BROWNSVILLE — Local high school football teams started practice Monday morning, some earlier than others.
The Brownsville St. Joseph Academy Bloodhounds and the Santa Rosa Warriors opted to host a Midnight Madness for their communities, practicing at their respected stadiums underneath the lights.
“We can’t wait long enough for 6 a.m.,” Bloodhounds coach Tino Villarreal said. “This is the eighth time that we are here at the stroke of midnight — it builds anticipation. We got in the locker room at 10 p.m., we were just so antsy to get out here and start the season.”
The eight-year head coach of the Bloodhounds had a healthy showing in the stands and on the field as well, the participation this year has the coach excited for a new football season.
“This the first time, in the last five years, that we are going to have over 60 kids in the program,” Villarreal said. “Sixty may not seem like a lot to other schools, but to St. Joseph Academy that gives us a lot of weapons and choices. Competition is king, that is going to allow some kids to compete for spots.”
The Bloodhounds went 5-6 last season with a 4-3 record in TAPPS Division II District 3. Weslaco High transfer Ethan Gallegos replaces the All-Metro Offensive Player of the Year and four-year starter Luigi Cristiano at quarterback.
The left-handed senior quarterback looked comfortable running the offense in the early Monday morning hours.
“I am ready to do whatever the team needs me to do,” Gallegos said during RGVSports.com’s media day. “I am excited. I have been waiting the whole year for this.”
On the other side of Cameron County, Santa Rosa revived their Midnight Madness tradition under second-year head coach Joe Marichalar.
“I have never been a part of one,” Marichalar said. “It had been a tradition here from what I have been told by the kids and the community, they have done it in the past. We wanted to bring it back and get these kids excited about playing Warrior football.”
| Santa Rosa Warriors TJ Saldaña, Rigo Hernandez, Aaron Mendoza, Sergio Mendoza Jr., Adrian Zamora, Diego Flores, Bryan Rojas and Andrew Ballin are pictured Thursday at San Benito.(Denise Cathey/The Brownsville Herald) Denise Cathey |
The defensive-minded coach took over during the second week of practice last season. A whole year with the team, good numbers in offseason programs and a state qualifying 7-on-7 team led by quarterback Bryan Rojas and safety Rigo Hernandez has Marichalar excited about the season.
“We are looking good, solid,” Hernandez said. “We are going to do some damage this year, I can tell you that.”
Harlingen South started their practice at 6:30 a.m. A light rain during practice ramped up the humidity and mosquitos, but the cloud cover provided protection from the morning sun.
The Hawks took to their practice field as a Class 5A team for the first time since the UIL added Class 6A in 2013. The Hawks went 10-1 last season, taking the District 32-6A title without dropping a game, but they will be only return a handful of starters, mainly on defense.
| Harlingen South Hawks work on their offense during their first day of practice at Harlingen High School football field. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald) Miguel Roberts |
Senior linebacker Caleb Anaya is one of the key returning defensive players for Harlingen South.
“We lost a great deal of offensive players, but we got younger guys stepping up,” Anaya said during RGVSports.com’s media day. “They are grinding, we all are grinding, offense and defense. We are working every day trying to get better.”
It was all business during practice with important positions still up for grabs.
“Coach has done a great job preparing us,” senior August Wilson said during media day. “Everybody put in the work for strength and conditioning, showing up every day, coming in for morning work outs and practicing skills. I feel good about this year.”
South will battle with Brownsville Veterans, Weslaco East, Donna High, Donna North, Brownsville Pace and Brownsville Lopez in District 16-5A DI.
Across town, intracity rival Harlingen High opened its 2022 campaign with practice at the crack of dawn, gearing up for an opening week matchup against the Hawks. The Hawks defeated the Cardinals 28-21 during last year’s Bird Bowl, leaving some of Harlingen High’s returning players hungry for Week 1.
“It was a heartbreaking defeat but it’s going to be a lot different last year,” Harlingen High senior running back Kian Torres said. “All the work and all the buildup from last year, it’s going to show.”
“It was a tough lost last year. Very heartbreaking. Just expect high emotions and a very physical game,” Harlingen High senior tackle Roy Reyna added.
| Harlingen Cardinals work on their offense during their first day of practice at Harlingen High School football field. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald) Miguel Roberts |
The Cardinals return eight starters on offense, including preseason District 32-6A MVP Izaiah Bell, making them Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine’s early frontrunner to claim the district crown.
Up the road, District 32-6A rival San Benito also kicked off the year, taking to the gridiron at 6:15 a.m. for their first practice of the year.
A first-round exit against Edinburg Vela in the Class 6A postseason left a sour taste in the Greyhounds’ mouths, with players itching to return to the field.
“It’s a big motivation,” San Benito safety DeAnthony Mireles said. “We didn’t want to go down in the first round, especially like that. We don’t want to have that feeling again. We know what we have to do to get where we want to be.”
The Greyhounds begin the season on the road Aug. 27 against Brownsville Veterans Memorial at Sams Memorial Stadium in Brownsville.
In District 16-5A DII, the Roma Gladiators will attempt to snap a six-year playoff drought while injecting some youth into its lineup. Roma just missed the playoffs last season, finishing with a 4-6 record overall and 3-5 mark in district play.
Sophomore middle linebacker Ediel Garcia said his first day of varsity practice is something he’s waited eagerly for.
“It’s a new experience, but I’m ready for it,” he said. “I’m looking for all the action, that’s my favorite thing about football. We have to play together, give a total team effort, and hopefully we can get in the playoffs.”