PROGRESO — Elian Rodriguez accepted the role of quarterback when Progreso head coach Frank Martinez offered him the job over the summer.
He had been patiently waiting for his chance to take over under center and help lead the Red Ants’ offensive attack.
“I have been here three years and I finally get to start at quarterback,” the junior said before his long-awaited start Friday.
Martinez will lead the Red Ants on the road for a non-district match at 7:30 against La Villa.
“The thing with Elian is he has the size,” Martinez said. “He’s been working on his arm and went to a couple of football camps over the summer.”
Rodriguez has a large presence on the line of scrimmage, knows the offensive formations and can read the defense, Martinez said.
He is over 6 feet tall and he doesn’t second guess his decision-making with the ball, Progreso offensive coordinator Raul Rivera said.
He said it was a position fit for him. He just needed to wait his turn and be ready when it was time for him to take over, Rivera said.
Rodriguez has not skipped a beat. He hasn’t missed a snap yet during the preseason, and he has been tested with a match against Valley View, a two-score-to-one loss to the highly improved Tigers. Progreso’s single score came late in the game with a rush from inside the 5. The defense had intercepted the ball to put the team in scoring position.
“We have some pretty good skilled guys out here, so we should do really good this season,” Rodriguez said.
The Red Ants are hoping to shake things up in their district with their running and passing attack.
One of those teammates is last year’s quarterback Joshua San Roman, a senior who held the quarterback position over the last two seasons.
San Roman said he happily handed Rodriguez the reins to the team.
“I’m not really taking his spot,” Rodriguez said about San Roman handing him the quarterback position. “He is helping me and teaching me along the way.”
Last season, Rodriguez played both ways. He played wide receiver on offense and cornerback on defense.
Also there to help carry the load is Julian Alvarez at tailback and Brian Cabrera at running back.
“Everybody comes out and plays really, really hard,” Rodriguez said. “We play both ways because we don’t have the numbers, but that’s OK.”
San Roman said he believes in Rodriguez’s ability and what he can do for the team at quarterback.
“At the quarterback position, you have to watch out for everything and Elian knows how to do that,” San Roman said.