By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
Sophomore Kriz Pena wasn’t the player the Brownsville Hanna Golden Eagles expected to have in the starting running back role prior to the start of the 2020 season.
Hanna coach Mark Guess said the coaching staff saw Pena being “a role player on special teams and a backup running back,” but the youngster quickly showed he was special. He gained confidence with every practice and studied hard to learn the offense with the help of senior quarterback Diego Escovar.
After an impressive showing through two-a-days, Pena achieved his longtime goal of not only being on Hanna’s varsity squad, but being the starting running back, too. He made the most of his opportunity and led the Golden Eagles with 353 rushing yards on 69 carries and scored five rushing touchdowns. He also had five receptions for 58 yards to bring his all-purpose yardage average to 102.8 yards per game through four games. For his strong rookie season, Pena is The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro newcomer of the year.
“It’s still surreal to me, I can’t believe it,” Pena said. “It’s like a dream come true (being the varsity running back). I’ve been hoping to do this since peewee football. I feel complete. I could’ve done better, but it feels good (getting this award).”
Pena isn’t the biggest player on the Golden Eagles’ roster, and with his shorter frame and slender build, Guess said “nobody would expect him to be a 6A starting varsity running back.” But put Pena on the field, and Guess said Pena’s natural instincts take over and he’s able to make a big impact on a game.
Pena battled through injuries early in the season, and even while not playing at 100 percent in his first two games, he proved himself a force to be reckoned with. He healed up during Hanna’s bye week and came out even stronger during the second half of the season to help the Golden Eagles clinch a co-District 32-6A championship, and he was named the zone’s offensive newcomer of the year for his efforts.
“His stature isn’t huge at all, but he played with big stature. He’s super tough,” Guess said. “His ability to see a hole, see a cutback lane, to squeeze through a little bit of daylight, he’s got a gift for that. Coming in, I don’t know if he actually believed that he belonged. But we had him up here for a reason. We saw something in him. His play was what opened our eyes.”
Pena credited his good relationship with Escovar and the Hanna offensive line for aiding his individual success. He said the work ethic the staff and players have at Hanna is stronger than at other schools, which fuels the way they play.
Something that fuels Pena is his constant desire to be better in every next practice and game in which he participates. He felt like he had a good sophomore campaign, but he’s already focusing on getting faster and stronger to do more damage next season, which is a mindset he gets from his biggest fan and motivator — his mom.
“I try to do better every day. My mom always tells me not to be satisfied with yourself, so I live by that. She makes her best effort to go to every game and supports me the most,” Pena said.
Pena also thanked his coaches and teammates for supporting him and teaching him what it takes to be a varsity football player. Guess said the growth Pena made in Year 1 was special, and he’s proud of all the recognition Pena is acquiring.
“He’s a great kid. He’s a man of very few words, doesn’t say hardly anything at all. But he certainly lets his work ethic and his play on the field speak for him,” Guess said. “Kid played 100 miles an hour every play, and we couldn’t have asked for more out of that guy. We always talk about, people don’t always get what they deserve, but they get what they earned. And he earned this without a doubt, and we’re very happy for him.”