By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
With only two returning starters back, Sharyland High has had to revamp its offense a bit. Whether it’s familiar talent stepping into new roles or JV players moving up, the Rattlers are moving along with relatively new pieces.
Before beating Brownsville Rivera last week, Sharyland (1-2) had lost a competitive game to McAllen Memorial before losing handily to Laredo United.
Through it all, senior Manny Campos has impressed, playing slot receiver, running back and quarterback. Last week, he had 61 yards rushing on five carries and hauled in 83 receiving yards on five catches. He also completed three of four passes for 20 yards as the Rattlers won 30-0.
“He’s been a bright spot,” Sharyland coach Ron Adame said. “He runs good routes. Great blocker. Sometimes kids do magic when they have the ball in their hands, but they’re not the complete player because of their (lack of) blocking abilities. But he’s one of those players that blocks.
“When you watch film, you get the sense that he has it. He’s comfortable running and receiving, kind of what Loredo Guerra was for us last year. He’s certainly filled a huge role for us, and he continues to fill it.”
IMPROVING ‘D’
Even while posting the stingiest defense in district last year, Mission Veterans Memorial coach David Gilpin wanted to see improvement in tackling.
The Patriots have shown signs of that growth, particularly last week during a 52-14 win over La Joya Juarez-Lincoln.
Juan Barradas recorded 11 tackles (one for a loss) and Kevin Liebano had eight tackles and one fumble recovery. Matthew Guerrero posted five tackles, one caused fumble, two broken up passes and one interception returned for a touchdown, while Colton Kaufman had five tackles (three for a loss) and one quarterback sack.
What’s more, Mission Veterans has allowed only offensive touchdown to a Valley team heading into Week 4.
“We feel good about what we’re doing defensively,” Gilpin said. “We’re pleased with the tackling. It’s something we feel we had to improve in the offseason, and we’ve done so.
“All throughout the offseason, we tried to get faster defensively, and so far, so good.”
Other than a 63-7 loss to Odessa Permian, Mission Veterans has given up a safety to Mission High during a 23-2 win in Week 1, and an interception that was returned for a TD against Juarez-Lincoln, which later scored against the Patriots’ backups.
MIXING IT UP
Senior standout Joe Garza has played almost exclusively at middle linebacker since joining Sharyland Pioneer last year. But coach Jason Wheeler is considering using him as a running back, for stretches, depending on the matchup.
Against Corpus Christi Ray, Garza picked up 48 yards on six carries during the opening quarter to ignite a 16-13 win over Corpus Christi Ray.
“He gave us a little spark there,” said Wheeler, whose team improved to 3-0. “For him to be willing to do that, it shows you he’s a team player.
“He’s big and strong enough, and he runs through arm tackles. We don’t have a big running back that can do that. Any spread team needs that.”