By ANDREW CRUM | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
After a 3-7 season last year, Hanna wasn’t given much of a chance outside its own locker room to turn it around this season. But the Golden Eagles showed everyone what they already knew they could do.
Hanna went 7-4 this year, including 5-2 in District 32-6A and earned a postseason berth for the first time since 2009.
The Eagles improvement started with second-year head coach Mark Guess and a pair of new coordinators, JC Ramirez (defense) and Steve Marroquin (offense) as both sides of the ball thrived this season. Two players were crucial to the team’s progress; senior free safety Matthew Garcia and sophomore quarterback Victor Campos.
Garcia had 104 tackles, including 19 for a loss, five sacks, three interceptions — two of those returned for touchdowns — a punt return for a score and a fumble caused and another one recovered for the defense. On offense,
Campos was thrust under center because of early season injuries and threw for 1,158 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for a pair of touchdowns as well.
To honor Hanna for its quick turnaround, Garcia earns The Brownsville Herald’s 2017 All-Metro Defensive Player of the Year, Campos is the All-Metro Newcomer of the Year and Guess is honored with the All-Metro Coach of the Year award.
Garcia always seemed to be the spark on defense to get the Eagles going and a big play was never too far away. The senior safety shined all year, but he helped the unit shine the brightest in two district victories, a 10-7 defensive battle over Los Fresnos, where it shut out the Falcons after halftime and a 32-6 drubbing of Harlingen High on the road, the first win over the Cardinals since 1993.
“This award means a lot,” he said. “For this program it sets a (bar) for the younger kids. This isn’t just for me, it’s for the new Hanna.”
Guess was impressed with how fast Garcia was able to react on the field.
“Matthew picks things up really quick,” the Hanna coach said. “He almost has a sixth sense to know where the ball is going before a play starts. There’s something inside of his brain that reads things faster than most kids I’ve coached.
“He’s one of the top three football players I’ve coached … he just makes plays.”
Campos started the season as the third-string quarterback. Early season injuries to seniors Joe Cavazos III and Justin Martinez put the sophomore and first-year varsity player in the spotlight. Campos had his ups and downs during the season, but two games stood out. He had three passing touchdowns in a thrilling 38-35 win over Weslaco High and the game-winning touchdown pass in the fourth quarter in an intense 10-7 win over Los Fresnos.
“It means a lot to me,” Campos said. “I’ve been doubted a lot … that I wasn’t going to get my chance (this year). (Against Los Fresnos) I wasn’t nervous … I knew I had to step up.”
Guess knew Campos could handle the position physically; he just needed some time to learn. And as the season progressed, so did the sophomore quarterback.
“He had the height and the arm, it was just about learning the system,” Guess said. “He struggled at the beginning of the game (early in the season), but when he came back in and got rid of the butterflies, he was rock solid.”
Guess, who had the interim tag removed last spring and a full offseason to make the necessary changes, was the maestro for the Eagles’ success.
“It’s very humbling to get this award,” he said. “It’s a credit not just to my coordinators, but all my assistant coaches because they work with these kids day in and day out.”
He found success by getting his team stronger in the offseason and to believe in the program, and especially, themselves. Guess saw the potential, but there was work to do.
“Getting them to believe in what we’re doing, in our strength and conditioning program was key,” he said. “I knew the desire these kids had to win … I knew we had something special, it was whether or not we were going to put it all together on the field.
“We made them believe we were going to get in (the playoffs) and contend for a district championship … and we did.”
The Eagles earned a date with unbeaten District 31-6A champion Edinburg Vela in the postseason. Hanna held a slim lead until the Sabercats kicker hit a slightly wind-aided 54-yard field goal with just 24 seconds to play that would be the difference in the 34-32 loss. The Eagles are sure to not forget that stomach punch anytime soon.
“That loss was a tough loss, but it was also very encouraging,” Guess said of the motivation behind that loss. “These guys remember that, but I won’t let them forget it either. These kids never quit and we won’t let them quit.
“Hopefully we gained some respect for this program this year.”
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.