DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

RIO GRANDE CITY – Two years removed from the best season in program history, Grulla is entering this season off its worst.

The Gators went 1-8 during an injury-riddled 2014, though that one win, over Hidalgo, was enough to qualify them for the four-team playoff picture out of the five-team District 16-4A, Division I.

“Our kids kept fighting,” Grulla coach Abel Gonzalez III said. “They kept grinding. They found a way to get into the playoffs.

“Their effort and their commitment was something we took from last year.”

Grulla did not play with its full starting offensive line for the first six games of last season, and lost all six. But with four of five starters returning, Gonzalez is optimistic about 2015.

“It’s essential we’re solid up front,” Gonzalez said. “We’re going to rely hard on those boys because they’re experienced and they know what it takes. They’re going to give us a chance.”

The line will be led by a pair of three-year starters in left tackle Gilbert Vera and right tackle Nazario Garza. The rotation up front goes seven deep.

“Right now, our big thing is we all know how to move,” Vera said. “We’re big and strong, but we’re quick. Being better than last season is what’s driving us. We’re going to fight harder than we ever have.”

Injuries didn’t just affect Grulla’s line. They were all over the place, including the quarterback and receiver spots. High ankle sprains and collarbone injuries plagued the Gators, and depth is always a concern for a program that carries only 35 kids on varsity.

Still, the thinking around camp this summer is that the Gators never got to show what team they really are.

“The hope is we stay healthy this year,” Gonzalez said. “If we can do that, we can have a pretty good ballclub.

“We’re never going to be very deep as far as the number of kids. So you lose two or three kids, you start shuffling around and it becomes a domino effect. It makes it really tough to gel together as a unit and find out where we’re really good at.”

A NEW LOOK

The Gators are under a new defensive coordinator in Jimmy Ortiz, formerly of Weslaco East. Ortiz brings a 4-2 scheme opposed to the 3-3-stack Grulla had been familiar with.

“It’s an easier defense, from the routines to the drills to the holds,” senior linebacker Orlando Ramirez said. “We’re better in the gaps and we’re able to really show what we can do.”

Gonzalez said the big thing is cramming a lot of learning into these few weeks of camp. From understanding alignments to formations to verbiage, there is a lot to digest.

But the Gators are confident the change will be worth it.

“We’re going to be better tacklers,” Ramirez said. “We won’t miss. And because it’s more of a zone defense, we’re going to get more interceptions. We’ll be able to give our offense a lot more opportunities.”

LEADING THE WAY

Junior Fabian Anzaldua is the full-time signal-caller for Grulla after sharing time with brother Eddie, then a senior, last season.

Gonzalez raved about Anzaldua’s work during the offseason and is impressed with his instincts.

“He’s very athletic and he’s very smart,” Gonzalez said. “He knows where to go with the ball and what his reads are. He doesn’t ask many questions because he just gets it. He sees the big picture, and that’s what a quarterback needs.”

Anzaldua said he took a lot from his first year as a varsity quarterback.

“I can’t get too tight. When the pressure comes, I’ve got to relax,” he said. “Now that I’m a junior, I’m more laid back, more comfortable, but still working just as hard.”

X-FACTOR

If there’s an “X-factor” for Grulla this season, it’s sophomore receiver Miguel Flores.

Flores stands 6-foot-1 and is like former Grulla star Troy Trillayes, a versatile, dynamic talent that can play all over the field.

“He’s a big, tall kid who’s athletic,” Gonzalez said. “He has great speed, great hands. He’s going to be one of those kids who surprise.”

Flores will complement a strong playmaking group that includes receivers Leo Martinez, who missed seven games last season with a collarbone injury, and Omar Martinez.

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GRULLA’S PROGNOSIS

If they can stay healthy, the Gators have the talent to not only make the playoffs for the fourth time in six years, but also compete for a district title.

Projected 2015 Record: 6-3

TENURE

Coach: Abel Gonzalez III

Year at school: 6th

Record at Grulla: 21-31

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Check out more stories from The Monitor’s 16-day Two-A-Day Tour:

Weslaco East

Roma

La Joya High

Weslaco High

PSJA North

DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

It doesn’t make sense to Sean Patterson.

