BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — Edinburg North senior cornerback Carlos Coronado has a vivid memory from his time at Longoria Middle School, before he donned the navy and gold of the Cougars.
“When it happened, my mom came to Longoria,” Coronado said. “Out of nowhere, she showed up. I saw she had tears in her eyes. I asked her, ‘What’s going on?’”
Coronado’s mother explained that she was moving out and his father was staying at the family’s home.
“She made me pick between my dad and my mom,” Coronado said. “Since I saw all my brothers going with her, I didn’t want to leave my dad by himself, so I stuck with him. And ever since then, I go every chance I get to see my mom.”
Coronado said that time in his life was tough, but football was his escape.
“Football has been an outlet for me,” Coronado said. “It made me focus on school and get my grades up. Being around these players helps me forget about all the problems in life.”
Coronado, along with his close friend and fellow senior corner Isaac Bernal, forms the backbone of the Cougars’ defense. The two are focused and hungry entering their Week 1 matchup with Mercedes at 6 p.m. Saturday at Richard R. Flores Stadium.
“This week is very exciting,” Bernal said. “There is so much adrenaline going through me right now. I can’t wait to get on the field with my brothers. We are going to be home, so we are going to take care of business here at the house and catch a ‘W’ for the first game of the season.”
The Coronado-Bernal connection was in full effect last week as North scrimmaged against Laredo Alexander, a perennial playoff contender that advanced to the second round last year.
“Without a doubt, those two guys are the ones we built our defense around,” North coach Damian Gonzalez said. “We had three interceptions against Alexander, and Carlos had two of them.”
Coronado’s first pick was a prime example of what makes him special.
“He is a ball hawk,” Gonzalez said. “He is around the ball. He is everywhere.”
“I was even with the receiver. I felt him beside me,” Coronado said. “He looked up, so I looked up, and I saw the ball.”
Coronado positioned his body in front of the receiver’s and put enough height on his leap to pull the ball down. Still, he wasn’t happy that he allowed himself to be tackled on what he felt should have been a big return.
“It felt wonderful,” Coronado said. “I was trying to stay on my feet, but he got me from the back, and fell on me. I just like that feeling when everyone comes to you and taps your helmet. I love that feeling.”
Bernal and Coronado have complementary skill sets. Coronado is a technical wizard, always in the right place at the right time, and always ready to make the play.
“Isaac, he is a little nastier, tougher,” Gonzalez said. “He is one of those guys that will get in your face. He is going to tell you what he feels. He is aggressive. He doesn’t shy away from hitting.”
To assume they are always confined to their standout attributes would be a mistake. Coronado can thump with the best of them, as well, and Bernal makes great reads on balls. But, their biggest strengths fit together like pieces to a puzzle.
For any receiver, a matchup against the Cougars is a nightmare. First, the receiver is locked down by Coronado, unable to find any separation. Then, he gets matched up with Bernal, who will bother him at the line or crush him on a running play, just to send a message.
Bernal wasn’t always a big hitter, but during his junior year, he made a play that opened his eyes.
“My junior year, I just decided that I will be one of those cornerbacks that will go out and hit you every play,” Bernal said. “We were against Economedes. I was going against an all-district receiver, Pete Segura. He ran a little screen pass, and I came up and cracked him. Ever since then, I fell in love with that feeling.”
Bernal and Coronado knew each other when they were in elementary school, but they weren’t that close.
“As soon as we came in (freshman year), I saw him in the weight room and I told him, ‘Let’s work out,’” Coronado said. “We have been working out since then. We go out to eat, movies, whatever.”
When North reassigned coach Rene Saenz last year and the mass exodus of transfers began, Coronado and Bernal knew they could count on each other to be back in the Cougars’ colors for senior year.
“There were a lot of players that left, but just seeing the people that decided to stay, stay true to the navy and gold, that just made us know that we are actually here for this school,” Bernal said. “We are here to put this squad on our back, represent it proudly, and bring it back to the good ol’ days: winning, going three rounds deep, everything like that. We all stayed for a reason, and that is to win.”
Coronado and Bernal have each others’ back, but they are also extremely competitive with each other.
“(Coronado) is actually from Longoria,” Bernal said. “I’m from B.L. (Garza Middle School). As soon as we came together, we just clicked. We took it from there.”
Before that, in middle school, the two were on opposing sides.
“And you know B.L. won that,” Bernal said.
“We push each other a lot, especially in the weight room,” Coronado said. “I will tell him he can’t do something, and he will be like ‘bet,’ and then he will do it. And then I’ll do 10 more pounds or whatever it is.
“On bench, I am way stronger than him. I put up 225, he’s at like 180. I’ll say I take that dub.”
For Coronado, game nights hold a special significance, because he gets to see both his mom and his dad.
“I kind of wish they were back together, but stuff happens in life,” Coronado said. “You just have to take it and move on and learn from it.”
Coronado has certainly done that, developing a stronger relationship with his father — something he is very thankful for.
“Before, we didn’t really used to joke around,” Coronado said. “He would just be like, ‘I’m going to work, bye.’ Now, we are competitive in the weight room. I’ll tell him he can’t do this and that. We have that kind of bond.”
They are even working together to build a two-story home. Coronado’s father makes a living in construction.
“I try to help him out whenever I can,” Coronado said. “I was in there catching bricks the other day.”
He has learned about working with his hands, but he also learned a valuable lesson.
“I learned that it is tough out there. It’s hot, all day,” Coronado said. “That makes you think twice about school and stuff. You have to get good grades so you have options when you graduate.”