GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — When Michael Salinas looked at Weslaco, he saw a two-school town that maintained a small-town feel. He admired the school district’s commitment to athletics and proven success across every sport. For Salinas, the chance to try to keep that going on the gridiron seemed like a fresh, new challenge.
Those factors, Salinas said, are the reasons he chose to leave his position as the head coach at Edinburg Vela, where he went 31-5 during the past three seasons, to take the same position at Weslaco High.
“Professionally, for myself, it was a better opportunity here,” Salinas said. “And again, looking at it, a two-school town with a ton of support, and they’ve been extremely successful in athletics.”
Salinas was officially approved for the position in March, filing the void left when Tony Villarreal was reassigned in January following 12 seasons that helped him become one of the top 100 winningest coaches in Texas high school football history.
This month, Salinas is running his new group through spring practice, working to install fresh systems on offense and defense.
“There’s going to be a learning curve, but because of their attitude and effort, they’ve sort of sped that up,” Salinas said. “So we’re happy with where we are in the progression.”
The transition on offense is especially steep. During the past three seasons, Weslaco High picked up 87.3 percent of its yardage on the ground in a slot-T attack, with 8,835 rushing yards against 1,289 passing yards.
Salinas is aiming to install a multiple offense very similar to what he ran at Vela, which typically used only one running back. During the past three seasons, Vela gained 58.4 percent of its offense on the ground, with 7,474 rushing yards against 5,325 passing yards.
“It’s completely different,” Weslaco running back Michael Martin said. “It’s no huddle. We don’t even go under center. We have one running back compared to three (last year). All the running plays are for one running back, so it’s not split. It’s really good. Our receivers are getting after it, our running backs are getting after it, and our quarterback and our line are doing really good.”
The defensive adjustment is not as drastic, Salinas said. The base formation will be similar to what the Panthers have done in the past, only with more pressure and blitzing. The biggest adjustment, Salinas said, will be to initial alignments.
“There’s a lot to learn,” safety Roy Trevino said. “The transition is tough. It’s going to be hard to get it right. We’re not at our best yet, but once we’re at our peak, it’s going to be good.”
Salinas said the process of making such a sweeping change starts with classroom-style learning, both on the whiteboard and through video review. The Panthers then try to implement the techniques on the field before looking over handouts and “improvement sheets” at the end of the day.
From the start, Salinas stressed that Day 12 would look a lot better than Day 1. He said his players have shown faith in that process. “The first day was kind of rough, and as the days progressed, it got better,” Martin said. “I think it’s really clicking well, and we’re all excited to see for next season.”
FAMILIAR FACES
Salinas brought four assistant coaches he worked with at Vela to join the staff at Weslaco High. That group includes defensive coordinator Haskel Buff and offensive coordinator Patrick Shelby, though Salinas will be the one calling the plays on offense, he said.
NEW RESPONSIBILITIES
With passing becoming a much bigger part of the Panthers offense, Salinas has been working to develop Weslaco’s receivers into better route runners. So far, current freshman Peyton Kanob has been one of the standouts because of his sure hands and ability to pick up the system mentally, Salinas said.
Kanob was a running back and free safety on the freshman team last year but sees himself finding a role on the outside at the varsity level.
“I feel like I’m going to fit in more at the wide receiver position,” Kanob said. “I feel like we’re going to be really good this year, and everyone is just going to fill in their role.”
NO PRESSURE
When Salinas took his first head-coaching job at Vela in 2012, he was entering a program with no previous football history.
At Weslaco, he takes over a program that had advanced to the playoffs in 10 of the past 11 seasons prior to last year’s 5-5 campaign in a daunting District 32-6A.
“I think pressure is something you feel if you’re not prepared,” Salinas said. “So we’re going to prepare like crazy and hopefully, we’re able to respond to the challenge ahead of us.”
WESLACO HIGH
Returning starters (O/D): 2/5
Returning lettermen: 18
Key Players: RB Michael Martin, OL Richard Carmona, S Roy Trevino, LB Marco Noriega, DT Seth Sanchez, WR Peyton Kanob
Coach: Michael Salinas, 1st year at school
2016 Record: 5-5