By MARK MOLINA | The Brownsville Herald
Few players have a nose for the football quite like Hanna senior linebacker Jose Cruz.
Cruz’s ability to track down a ball carrier and make life tough on opposing offenses simply with his presence is big reason why the Golden Eagles’ defense was a force this season, giving up 18 points per game and securing two District 32-6A shutouts on their way to the third round of the playoffs for the first time in school history.
The senior linebacker garnered much respect from opposing offenses and coaches with his play this season and for his efforts has been named The Brownsville Herald’s 2018 All-Metro Football Defensive Player of the Year.
“ It feels great to be known as the defensive player of the year,” Cruz said of the distinction. “It was a great year for us, however, it’s not just me, it’s the defensive line up front that gets the job done and, of course, the defensive backs that hold it down for me. I wouldn’t make those plays if it weren’t for my line that opens it up for me or my DBs that hold receivers long enough for me to get there. It was a pretty good year knowing that I could trust these guys all around me; it was a team effort for us.”
Cruz had a big season, leading the defense in tackles with 129, including 79 solo and 19 for a loss, to go along with two pass deflections, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and two sacks.
He recorded double-digit tackles in eight games this season, including a dominant performance against Harlingen High in which he recorded 17 tackles (three for a loss), a sack and a fumble recovery.
After the season, he was named the District 32-6A Defensive Player of the Year.
Cruz said his big season stemmed from how much confidence he had in himself in the field of play.
“ I just really trusted myself, and coach said just to trust myself and run through there as fast as I can,” Cruz said. “It’ll all work out in the end. If I make a mistake, I’ll make it 100 miles per hour — that’s all that matters.”
Hanna coach Mark Guess said he didn’t get to see Cruz play much outside of a coach’s point of view, but he always tried to make time to do so afterward because of how much fun he said it is to watch his top linebacker play.
Guess said Cruz consistently spent hours logging film and it showed on the field, making Cruz’s football mind so impressive to him and opponents.
“ After the Brandeis game, their quarterback went to film and said ‘Man, we haven’t gone up against a linebacker that called every play before we ran it,” Guess recalled. “He was getting a lot of praise from teams we were playing. He got out of it what he put into it because of all the film study he did. He was our vocal leader on defense; he led by example and was another guy who did not want to miss a rep in practice, because he felt that would slow him down for the game and was one less rep to see the offense. He’s small as far as height goes, but he’s very strong and is another kid with a huge heart for the game, and absolutely loves playing football.”
Guess said Cruz will be missed as much as he believes a player like him will miss high school football when it’s all over.
That time is now for the Hanna senior, but he will take solace in all that he accomplished.
“ It’s pretty hard knowing our high school career is over,” Cruz said. “It was fun knowing that everything we did worked out in the end. All the hard work, the blood, sweat, all the late practices paid off for us by going three rounds deep (in the playoffs). It was worth it in the end.”