DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
RIO GRANDE CITY — The biggest difference in Fabian Anzaldua this season compared to last was evident Week 3.
Having pulled his hamstring early last week, the junior Grulla quarterback did not tell coach Abel Gonzalez III about it until Wednesday, a day before the Gators played at PSJA Southwest. Anzaldua played the first half, then felt a tweak in his hamstring and sat the third quarter. But with the game in reach, Anzaldua essentially put himself back in.
“He said, ‘Coach, I’m good. I’m ready,’” Gonzalez said. “‘Let me take the fourth (quarter).’”
Gonzalez did, and Anzaldua rewarded the coach, scoring two more touchdowns to bring his game total to four in leading Grulla to the win.
“He’s a leader,” Gonzalez said. “The kids follow him, they believe in him. They know, and we know as coaches, he will put us in a good situation.”
Anzaldua has done that. The Gators fell by 12 to Port Isabel and 7 to Raymondville, two opponents each 2-0 heading into this week, before topping PSJA Southwest. Along the way, however, the Gators may have found their next great signal-caller, following in the footsteps of past program stars Jaime Gonzalez and Rey Peñablanca.
Like them, Anzaldua is a dual-threat, the anchor of Gonzalez’s zone read offense. And like them, he’s a demanding leader, pushing others to practice and work as hard as he does.
“Last year, I just saw our captains who weren’t ready to be captains,” Anzaldua said. “At least, not yet. I didn’t get much from last year and from watching guys.
“But I know how to be a captain. Being a leader is something I’ve had in me since I was a kid.”
Anzaldua has thrown for 288 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 298 yards and five TDs. But his most impressive stat: one turnover (an interception) in 11 quarters of play.
“Fabian is smarter out there,” running back Diego Mata said. “Overall, he’s a better quarterback. He knows exactly what to look for from a defense. He’s making good reads, and he’s running and throwing the ball so well.
“He’s just a humble guy who puts in the work, and it’s showing.”
Anzaldua credits his early success to his offseason. If he wasn’t on the field fine-tuning his footwork, he was in the film room studying teams, particularly players and their tendencies.
He’s learned to key in on the free safety as a sign of what a defense will do. That insight eluded him last season, when he played spot duty as a quarterback but was mostly spending time in the defensive backfield.
“I’m more relaxed, I’m more confident,” Anzaldua said. “I’ve just been working. I think the big thing for me is I’m reading defenses a lot better. I’m more comfortable in a lot of areas, and every little bit counts.”
Abel Gonzalez was a standout quarterback at Rio Grande City before playing at Texas A&M-Kingsville. As expected, he pays more attention to the quarterback position than others.
He puts one of his better athletes, often his best one, under center, and it has to be someone who others follow and is the hardest worker. The quarterback of Gonzalez’s choosing is someone who is as tough on the field as he is off it, not exactly an easy task considering the limited numbers for Class 4A programs like Grulla.
What Gonzalez sees in Anzaldua is what he saw in himself, Jaime Gonzalez and Peñablanca. Someone who can run, pass, manage the huddle and take care of the ball.
“He’s never going to throw the ball up for grabs or make a bad play,” Gonzalez said. “He always makes the right reads and he knows what to take. The one thing that says a lot about him is he has only one turnover, and that’s key. He’s just smart with the football, and he’s only going to get better.”
dsilva@themonitor.,com