For five years, Patterson and his family called the Rio Grande Valley home. It’s where his middle son Shea — an All-Valley quarterback as a freshman at Hidalgo three years ago and now attending IMG Academy as the No. 4 overall recruit in the Class of 2016, per CBS Sports’ 247sports.com — grew up.

Over that half-decade, Patterson saw many young, talented football players in the Valley. And even today, after moving his family out of the Valley because of a job transfer in the summer of 2013, he still sees diamonds in the rough, an “untapped resource.”

“There are just too many kids from the Valley that play their last game of football and are never heard from again,” Patterson said.

Patterson said recruiting is a process, one that began well before Shea, a University of Mississippi verbal commit, even touched the football field at Hidalgo.

It’s a process, or an understanding of it, that Patterson believes is holding the Valley back from reaching similar heights, particularly in football and basketball.

“There are kids slipping through the cracks because of a lack of a process,” Patterson said. “But you can’t tell me out of 1.3 million people (in the Valley), that there’s not a handful of NCAA Division I, I-AA players out of all those high schools.”

Alandra Speights agrees. Her son, McAllen Memorial running back Trevor Speights, is entering his senior season with the Mustangs with nine offers, including elite programs like Stanford and Texas A&M. Since Trevor’s seventh grade year, Speights has followed the same steps Patterson took for Shea: make a highlight film, send it to coaches, make sure Trevor attends the right camps, connect with college coaches and follow through.

“The school district, the coaches … they all need to have a better understanding of the recruiting process,” Speights said.

Speights and Patterson know Valley kids grow up with a geographic disadvantage. Home is deep south Texas, a considerable distance away from premier markets like Houston, Dallas and even San Antonio.

“We do have kids that can play at the next level,” Speights said. “Yes, it’s an uphill battle, and yes, it’s a lot of hard work. But you can accomplish a lot.”

Duke Pistokache, father of Joaquin and Jesse Pistokache, saw older son Joaquin have trouble garnering looks by NCAA basketball scouts despite finishing his high school career as Sharyland High’s all-time leading scorer. So Duke encouraged a different route for Jesse, who played at three schools during his four years of high school — including Sharyland High his freshman and junior years — in an attempt to get noticed. It worked.

Though Joaquin is playing Division I basketball as a walk-on at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Jesse earned a full scholarship to DI Richmond University, where he will compete as a point guard starting this season.

“The foundation of being able to play the game is laid at an early age,” Duke said. “Getting Jesse out laid a true foundation so he could play at a higher level.”

Each student-athlete will have a different process in their respective recruiting experience. There is no set guideline for how to go about it.

What follows is a general plan that parents, coaches and student-athletes can adhere to, based on the recommendations and experiences of those who have seen it work.

>> ACADEMICS

Without the grades, the prospect of playing college sports is nonexistent.

Grades are the No. 1 thing recruiters ask about when looking at a kid. It’s important for coaches, players and athletes to get acquainted with the NCAA clearinghouse (requirements for eligibility for potential college athletes) and familiar with the sliding scale (colleges consider a higher GPA better than a test that can be perceived as bias. The higher an athlete’s GPA, the lower the test score can be).

“The No. 1 thing is educating the parents on the prerequisites, whether it’s the clearinghouse, getting transcripts uploaded, filling out questionnaires on college websites, having your test scores available, or whatever,” said Edinburg High baseball coach Robert Valdez, who has sent 21 players to play college baseball over the last seven years.

Speights knows how important academics are. Stanford has more than eight offers for the running back position, but only Trevor and another recruit have the grades to take advantage of that. Still, a talent like Trevor, a Class 6A first team all-state selection last season, is an exception in the Valley.

“The majority of our kids in the Valley are going NAIA or NCAA Division III,” Mission Veterans Memorial football coach David Gilpin said. “We’ve had one kid, for instance, who went Division I in my six years here. A lot of the money for these kids wanting to play at the next level will come from academics.

“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter where the money comes from — athletic, academic or via grants. That’s all money that doesn’t have to be returned, that’s not financial aid or out of the parent’s pocket.”

