KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
HARLINGEN— Through the first three weeks of the season, the Harlingen South defense has made some noise and are begging to find their form. The unit is mixed with a crop of youngsters and savvy veterans, but one combo has stood out.
Senior inside linebacker Ethan Gonzalez and sophomore inside backer Levi Ince have become quite the duo for Hawks coach Brian Ricci’s defense. Both Gonzalez and Ince have created a bond on and off the field and it had shown this season.
“Those two kids define what being a student athlete is about,” Ricci said. “They both work hard and go out there and play the game right; they are great kids to have around.”
Gonzalez, who is a two-year varsity member and was expected to lead the Hawks defense along with junior David Cortez, has taken Ince under his wing and has provided a big-brother presence to Ince.
“He (Gonzalez) puts me under his wing and anytime I need a ride to practice he is there or anytime I have a question on the field he is there to answer it,” Ince said. “He is really the older brother I never had.”
Gonzalez and Ince bring a physical presence to the Hawks defense. In fact, physical was the word used to describe their style of play. South’s defense had a strong camp and has shown the growth in Year 2 of their new system. Gonzalez feels the defense came along quickly and has improved in 2019.
“The defense has been exciting and we have been coming together well,” Gonzalez said. “We have had a good amount of returners on defense, so it wasn’t so much on picking up the scheme because it was thrown in last year. The younger guys have really stepped in and have done well. They didn’t have too much to learn because they already knew what they were doing.”
While Gonzalez knew his role coming into 2019, it was Ince that worked his way onto the varsity roster, something that he chased during spring ball.
“I felt I had a chance to make the varsity when the coaches started me in spring ball,” Ince said. “I didn’t feel I was on the varsity until I saw my name up on the varsity locker. When I saw that, I was proud of myself but I also realized that things were going to get real. I was going to play against guys that were older than me. I just had to keep grinding and doing what I do best.”
Gonzalez is taking the opportunity to teach Ince everything he knows and will eventually pass the torch when Gonzalez graduates later this year.
“We help each other out,” Gonzalez said. “We have questions for each other all the time. We work well together and we are always watching film after school and even after school we watch film through huddle.”
Harlingen South will host Weslaco High tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Valley Morning Stars Game of the Week.