By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
RAYMONDVILLE — Raymondville running back ZaRaiVion Armendarez didn’t envision only playing three games his senior year.
Armendarez has spent countless hours working on his craft since he started chasing a college scholarship as a freshman. He trained three times per day during the extended offseason due to COVID-19, doing anything he could on his own to get better. He wanted to put up big numbers in his final year to draw in more college opportunities, and even though he didn’t have many chances to hit the field, the speedy athlete still reached that goal.
Armendarez accumulated 479 rushing yards, 320 receiving yards, 15 passing yards and scored 14 touchdowns in 2020, along with lining up on defense and special teams. Twice he scored six touchdowns in a game, first in Raymondville’s season-opening win over Class 5A Victoria West and again five weeks later to lead the Bearkats to a come-from-behind bi-district victory over Devine.
For his contributions all over the field and eye-catching performances, Armendarez is the Valley Morning Star’s All-STAR football all-purpose player of the year.
“It means a lot. With the amount of work I put in, it’s great to have some kind of awards, so I’m thankful for that,” Armendarez said. “I wish this year would’ve been bigger, because I really put in a lot of work this offseason, starting the first week after we lost to Navarro my junior year. I was grateful for each and every game we got, and in our three games, I think we made some noise. I’m always looking to win, so whatever I have to do — score zero touchdowns or one or two or six — I do whatever it takes for the team.”
Bearkats coach Frank Cantu said Armendarez was the type of player that drew special attention from opposing coaches and defenses consistently. But even with the whole stadium knowing he would get the ball, the explosiveness and vision Armendarez has in spades made him a player that couldn’t be stopped.
Cantu said watching Armendarez in film after games was like “watching a video game.” He praised the senior for working tirelessly to be the best and recalled the pride he felt seeing Armendarez running routes and practicing on his own at the field on Saturdays. Raymondville has been blessed with several playmakers, but Cantu said Armendarez set himself apart.
“I’ve been here for 27 years and I’ve been around a lot of good running backs, but he is special,” Cantu said. “He was definitely our go-to guy. He’s one of those players that even if you know he’s going to get the ball, he’s still going to make something happen. He’s just got that ‘it’ factor. He never goes backward, he never loses yards. He’ll go one way, then he’ll see a small opening and it’s 100 miles an hour that way.
“I think it’s very fitting for him to be all-purpose (player of the year), because he contributes from everywhere,” Cantu added. “He’s one of those guys that knows what he wants and has been working towards it. He goes above and beyond, and really loves what he does.”
Though the COVID-19 pandemic complicated his recruiting process, Armendarez is looking into several colleges and hopes to be signing to play at the next level soon. He may not have closed his Bearkats career in the fashion he wanted, but he’s thankful for those who supported him along the way and hopes he left a good impression on his young fans.
“I know a lot of younger kids look up to me. I love this place, so it’s an honor to know my name will live around here for a while,” Armendarez said. “My grandparents (are) my biggest fans, they never miss a track meet, a football game, a camp, nothing. I wouldn’t trade them for anything. They don’t make me work out or force anything, I do it all by choice, and they’ve supported me through everything.”