BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
PROGRESO — Wins are hard to come by for Progreso football. The Red Ants have relished the joy of victory just nine times since 2010.
So the team was understandably elated when it disposed of Hebbronville 40-13 on Friday for its first win of the season.
“There was a lot of excitement,” senior Joey San Roman said. “Guys were really happy about it.”
San Roman was the most instrumental part of the Red Ants’ win. He completed 7-of-12 passing attempts for 234 yards and 4 touchdowns, including a 73-yard score to receiver Cristian Chavez. San Roman was also productive with his feet, rushing nine times for 48 yards and a touchdown. With so many things going the quarterback’s way, certainly he partook in his team’s post-win afterglow. Right?
“Nah, not really,” San Roman said. “I just went to dinner with my parents and that was about it. I really don’t go out and do the whole party thing.”
To each their own. But that’s not to say San Roman doesn’t have a trademark. Recently, it’s been playing multiple positions for a Progreso team desperate for production at almost every position. Though the Red Ants (1-2) have played only three games, the 18-year-old has lined up as a receiver, linebacker and strong safety, in addition to his duties under center.
“Wherever you need him, he’s going to be there,” coach Tom Salazar said. “He’s such a gifted athlete. There’s so many things he can do that help us get to where we want to be.”
San Roman isn’t alone in pulling double duty. With a paltry 35 players on the varsity roster, Progreso counts on a small few to do a great deal. But Roman wasn’t supposed to play quarterback. That job belonged to Gaspar Trevino until a separated shoulder caused him to exit the Hebbronville game during the first quarter. With Trevino out, San Roman heard his number called.
“He was a sparkplug,” Salazar said. “He stepped in and made things click quick. He started making the reads, throwing accurate passes, running the ball himself. He’s a skilled player. He picked it up. It just made us a completely different team.”
That was the goal coming into 2015. Last season, the Red Ants tried to ground-and-pound their way to points to no avail. Through 10 games, Progreso combined to score 74 points and just one win (a 7-0 shutout against Brownsville Porter in Week 1). This year, Salazar has implemented the spread offense. In his team’s first three outings, it has scored 79 points and been competitive in each of its games.
“We’ve simplified things,” Salazar said. “And we’ve tailored our offense to the type of kids we have. We’ve got a lot of speed, so we do our best to use it when we can.”
And San Roman’s two-dimensional skill set fits the bill. So much so, that according to Salazar, San Roman will remain the starting QB for the remainder of the season. So vital has he become to the Red Ants, San Roman no longer plays both sides of the ball. He’s far too valuable to risk injury any more than he has to.
“I wish I could still play defense,” San Roman said. “I want to do whatever I can to be out there and help the team.”
Such a selfless quote is endearing, but it resonates more when spoken by a player who quit the team at the beginning of last season. A multi-sport athlete, San Roman ditched football in order to pursue baseball full time, much to the chagrin of Salazar.
“Football is a year-round sport,” Salazar said. “It’s made up of so many small things that you constantly have to work on in order to get better. But that was his choice. What could I do?”
But San Roman, like any well-indoctrinated Texan, was drawn back to the gridiron. He’s played football since he was 7 and enjoys the rush of throwing his body around in the same way he enjoys a good fastball. He quickly recanted during a meeting on the practice field during athletic period. But he didn’t do it for himself or his coach. It was for his teammates.
“I had to talk in front of the whole team,” San Roman said. “I told them how sorry I was, and that I was never going to give up on them. They’re my brothers.”