BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
When Obed Fernandez found out that coach Tommy Garcia was planning to make him the quarterback of La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, one concern quickly jumped to mind.
“He came up to me and said, ‘Coach, if I become the quarterback, I’m still going to run the ball, right?’” Garcia recalls. “And I said, ‘Yeah, your opportunity to run is going to be even more.’”
Entering last season as the Huskies’ primary running back, Fernandez didn’t get to carry the load he expected. After rushing 47 times for 92 yards during Juarez-Lincoln’s first three games, Fernandez suffered a hairline fracture in his collarbone and did not play again until the Huskies’ season finale.
His absence was part of a slew of injuries for Juarez-Lincoln, a big reason the team finished last season winless at 0-10. At one point, the Huskies had 16 players sidelined due to injury.
“I’ve been doing this 25 years,” Garcia said. “I had never experienced this. You know that injuries are going to occur, but the injury bug hit us big time.”
With Fernandez out of the lineup, Juarez-Lincoln took on a pass-first style. The approach yielded very few positives, as the Huskies ranked last in district with 175.8 yards per game on offense.
With the unit unable to stay on the field, the defense also struggled, allowing a district-worst 371.1 yards per game. Garcia said he could tell the players who moved up to replace injured starters were “glossy eyed.”
“The way we see it is the next man up has to produce,” Garcia said. “Unfortunately, some of these guys were not ready last year. At the same time, we got some very valuable experience that hopefully will pay off next year. “
Even at a new position, Fernandez expects to benefit from last year’s experience seeing the speed of the varsity game. He played quarterback as a freshman and sophomore, and frequently practiced at the position as a junior last year. But this will be his first time playing quarterback at the varsity level.
“It’s a little bit hard, but I’m getting there,” Fernandez said. “I’m working hard and improving in my skills and everything. … It’s just improving at being quarterback. I like a challenge.”
Garcia said Fernandez is “taking control of the huddle on offense.” His biggest test, as is the case with most quarterbacks, will be reading defenses. So far, so good.
“He’s doing well as far as picking up the different coverages, the different defenses, the different alignments,” Garcia said. “And as far as running the ball, we know he can do that.”
THE DEFENSE
The Huskies return a pair of pieces on the defensive line in Christian Ozuna and Abram Aguilar, though Aguilar will be out until at least the district season after suffering a torn ACL.
The strength of the defensive unit, Garcia said, should be the secondary, highlighted by cornerbacks Andrew Rodriguez and Robert Gonzalez. Both bring size and speed to the position.
“We’re pretty strong in the DBs section,” Rodriguez said.
THE NEW CLASS
Fernandez and Rodriguez both spoke highly of the current freshman class and what many of them might be able to contribute on varsity next year.
With only eight total starters returning to a struggling team, many positions figure to be up for grabs. Garcia said next year’s sophomores, a group that numbers 35 players, could earn time because of their size and speed.
“That’s one thing we’ve never had here coming up,” Garcia said. “Some of them are going to have to grow up real quick, because we’re going to need them to play on Friday nights.”
La Joya Juarez-Lincoln
Returning Starters (offense/defense): 4/4
Returning Lettermen: 16
Key Players: QB Obed Fernandez, WR Carlos Serna, RB Freddy Martinez, CB Robert Gonzalez, CB Andrew Rodriguez
Biggest question mark: Will a strong sophomore class be enough to turn the team’s fortunes?
2014 record: 0-10