NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER
SAN JUAN — PSJA High senior Trey Guajardo has always been an outstanding athlete. He has earned varsity reps at quarterback since his freshman year and then switches gears in spring to varsity baseball.
He’s thrown for more than 1,000 yards every year since his sophomore campaign.
Like a fancy locked door, Guajardo has always been impressive but until someone came by with the key some of that rare talent was locked up behind a run-heavy offense.
Enter Lupe Rodriguez. Head coach of the Bears, former 4,000-yard passer at Mission High and the key to unlocking Guajardo’s arm and opening up the Bears offense.
When Rodriguez took the reigns after the 2016 season, when PSJA finished 3-7 overall and 1-6 in 31-6A, life changed for the Bears. The offense changed “drastically” according to the gunslinger who had to get into a learning mode to adjust.
“When (Rodriguez) came in my junior year we did so much studying and film,” Guajardo said. “It took a lot, I remember the first day he showed me all these signs I was like “oh my gosh” but it became easier every step of the way. Now I know the offense like the back of my hand and it’s making a difference.”
He ran for 1,009 yards as a sophomore and threw for 1,323. The yardage was solid but his 11 touchdown to nine interception ratio and 52-percent completion percentage is nothing like the quarterback he’s become as an upperclassman.
“He’s come a long way in such a short time,” Rodriguez said. “This offense allows him to be creative, allows him to use his skills. I knew being a baseball player those mechanics and all the things he’s worked on have allowed him to do that.”
Rodriguez’s changes helped the offense reach the 2,500 plus passing mark and drastic win-loss improvement. Last year was a breakout season for PSJA’s offense. The Bears finished second in 31-6A, scored 89 more points than 2016 and qualified for the playoffs.
Guajardo said that he’s privileged to play under one of the Valley’s best passers in his day. Rodriguez was inducted into the RGVSports Hall of Fame in 2015.
“He’s still remembered for the things he did in high school, as a hall of famer down in the Mission area,” Guajardo said of his coach. “I’m just so blessed to be not only part of this team but a quarterback in this situation.”
As a junior, Guajardo broke out with 2,919 yards and 29 touchdowns in 11 contests. He’s put up 2,645 yards and 27 touchdowns in nine games so far as a senior. PSJA High is in position to claim its first district championship since the 2005 season.
Twice this season, against Corpus Christi King and La Joya High, Guajardo has matched the RGV single-game record of seven touchdown passes in a game.
“The kind of offense we run is hard but at the same time it’s fun,” Guajardo said. I’m pretty sure the fans going out seeing the ball throwing left to right, down field, it’s awesome to see. It’s rare to see here in the Valley, there’s not a lot of teams that do that. Being a quarterback here at this high school it’s a tremendous honor.”
Senior guard David Chapa towers at six-feet, four-inches and has served as protection for Guajardo for many of their years together.
“Our sophomore year, the offense was kind of limited,” Chapa said. “With Lupe Rodriguez coming in it enabled our players to showcase their abilities, their strong points.”
When asked if the offensive line prefers to be pushing bodies on a run play or keeping Guajardo off the turf in the pocket Chapa didn’t have to choose.
“We still run the ball, it’s not like we completely go away from it but we really throw the ball about 90 percent of the time,” Chapa said. “It’s fun, we like it. As long as we win football games it doesn’t matter what we do.”
The offensive line composed of Chapa, Moi Vazaldua, Albert Jackson, Jacob Lopez, J.D. Vera and Josh Sanchez has been an integral part of the Bears prolific attack.
Junior Miguel Flores leads the receiving core with 832 yards. He’s tied with Trey’s cousin Marco Guajardo for the team lead of 10 touchdowns.
When the top three receivers by yards graduated the passing game didn’t miss a beat.
A core of juniors including Flores and Marco Guajardo but also joined by Ethan Castillo and Justin Morales keeps the team rolling.
“When (Rodriguez) first got here, everything was brand new to us but his offense worked and has been working,” Flores said. “To this day this offense has been doing well thanks to Trey.”
Flores says that the plethora of options for Guajardo to find in the passing game or run game makes stopping the Bears a headache.
“I just feel like we have the best receivers in the Valley, we have the best running back in the Valley, we have the best quarterback in the Valley and we have a good line so when you combine all that we’re a tough team to play against,” Flores said.