>> START EARLY

Parents, athletes and coaches shouldn’t wait to send out a prospect’s highlight film to colleges and establish relationships with colleges and their coaches.

Too late could mean an athlete’s junior, and definitely their senior, year. There’s no such thing as too early.

“Three stars is probably all a kid from the Valley can have the rank of (from recruiting web sites) because of the stereotype,” Speights said. “The stigma is real, no matter how salty we get about it. There is a certain belief about players in the Valley. So getting a head start in any way is huge.”

Former Sharyland High baseball and football standout Tres Barrera, a junior catcher for the University of Texas, says recruiting at a young age is the norm.

“I started getting recruited when I was in seventh grade,” Barrera said. “My dad took me to camps and clinics around the country, and got me exposed to a lot of college scouts. I remember going to California and Florida to play with some of the best prospects in the country.”

Starting early doesn’t just mean on the field. It involves taking tests sooner rather than later.

“Kids wait way too long to take their ACT tests,” said Ben Lopez, recruiter for Lindenwood University’s NAIA and NCAA Division II athletic programs in Missouri. “The kids get a 17, and they need a 20. They wait until their senior year, April, May or June to take it, and that’s not going to happen, not unless you’re really, really smart.”

>> TRAINING

It’s essential that student-athletes get their body in the right shape and are disciplined.

Athletes can browse the Internet and watch people train to learn how to do it right. They can mail away for training packages. If they can afford it, there are plenty of personal trainers at gyms all around the Valley.

“When Shea started training, there was duck tape with rocks on the corners and he had made his own speed training ladder,” Patterson said. “He spent $15 from a birthday present on a jump rope.”

Jesse Pistokache learned about work ethic as a fourth grader under a personal trainer. But he was also a student of the game of basketball, and that’s where his game evolved.

His emphasis was on learning the game from a skills perspective, particularly moves and footwork, and shooting. In high school, he made at least 250 shots per day. During a six-week stay at Richmond for a summer camp last month, he made 400 shots each night during a two-hour time limit at the gym.

“I’m big on YouTube, now and then,” Jesse said. “I’d get on YouTube and just search stuff. I’d type in ‘Kobe Bryant Footwork,’ for instance. I’d search for ballhandling drills. Working on skill is a big thing, especially in the Valley.

“There are tons of kids in the Valley who can run faster and jump higher than me, but the difference is I know how to play the game. I learned how to do moves, how to get open, how to jab step into a pump fake. It sounds simple, but you have to know how to play basketball.”

>> GET A PLAN

A parent and the student-athlete should find a position and sport the athlete can succeed in. They should be realistic about the types of colleges and camps the athlete wants to attend. It’s also important to make an athlete’s coaches aware of the kid’s goals, in coordination with the school counselor.

“Things don’t just fall into place,” Patterson said. “Get a plan together.”

Jesse Pistokache goes by a simple motto: keep your head down, stay in your lane, work hard and pray harder. It’s a summarization of his experiences during his recruiting as a high school student-athlete, and it’s what he promises to abide by at Richmond.

“Just work hard and don’t listen to the positive or negative stuff, keep your head down and have a disgusting work ethic,” Pistokache said.

Mikey Lopez’s plan was to leave the Valley for more exposure.

The Mission native left during his eighth grade year to play for Austin’s St. Stephen’s Episcopal School and compete for Lonestars in club soccer.

Lopez, now playing for Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City, believes he would have never earned a college scholarship offer from the University of North Carolina had he stayed in the Valley because club soccer allows for a significant showcase and good connections.

Paths like his and Pistokache’s, however, differ from other success stories like J.J. Avila, who played all four years of his high school basketball at McAllen High and also played for the South Texas Hoopsters, the Valley’s AAU team, and former Sharyland High baseball standouts Barrera and Eric Gutierrez. Avila recently played pro basketball in Belgium, while Barrera and Gutierrez are enjoying standout collegiate careers for the Longhorns and Texas Tech, respectively.

“There is no such thing as a perfect roadmap,” Jesse said. “There’s no real best way; everyone has their own path.”

