about a month ago. Since then, Eddie Torres and Crespin Gonzalez, veteran coaches familiar with Marroquin, have been named co-defensive coordinators.
The new duo has brought in different looks to a potent 3-4 defense that has graduated into much more.
“It’s not just the same thing anymore,” De La Cerda said. “Now it’s different schemes, a lot of different coverages. It’s good for us as an offense, because it makes practices tougher.”
Marroquin said the most important things Torres and Gonzalez have installed are passion and energy.
“We welcomed them with wide open arms,” Guajardo said. “We went right back to work. They’re adjusting to us, we’re adjusting to them and it’s a process. But we’re getting better every day.”
TRENCHES
The Bears return just two starters each on the offensive and defensive lines. But Marroquin is insistent that that’s where they will win games this season.
“You can’t replace experience, but you can replace it with some young, hungry guys, and that’s what we have,” Marroquin said. “The game is won in the trenches.”
The talent is there. Offensively, the Bears boast 6-foot-2, 255-pound tackle Andres Martinez and up-and-comers Abraham Noyola, Jose Galaviz and Bernie Cortez. Defensively, PSJA High is anchored by the 6-1, 205-pound Sanchez at linebacker and 6-3, 260-pound defensive end Thomas Quiroz.
MOTIVATION
Last year’s season-ending 11-point defeat to McAllen Memorial has been fueling the Bears all offseason.
PSJA High was a little more than 10 minutes away from beating the Mustangs and advancing to the postseason. But Memorial rallied and eventually prevailed, earning the playoff trip instead.
“Whatever we did last year wasn’t good enough,” Marroquin said. “It didn’t get us where we wanted to be. It was a heck of a ride, but we fell short. We still have unfinished business.”
That game has stayed etched into the minds of every Bears player.
“We learned to never quit,” junior lineman Rollie Garza said. “I think we thought we had it, and we just let it slip away. We’ve got to finish games stronger, better, and never let up.”
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PROGNOSIS
The Bears will be a factor in District 32-5A and could compete for a district title. In a league full of physical teams, PSJA High is arguably the toughest and strongest of the bunch.
2014 Record: 8-4
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TENURE
Coach: Steve Marroquin
Years at school: 2
Record at school: 6-4