BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
HIDALGO — Valley View junior Simon Fernandez’s football voyage began in Pasadena, about 14 miles outside of Houston.
“When I started playing, I was 11 years old, and I didn’t really know anything about the sport,” Fernandez said. “I actually started as a tight end and linebacker in a kind of peewee thing. So in Pasadena, we played against Houston teams — and maybe a little bit against San Antonio teams — but mainly against teams around our area.”
The grind got to Fernandez, causing him to step away from the game as a middle schooler at Pasadena ISD’s Miller Intermediate.
“I stopped after a year, because I didn’t think I was good enough, and I was boxing,” Fernandez said. “But then I got tired of boxing, and I wanted to get back to football. So I started football again in the seventh grade. I started at running back and linebacker and haven’t stopped playing since.”
After finishing the eighth grade, he moved down to the Valley when his dad got a job in the area. Fernandez entered the ninth grade at Valley View having to learn yet another position: quarterback.
“All you have to do at the tight end position is worry about whether you block or catch passes,” Fernandez said. “The quarterback has to worry about everything else. You have to think about the linebackers, the D-line, how deep the cornerbacks and safeties are. You have to read the coverage before you do anything. I would say I work well in the option and passing, mostly. Getting the ball out quick is pretty much the main thing that I’m good at.”
Second-year coach Eli Esquivel is excited for what Fernandez can do to help turn around the program.
“Simon was our JV quarterback last year,” Esquivel said. “He’s had a good offseason. He’s a good leader, and we’re glad we’ll have him for two years.”
Fernandez quarterbacked the Tigers’ JV squad to a 7-3 record in 2016, but he has taken his offseason workouts to another level in advance of his first varsity season.
“We’ve had strength and conditioning throughout the summer, so what I would do is those and then work on drills out on the field,” Fernandez said. “I worked on my footwork, worked on my passing. I would have trashcans laying out everywhere, trying to dump (passes) down into the trashcans. Just putting in that extra work pretty much every day, seven days a week. It’s all I’ve been doing. I’ve never had a break.”
He prefers it this way.
“It’s my passion,” Fernandez said. “This sport is really a big part of my life, so I never get tired.”
BUILDING A CONNECTION
Fernandez has meshed with Valley View’s core of young receivers, including senior wideout Alfredo Ruiz.
“I have better communication with our quarterback this year than last year,” Ruiz said. “Simon and I worked with each other during the 7-on-7 season, which helped develop our communication even more.”
Ruiz returns to the Tigers after posting eight catches for 74 yards in limited action on the varsity team as a junior in 2016. He is expected to be one of Valley View’s top receivers this season.
“I’ve improved a lot,” Ruiz said. “Last year, I began as a second-string wide receiver, but halfway through the season, I became a starter, but we’ve all improved from last year.”
The Tigers went 2-8 last season in the rugged District 31-5A. Ruiz senses a change coming for Valley View.
“I know we can switch the program around,” Ruiz said. “It’s time. It’s going to happen.”
MULTI-DIMENSIONAL TALENT
Senior Jesus Acosta saw plenty of playing time in his first year as a varsity starter last season. He tripled as a running back, kickoff returner and kicker.
“Coach (Esquivel) playing me at different positions gives me a lot of confidence,” Acosta said. “It makes me believe that they believe in me in everything I do, whether it’s running or kicking.”
Acosta is the Tigers’ top returning rusher (414 yards, two touchdowns) and kick return specialist (two kickoff returns).
“Jesus is very valuable for us,” Esquivel said. “He’ll be our starting running back, so we’ll keep him there and not have him on defense. Not only Jesus, but we’ll have two or three guys going both ways. If one of them is getting tired, we’ll rest them. We’re not going to wear anybody out.”
As a kicker, Acosta went 12-for-12 on PATs while going 4-for-5 on field goal tries, with his longest successful kick coming in at 38 yards.
“As far as in high school, if you can kick it 35 or 40 yards, that’s good enough to be a pretty good kicker,” Esquivel said. “He’s very consistent now at 40. We’ll take it.”
Acosta wants to take his kicking ability a bit further.
“Right now in practice, I can kick it 50 yards,” Acosta said. “I’m working on trying to kick further than 50, too.”
VALLEY VIEW’S PROGNOSIS
The Tigers made strides in 2016 by winning two games for the first time since 2013. Their offense should shoulder most of the load for a program working toward improving on an eighth-place finish a season ago.
2016 record: 2-8
Returning starters O/D: 4/5
COACH’S TENURE
Coach: Eli Esquivel
Year at school: 2nd
Record: 2-8