>> BE PROACTIVE

Speights took initiative in Trevor’s recruitment. She emailed colleges early and often. She attended camps with Trevor and wouldn’t leave until she had introduced herself and gotten phone numbers from coaches. She had Trevor attend Rivals camps for exposure purposes and Football University (FBU) camps for skill purposes.

Speights said the key was establishing relationships, and being aggressive about it. She encourages social media use, and Trevor has received a couple of offers simply from direct messaging with coaches.

“Don’t wait for coaches to come,” Speights said. “Go to them. Be in their face. Force them to give a kid a look.”

Whatever it takes. The process to getting a student-athlete noticed by colleges, and hopefully recruited, is not difficult. But it is demanding and relentless.

“The Valley has missed the boat on getting our kids scholarships and to the next level,” Speights said. “It’s easier than most people down here think it is. That comes from misperception, like believing it’s on the coaches or it’ll fall out of the sky just because you put a video on YouTube. But it’s easier than we think. You just have to commit to it.”

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For more stories, videos, photos and graphics covering recruiting in the Valley, visit themonitor.com/recruiting

DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

Earlier this year, Edinburg High baseball coach Robert Valdez sat down with senior Jaime Alvarado.

Alvarado, a 5-foot-8, 170-pound infielder/pitcher, had options available to play college baseball in Laredo, Austin or Beeville, just outside of Corpus Christi. After much discussion with Valdez, Alvarado chose Coastal Bend College in Beeville.

“We looked at rosters that were there for each school the previous year,” Valdez said. “Is he going to have to wait a year or two to play, or will he play right away? That matters.

“If they have to wait, you get these kids who are used to being the big dogs on campus and who are back to being the small fish in the pond once they’re in college. They get homesick, they don’t know how to deal with what is perceived as failure, their grades suffer and they end up back home.”

Valdez knows. A 1988 graduate of Edinburg High, he went the junior college route because his preferred destination, Pan American, had too many underclassmen outfielders. He went to Bacone College in Oklahoma and then returned home to play, and eventually serve as an assistant coach, for the Broncs.

Valdez is generous with his experience and time in helping his players get to the next level. But not all Valley high school coaches have been. Former Valley great Roberto Garza, of Rio Hondo, said he did not have help in his recruiting process that eventually led him to Texas A&M-Kingsville, where he was able to serve as a walk-on because a Rio Hondo alum worked as an equipment manager and knew of Garza’s talent.

“I had no idea what to do and how to do it at the time,” said Garza, who had a stellar career for the Javelinas and has spent the last 10 NFL seasons as a center for the Chicago Bears. “Nobody really showed me or explained to me what the steps were… (Rio Hondo coaches) didn’t really concern themselves with getting kids into college for sports at the time. For them, it was about the results on Friday night, and that was the extent of their jobs.”

And then there are coaches like Valdez, or Mission Veterans Memorial football coach David Gilpin, who, every season, compiles a prospect sheet with a player’s football stats, test scores, measurables, GPA, contact information, and his own evaluation. Gilpin sends the sheet out to colleges in Texas he thinks the athlete could provide a service to. He’ll then send it out to surrounding states if he’s not getting the response he’s looking for.

“I feel a tremendous responsibility to these kids for all the work and effort they put into what we’re asking them to do,” Gilpin said. “If a kid wants to go to the next level, I will do everything in my power to assist him.”

Edcouch-Elsa coach Joe Marichalar has helped send seven players to play college football during his two-year tenure at the helm of the Yellowjackets.

He remembers his days as an all-state linebacker for Edcouch-Elsa during the late 1990s. He was discovered by a Sul Ross State coach at an all-star showcase after his senior season, played two years there, and then transferred to Texas A&M-Kingsville where he finished his college career as a special teams player and backup inside linebacker.

“There was no recruiting process,” Marichalar said. “My journey was an independent one. A lot of things were done on my own. That’s why it’s a driving force for me today.

“Now that I’m in a position to help, that’s what I try and do for my guys, get them opportunities.”

WHOSE JOB IS IT?

Should it be considered a coach’s responsibility to help get his players to the next level?

Not necessarily, said Alandra Speights. Alandra is the mother of McAllen Memorial senior running back Trevor Speights, who has nine offers from colleges, including Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Missouri. Alandra and her husband were the ones to send out Trevor’s highlight tapes and information to colleges and drive him from camp to camp during the summers.

