ALAMO — The PSJA Memorial Wolverines have not won a game since Nov. 9, 2018, tallying an 0-14 record over the past two seasons.
On Monday, however, the Wolverines ran through practice exuding confidence as they kicked off their 2021 season.
First-year head coach Will Littleton is the reason for the Wolverines’ newfound confidence, despite last making the postseason in 2011.
“Personally, I’ve never had a coach like him,” Wolverines defensive end Jason Soto said. “He pushes us until the end when we can’t do anymore. He’s had a huge impact on us. It’s changed everything, the whole game.”
“There is a good intensity,” Wolverines quarterback Jaden Cruz said. “We’re ready to come out and play. I’ve seen a lot more dedication. Everyone is picking each other up. Kids are getting on each other, being leaders.”
Upon his arrival, Littleton said he first noticed the talent, with several key starters back.
On offense, Cruz will operate under center, with returning letterman Victor Ibarra, Victor Martinez and Mark Peña tasked with opening holes for their signal caller.
“Jaden Cruz, our quarterback, he’s going to do big things for us,” Littleton said. “He’s very smart. He’s learning how to change the plays at the line of scrimmage. He’s learning to keep the same good plays offensively, so we can keep the defense off the ball and have those long-sustained drives to run the clock.”
Cruz will be joined in the backfield by sophomore running back Jesus Fonseca, who Littleton said “will be a name to look out for.”
Soto will set the edge for the Wolverines after emerging as a starter midway through last season, tallying seven tackles and one tackle for loss in two appearances. Meanwhile, junior linebacker Ricardo Vera will direct the defense from the middle of the field, entering the season as the Wolverines’ top returning tackler, recording 22 total tackles in four games last year.
The Wolverines will bring a similar effort and physicality as the defenses he led at PSJA North, Littleton said.
“We build our defenses on having a lot of energy and being physical when we get to the football,” he said. “It’s a group that’s really come together. I’m excited to see their success as a whole. They’re going to be one of those defenses where they have good players on it, but not about one or two superstars. It’ll be a great defense by team.”
Littleton joined the Wolverines in March, after serving as defensive coordinator at PSJA North for the past five years.
There, he helped the Raiders go from 2-8 in 2017 to the area round of the Class 6A playoffs a year later.
He is hoping to bring a similar winning culture to PSJA Memorial.
“The biggest key it to believe and understand that we do have talent,” he said. “Our kids have to understand that. We want to compete on an every play basis that way we’re competitive in every single game. We’ll worry about the scoreboard at the end of the day. Our main thing is we want to show up, compete and do things right.”
PSJA Memorial kicks off its season with back-toback road games, taking on Edinburg North on Aug. 26 at Richard R. Flores Stadium in Edinburg, followed by a matchup against Rio Hondo on Sept. 3 at Bobcat Stadium in Rio Hondo. The Wolverines open District 16-5A DII play Sept. 10, facing the Mercedes Tigers at Tiger Stadium in Mercedes.