ROY HESS | Staff Writer
Hanna’s defense has been every bit as important as its offense during the state playoffs.
The history of Hanna/Brownsville High football shows no team has ever advanced beyond two rounds in the UIL postseason until the Golden Eagles achieved such a feat last Friday with a 28-13 victory over Eagle Pass during the Class 6A Division II area round of the playoffs.
Friday’s victory in San Antonio improved the District 32-6A champion Eagles to 10-1 on the season. Their next challenge is a regional matchup against District 28-6A champion San Antonio Brandeis (10-2) at noon Saturday at San Antonio’s Alamodome.
Once again, the Eagles will look to their defense to make a difference for the team.
“First and foremost, we realize that we’ve been gifted with a very special group (of defensive players),” said Hanna second-year defensive coordinator Jose C. Ramirez, a 1998 graduate of Hanna. “These guys have a tremendous work ethic and mentality to want to be the best they can be. These guys, who have been working out since the offseason, have built that psyche of being hard-nosed football players. Through that, their identity is revealed to be the type of product that we see in the games we play.
“They are tough and give a relentless effort,” Ramirez added. “They have too much invested into this program and the defensive unit for them to accept anything other than a really great performance on the field.”
It’s a defensive unit that led 32-6A statistically (239 yards per game allowed) and had eight returning starters. Only the two defensive ends and a safety were new to the lineup this season.
“We thought coming into the season that we had a really good defensive unit to begin with,” Ramirez said. “The ones who came into the lineup have been just as good or better than the ones they replaced. They’ve done their part to fit the mold that was left behind by the other (graduated) players.”
The Eagles’ bend-but-not-break defense has factored greatly into the team’s two playoff wins thus far. Prior to last Friday’s 28-13 triumph against Eagle Pass, Hanna prevailed 35-20 in bi-district against Weslaco East on Nov. 16 at Sams Memorial Stadium.
Hanna has won nine games in a row, including its last two outings in the playoffs, so the defense has shined.
“For the most part, these players have been running this system (on defense) for two years now, and they know it very well,” said Hanna coach Mark Guess, now in his third year directing the team. “They’re making reads faster, reacting faster and making plays.
“I’m so proud of those guys (on defense),” Guess added. “They’ve lived up to the saying that defense wins championships.”
The base starting defensive for the Eagles includes Armando Garcia and Jared Lozano at end with Brandon Esteves and Giovanni Rivera at tackle. Jose Cruz is the “mike” linebacker and Isaac Iracheta is the “sam” linebacker with Johnny Aleman as the rover. The secondary includes Lee Guevara and Alcee Flores at cornerback. Bryan Duran and Andres Sustaeta are the safeties.
Cruz is the team’s top tackler with 121 stops (76 solo and 45 assisted). Esteves is the second-leading tackler with 86 stops (57 solo and 29 assisted).
“With all of us working together, the performance of the defense has been tremendous,” said Cruz, a 160-pound senior. “We’re doing what our responsibilities are (on the field) and showing that if we listen to our coaches and do what they tell us to do, we’re going to come out on top. It’s a good defense (that we have).
“Whatever mistakes we have, we go over it as a group, and fix it,” he added. “We hold everyone accountable for their play, and we’re giving it everything we’ve got every single play.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.