By STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
LYFORD – The Lyford Bulldogs were dealt a huge blow when they lost starting quarterback Cayleb Klostermann to a season-ending injury in their season opener against Santa Rosa.
With his team off to an 0-3 start, coach Israel Gonzalez has been up to the task of navigating his team through rough waters in non-district play. Their first district test comes at home tonight in the program’s District 16-3A Division I opener against George West, a program that has built up quite a pedigree, going 30-6 over the last three seasons under coach Brett Kornegay. The Longhorns’ coach recorded his 100th career win last season.
One of Gonzalez’s biggest challenges has been getting consistent focus from his young team. But he’s been thinking about the bigger picture with this group all along.
“ We’ve faced some adversity,” Gonzalez said. “At the same time, it gives us an opportunity to teach these kids life lessons. “A great coach once said that you don’t know how good of a coach you are until 5, 10, 15 years after your kids graduate… We try to teach our kids to march forward through adversity and fight to the finish.”
Another potential setback for the Bulldogs will be the absence of freshman Osmar Martinez, who broke out onto the scene after entering the game after Lyford’s third-string quarterback was injured, racking up 103 rushing yards on 11 carries against Raymondville on Sept. 13. Gonzalez said he intends to ease his young running back into the Bulldogs’ system and not rush his development by playing at the varsity level, and the decision was not due to health issue.
“ He’s not ready yet,” Gonzalez said. “We’re taking our time and making sure he has a full grasp of the offense… I’m not saying he won’t play moving forward in the future, but he needs some time to get some stuff correct, and we’ll do that for anyone that we throw out there.”
Matthew Sanchez (124 receiving yards, two touchdowns in a loss to Hidalgo) and Diego Guerra have also been key contributors to the offense.
Another source of stability for Lyford on both sides of the ball has been junior defensive back/running back Devon Mendoza. Mendoza’s value is in his versatility as a utility player who can play any position in the secondary, as well as his consistent offensive production as a pass-catching tailback and occasional receiver.
“ I’m a team player,” Mendoza said. “If coach needs me to play different position, I’ll do what’s best for the team. I don’t really have a designated position (on defense).”
Mendoza has become a respected figure on both sides of the ball on a young Bulldogs squad, and described his leadership style as quiet and by example. His coach confirmed his self-assessment.
“ Devon’s a great leader,” Gonzalez said. “More than anything, he leads by example. He’s going to be at practice every day and work hard and do what you ask him to do, and when you have kids like that, the sky’s the limit for them.”
Mendoza has also been an important presence for freshman quarterback Brenden Nunez, who has stepped in to assume the signal-caller duties after Klostermann’s injury.
“ We have to help (Nunez) feel like he’s welcome,” Mendoza said. “When Caleb went down, it really shocked all of us, and we didn’t know how to react. Now I think we need to welcome him and make (Nunez) feel more welcome with the team and get that chemistry right with him.”
Kickoff for Lyford’s district opener against George West is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. tonight at Lyford Stadium.