DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
MERCEDES — Though Mercedes’ football players admit their run to the state 7-on-7 tournament — which, for them, begins 2 p.m. Friday against Tomball Memorial in College Station — isn’t the end-all, be-all for their promise as a football team, they acknowledge it is a significant step in the right direction.
Mercedes has been a buzzsaw during the summer season, winning 49 of 52 games in qualifying for its fifth state 7-on-7 tournament.
“Playing 50-something games is a lot of games, a crazy amount,” said incoming junior linebacker Roger Adame III, a 2015 all-state honoree. “But all of our work in strength and conditioning put us in good shape to handle that. And these games are experience, as far as knowing routes, and timing and coverages. We get more and more reps.”
This fall, the Tigers have goals of a second district championship in three years and a deep playoff run. Eight sophomores saw fulltime starting roles last season, and four more sophomores started at one point or another.
“We’re a brotherhood here,” incoming junior quarterback Zach Gomez said. “We took it to heart when we lost to Sharyland (a 10-point bi-district playoff defeat), when we were doubted almost every single game last year. We take it personal.”
If anything has been said or written about Mercedes football, odds are these Tigers are aware of it. Hanging all over the fieldhouse are sheets of paper with Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine’s District 32-5A preseason rankings, which have Mercedes second behind projected district champ Edcouch-Elsa.
“We pay attention to stuff like that,” Adame said. “We beat Edcouch the last two years and they’re ranked first? But I know that’s the way it goes sometimes. We just try and keep that workmanlike mentality and come out and do our jobs.”
Since their loss to the Rattlers last season, the Tigers have either been in the weight room or on the track. The work has paid off on the field.
Offensively, receivers are running tighter routes and dropped balls are a rarity. Gomez, who has participated in six football camps this summer and is planning an unofficial visit to Texas A&M, has put on weight and added more zip to his passes. Defensively, the Tigers are quicker to the ball and in adjusting to schemes.
“There’s a maturity to this team that’s impressive,” 7-on-7 coach Randy Smith said. “You ask them, ‘When did you all start getting ready for this season?’ And they’ll tell you it was right as soon as last season ended. They’ve been at this for months.
“This state tournament is a culmination of all of that work. It didn’t just start this summer.”
While the Tigers are physically stronger, the bigger difference may be in the chemistry.
Players say there was too much arguing between one another last season. There were cliques around this time last year, with incoming freshmen and sophomores hanging together and incoming seniors hanging out on their own.
Now, Adame said, players will call each other just to check in. The offense encourages the defense. The defense encourages the offense.
“There were too many people putting their heads down after bad plays last year,” incoming junior defensive back Ivan Vela said. “Too many people arguing with each other. This summer, we’re clicking. We talk things through. We pick each other up.”
The Tigers have bonded together in a joint mission to quiet the doubters.
Mercedes is annually one of the toughest defenses in the Valley. The offense is blossoming into a powerhouse. A 2014 district championship banner hangs on the fence surrounding the 10-month old stadium on campus, and this is essentially the same returning group of players that went 6-1 in district last season, falling a loss-against-Donna shy of winning a second straight league title.
And, yet, there is still a feeling around the team that Mercedes is at least overlooked, if not outright disrespected.
“This 7-on-7 season is just a small preview of what’s to come,” Gomez said. “We’re a hungry team, hungry to prove everyone wrong.”
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MERCEDES TIGERS
State 7-on-7 Appearances: 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016
Pool H
Friday schedule
2 p.m.: vs. Tomball Memorial
4 p.m.: vs. Alamo Heights
6 p.m.: vs. DeSoto
Top two teams in each pool advance to championship bracket and play Saturday.