By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s offense was expected to be a balanced system this season.
The Chargers have certainly found a balance, but it’s come via a potent run game fueled by a pair of very dangerous — and completely opposite — weapons.
The emergence of junior quarterback Gustavo Vasquez — a smashmouth, in-your-face-style runner, and junior Abel Martinez — a quick and shifty running back — has created an engine that has driven a strong Brownsville Veterans’ rushing game this fall.
It’s been a surprising and welcomed development for the Chargers, as both players were expected to see more snaps on defense before the season began, but behind a senior-laden offensive line, Vasquez and Martinez have helped change the path of the offense and lead the team to eight wins and a postseason berth.
Brownsville Veterans had one of the best offensive units in District 32-5A this season. They finished second in the district with an average of 340 yards and 29 points per game. In fact, the Chargers were the best rushing team in 32-5A, as they averaged nearly 252 yards.
The emergence of the rushing game has been a big reason for Brownsville Veterans’ eight victories. After a shift in personnel — which included the moves of Vasquez and Martinez to prominent offensive roles — the Chargers found a rhythm, and the Brownsville Veterans’ offense has been hard to stop ever since.
“As Gustavo was able to prove he could pass the ball efficiently, that made him a good option,” Brownsville Veterans coach David Cantu said. “With Abel coming in, it took a lot of pressure off him as a runner. They take pressure off each other. They were both very dangerous.”
The two athletes have certainly been effective every time they’ve touched the ball. Vasquez finished the regular season with 167 carries for 1,216 yards (7.3 yards per carry) and 17 touchdowns on the ground. He also passed for 504 yards and three touchdowns to go with seven receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown.
Martinez did most of his work out of the backfield, with 93 carries for 983 yards (10.6 average) and 13 touchdowns. He also had a touchdown reception and a kick return for another score.
“It’s been great (with Gustavo),” Martinez said. “We help each other, we block for each other. It’s a good feeling to have the opportunity. But I couldn’t do it without the line in front of me.”
Vasquez was happy to have Martinez as his backfield sidekick. Defenses have had to choose which one to focus on and in many cases, the other has been left free to make a difference in the game.
“Abel is a great player and is super fast,” Vasquez added. “It’s great having different stars on a team making plays.”
Recently, Cantu handed the play-calling duties to Brownsville Veterans offensive coordinator Sam Montalvo. He has moved up to the coaches box and now makes the calls from a higher vantage point. The two coaches, however, aren’t much different in their offensive philosophy, so the transition has been seamless and the game plan has remained effective.
Since the Chargers’ ground game is working, there’s no reason to deviate from what got them to the postseason.
“We’d like to throw the ball a little bit more, but our running game has been pretty good,” Montalvo said. “If something’s working, we’re going to stay with it. If someone takes away the run, we’re fully confident if we have to throw every play we can do that too.”
The offense isn’t a polar opposite from where it started, but its evolution over the season is what pushed it to get better, and now the system runs like a well-oiled machine.
Cantu credited his staff for their dedication as one of the reasons the Chargers earned a share of the district title.
“It took time to get where we’re at, but the biggest reason is our coaching staff,” he said. “With those coaches and those kids, I knew we’d get where we needed to be, but we had a lot of inexperience in the beginning. We aren’t very balanced, but we have the threat to do it and do it well when we need to.”
The Brownsville Veterans’ offense is full of confidence as it enters the playoffs.
“We have a chance to go pretty far,” Vasquez said. “Everyone’s on that train and we’re rolling right now.”
Brownsville Veterans plays host to Mission Veterans Memorial in a Class 5A bi-district playoff game at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Sams Memorial Stadium.
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter, he’s @andrewmcrum.