GREG LUCA AND MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITERS
Junior Gunnar Henderson is returning to McAllen High after transferring to Brownsville St. Joseph Academy during the offseason, McHi coach Kevin Brewer confirmed Tuesday.
Henderson was projected as the Bulldogs’ starting running back this year before he decided to transfer to St. Joseph in June. He will be ineligible for varsity play for 15 days after enrolling at McAllen High on Monday, which puts him on track to make his first appearance in the team’s District 30-6A opener against La Joya High on Sept. 30.
“Gunnar is just going to add to what we’ve already been doing,” Brewer said. “He’s going to be a good addition to the players that we already have. We’re excited to have him back.”
Henderson played mostly defensive back for McAllen High last season as a sophomore. Through three games this year with the Bloodhounds, Henderson made 12 catches for 120 yards and a touchdown while running three times for 21 yards.
Lauded by Brewer for his speed, quickness and athleticism, Henderson is expected to contribute both as a back and receiver once he readjusts to the Bulldogs’ offense, which Brewer said is significantly different from the Bloodhounds’.
“We’re going to play to Gunnar’s strengths,” Brewer said. “Gunnar is a tremendous athlete. We’re going to try to get the ball to him in space and let him create some things and take advantage of that with his athleticism. We might use him in a variety of ways.”
Henderson said through Twitter that the motivation for the move was to be closer to his family.
NEW ROLE
Joseph Moreno transferred from McAllen Rowe to La Joya High this offseason as a major receiving threat, having racked up 95 catches for 1,367 yards and 13 touchdowns in his two varsity seasons with the Warriors.
Now, the senior is becoming a weapon in the backfield, too.
Wanting to get the ball to Moreno as often as possible, Coyotes coach Reuben Farias is utilizing him at running back. In last week’s win against La Joya High, Moreno carried 12 times for 58 yards and a touchdown. His effort complemented starter Ray Alaniz, who carried 18 times for 80 yards.
“They’re both not very big kids. They’re both quick, tough runners,” Farias said. “But we didn’t want to have Ray carry the ball 40 times, or Joseph carry the ball 40 times. We don’t want to hurt them. They’re two of our better athletes, so we want to try to utilize them as much as we can.”
When not in the backfield, Moreno will still line up out wide or in the slot. He was the only Coyote to catch a pass in last week’s 16-0 win against Donna, hauling in 3 for 32 yards. Moreno is La Joya’s leader with 8 catches for 69 yards on the year.
Farias said Moreno had no trouble adjusting to the new role, and that the coaches had been thinking about using him that way since the preseason scrimmage.
“He’s a pretty bright young man,” Farias said. “He picked it up pretty good, pretty quick. What we try to do is very basic, simple stuff for him.”
NEW QB
When Mission High freshman Damian Gomez was thrust into the quarterback job two weeks ago against Mission Veterans after starter Rudy Treviño went down to injury, he didn’t show any signs of nerves or jitters, completing 6 of 12 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Coming back for last week’s game against Brownsville Hanna with a full week of starter’s reps, Gomez completed 5 of 10 passes for 87 yards and a score, helping Mission to its first win of the season, 42-21.
“One of the big attributes he has as a quarterback is he’s got good composure,” Mission High coach Koy Detmer said. “He takes charge of the huddle, and he’s confident in his abilities.”
Detmer praised Gomez for how well he moves around the pocket, makes the proper reads in the passing game and throws catchable balls.
He did that all as freshman taking over for an established starter in Treviño, who was the primary quarterback in Week 1. Detmer said Gomez has been able to keep the offense running smoothly and with the same style of play.
“With a young player, obviously, each week, they’re going to build on that experience,” Detmer said. “Hopefully, you keep taking big strides forward, because that’s just one more week of practice and game experience that you get.”
Treviño is nursing a shoulder injury, and Detmer said he is hopeful the team will have him back in practice as early as next week.
Either way, the Eagles appear likely to lean on a strong running game. Returning back Robert Martinez leads the team with 347 yards on 42 carries with 2 touchdowns. Steven De Leon, an all-state honorable mention at linebacker last season, has also shined in the backfield, carrying 35 times for 334 yards and 6 scores. Detmer has been resting De Leon some on offense and some on defense to try to keep him fresh.
“He’s doing an excellent job for us on both sides of the ball,” Detmer said. “Hopefully we stay healthy and keep the rotation so when he’s out there, he can be himself. When he’s full speed, he is an outstanding ballplayer.”
BOUNCING BACK
Through only three weeks, PSJA Southwest has already won nearly as many games as it did all of last year.
Coming off a 3-7 season in 2015, coach Jesus Reyes said he was determined to have several players help carry the offensive load, and it has shown early on as the Javelinas enter a bye with a 2-1 record before opening district.
The Javelinas, who generally have been a run-heavy team, opened up the passing game last week with 175 yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Jose Salinas, who connected with five different receivers. In his first two games, he totaled just 79 passing yards.
Contrary to last year, too, Southwest has divided its workload on the ground. Reyes’ hope heading into the season was that no one player would have to carry the ball more than 20 times per game.
“Last year we had certain kids that we depended on,” Reyes said. “But this year it isn’t so much about one guy that we’re going to hand the ball to. We have a broader base and more senior leadership, so we’re going to get other guys involved.”
So far, Justin Corona has rushed for 403 yards and eight TDs. Andrew Becerra has totaled 343 yards and two scores. And Luis Flores has 101 yards and one TD.