BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
Donna North was set to receive a punt, but the ball hit the returner’s helmet and bounced right into the hands of the Donna High player headed toward the play.
“You are talking about anything that could go wrong, went wrong,” Donna North coach Joe Marichalar said. “That kind of sums up the game, right there.”
Donna High defeated Donna North 58-6 on Friday at Bennie LaPrade Stadium in Donna, spoiling Marchalar’s coaching debut with the Chiefs.
“We didn’t want to debut like that,” Marichalar said. “It’s big brother versus little brother, and sometimes big brother puts you in your place.”
Marichalar knew this year would be tough, but he is not disgruntled or frustrated with the result.
“The sideline was still in the game, still fighting,” Marichalar said. “That shows me these kids are desperate for change. They want change. They want it so bad.
“So I told the coaching staff, ‘We are going to work twice as hard for these kids, to try to close that gap.’ We want to give them what they deserve, and that is great memories, and a chance to have fun playing this game that we all love.”
The game was 50-0 at halftime. Marichalar said he had never experienced a game like that in his career. In the most unpleasant moments of Friday’s rout, Marichalar saw several of his kids keeping the spirits high on the sideline. One such player was senior middle linebacker Christian Cortina.
“He is our team captain,” Marichalar said. “He is the guy who takes charge and is a leader on that sideline. He had 11 or 12 tackles, and he was flying around, all over the field. He was just being a savage out there. We say SMU, ‘Savage-minded unit.’ He kept the morale going, kept the fighting spirit alive within the team.”
Marichalar said he knew taking this job that work needed to be done. The Chiefs won’t make the program’s first ever trip to the playoffs overnight, but Marichalar is in the process of building a foundation that will allow them to make the playoffs regularly for years to come.
Marichalar said he’s a slightly different coach than most. Unconventional, outside the box, call it what you want, but Marichalar says it works for him.
“I coach football like I am a teacher in the classroom,” he said. “That field is just my big classroom.
“We talk about overcoming adversity, not just on the field or at school, but at home, as well. I tell them about my life story. We make connections. I come from a family of 11 migrant workers, same thing for a lot of my kids. Things like that build that trust in the locker room, where we can say the things we need to say.”
The bond Marichalar builds with his players is crucial, not just for their careers, but for their lives off the field. Marichalar has seen plenty of his kids in agony because of life events. He has learned how to be there for his kids, how to help them face the troubles that life can bring.
“When I became a coach, I used to talk all this stuff to my kids,” he said. “Then I realized, I can’t be a hypocrite to my guys. I have to start living this life, and being a better man.
“I’m as honest as it comes with my kids, and I talk to them like that, because I want them to be better. The culture there is, ‘I have to work. I have to do this or that.’ But, I tell them the best thing you can do is go on and get a college education, graduate. Then you can work, and build mom and dad a brand-new house.”
That is exactly what Marichalar did for his parents. And, every time he tells that story to his players, he can see it in their eyes: the respect, the trust, but most importantly, the willingness on the kids’ parts to open up.
“Now, the conversations around the locker room are SATs, ACTs, let’s do this for that class,” Marichalar said.
So, though his team was down by 58 points in Week 1, Marchalar’s Chiefs had a chance to get on the board at the end. They finally got across the goalline, and through the work of players like Cortina, and the work of Marichalar and his staff, the players were able to celebrate and be happy for each other.
“I’m trying to create that culture where you have no other choice but to get excited about being a better person, being great,” Marichalar said.