By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
At this point last year, Mission High and Mission Veterans Memorial took two dramatically different turns after facing one another.
The Eagles lost the game, 14-7, along with their starting quarterback, marking a downward spiral to a 2-8 campaign. The Patriots, on the other hand, posted their first of eight victories en route to a second-round playoff appearance.
So while that final tally might have had little bearing on their eventual outcomes, Mission High coach Mario Peña believes there’s plenty of other variables that could be instilled early to influence their fate.
“The bottom line is, as far as football is concerned, there’s a lot mentally that goes into it,” Peña said. “How you start the year, and setting your core values, that’s important. We have a banner in our dressing room that says ‘2-8 is unacceptable.’
“So we know that any kind of respect we get, we have to earn, and it starts Friday.”
The 14th installment of the rivalry, set for 7:30 tonight at Tom Landry Stadium, has survived reclassifications and realignments. And with no district implications on the line, both teams intend to use it, in some form or fashion, as a barometer going forward, particularly with their roster changes. The most prevalent one coming at quarterback.
For its part, Mission High will rotate signal callers, while Mission Vets is set with Diego Hernandez, a backup last year, as its starter.
Viewing Mission Veterans as a district-title contender, Peña said any form of success against the Patriots is “definitely a confidence-builder.” And by stringing together wins and therefore building confidence, Peña hopes to establish momentum — the key word circulating the Eagles locker room going into Week 1.
“If you do that, kids will start buying into what you’re doing as a staff,” Peña said. “When you’re not having success, it’s a lot harder to get to the kids to show up to practices and things like that. So, overall, it’s important to come out with a win. Success breeds success.”
With a winning tradition in place, Gilpin will look for other things from his team, particularly how they acclimate to the speed. They return four starters on each side of the ball, and have a cast of newcomers who hope to fill certain roles. With a revamped backfield and a quarterback to monitor, the focus will center more on their assimilation with one another.
Already, Peña has seen a change in last year with regard to leadership. He said the seniors have flourished in their newfound roles, setting player meetings on top of their team meetings.
“I think the overall attitude is a lot better than it was a year ago, not to put down our kids from last year,” Peña said. “I just feel this group has really come together.”
Peña also wants to see how quickly his players move on the field.
“When you hear commentators on TV analyzing a game, they’re usually talking about playing the game fast, and that has to do with the knowledge of the game, knowing your assignments. That’s what I’m looking for,” Peña said. “You play fast when you know what you’re doing out there.”
Going into his seventh game against Mission High, Gilpin said he wasn’t sure what to make about the timing of the rivalry.
With Mission High in 30-6A and Mission Vets in 31-5A, the non-district matchup is set for the first half of the year. In this case, that means opening the season against their rivals. Gilpin believes there are pros and cons to that.
For one, “you don’t have time to relax,” he said. “It’s, ‘Hey, let’s strap up and let’s get ready to go.’” But by the same token, “I like the suddenness of having an important game” in the opener.
Regardless of the opponent, Gilpin said he’s eager to “jump into the fire.”
“There’s no, ‘Let’s play some small school,’” Gilpin said. “It’s going to be intense and a lot of passion right from the get-go.”
“This is an important game,” he added. “To deny it like it’s any other game, I’m not going to do that. It’s an entire game for our entire program and it’s important for Mission.”