“Parents think it’s the coaches’ (responsibility),” Alandra said. “It’s not. When Trevor was 8 years old, he went to a football camp in Pharr. They talked to the parents and stressed how it was important for the parents, not the coaches, to get their kids exposed. I took that to heart. Going through the process, you realize it would be tough for one coach to do that. I’m sending out emails, always making calls, just doing whatever to get coaches in contact with Trevor.

“The coaches could do better as far as playing bigger schools outside the area, that exposure in front of big crowds, against schools outside of our element. But that’s the only thing coaches could do more of.”

Sean Patterson’s son Shea was an All-Valley football player two years ago as a freshman at Hidalgo. Now entering his senior season at IMG Academy, Shea, a verbal commit to the University of Mississippi, is the No. 9 overall player in the Class of 2016, per CBS Sports’ 247sports.com. Sean moved his family to Louisiana after five years in the Valley because of a job transfer, but he still gets calls from Valley players and parents asking for help in their own respective recruiting processes.

Sean is careful not to speak negatively of the Valley or its coaches. But he attends a plethora of camps each year with Shea and sees no representatives from the Valley.

“If a coach works hard enough to get every kid to be on a plan to play college football, he benefits,” Sean said. “That means his kids are disciplined, getting good grades and they’re going to play for something more than just a bi-district playoff game. But if you don’t have your high school coach working for you, it’s really tough.”

Many Valley coaches establish the initial contact between athletes and colleges. Edinburg Vela boys basketball coach Lalo Rios, for instance, will ask players to give him a list of 10 colleges they’d like to play for. Then he’ll make a highlight tape and send it out.

“We’re in the field of helping kids, in any shape and form,” said Rios, who knows how hard it is to get recruited in the Valley after he chose to walk-on to Pan American in 1995 after a stellar high school career at Edinburg High. “One, it makes the program look good, and, two, not all these kids have the experience and knowledge of what it takes to get to the next level. If I can help, I will.”

Sharyland High football coach Ron Adame has his players make their own highlight tapes and personal profiles through Hudl, a popular sports video content service. Adame and his staff provide the film and use their network to get the word out on players.

“It has to be a joint effort,” Adame said. “During the summer months, for example, beyond strength and conditioning, the contact we can have with our boys is limited (per UIL regulations). And so the combines and the camps and the showcases, which are big, are going to have to come from the athlete and the parents.

“It’s not the sole responsibility of the coach. It’s not the sole responsibility of the kid or parent. If we all get on the same page and do our part, it betters the opportunity.”

IN REALITY

Gilpin has been on both sides of the recruiting journey, as a parent and a coach. He said the biggest obstacle facing most parents he talks to is reality.

“Understand those full athletic scholarships are few and far between for our kids here in the Rio Grande Valley,” Gilpin said. “So many times, parents have a skewed vision of what their child is going to do. (University of Texas coach) Charlie Strong is not sitting in my office looking for a kid that he can get at 4 to 5 inches taller, 3 to 4 tenths of a second faster, elsewhere.”

Gilpin’s daughter Shania was an All-Valley volleyball player during her career at Mission Veterans Memorial. During the spring of Shania’s junior year three years ago, Gilpin made a highlight film and player profile and sent it out to every college in Texas.

“Exactly what I do for my football players,” he said.

The Division I schools said, respectfully, Shania was too small. Gilpin appreciated that.

“I needed that honesty,” Gilpin said. “I need to know what levels to look at for my daughter to play volleyball. It wasn’t about talent, it wasn’t about work ethic or commitment. It was size. Why would they recruit a 5-foot-8 or 5-9 outside hitter when they can go get a 6-1 or 6-2 player with the same vertical?”

Gilpin narrowed his focus to NAIA, NCAA Division III schools and NCAA Division II schools. Almost every DIII school he contacted was interested in Shania, as well as a few DIIs.

Shania will be a sophomore outside hitter for Texas A&M-Kingsville, a Division II program, this upcoming season.

“I took the initial steps,” Gilpin said. “I didn’t wait for a college to call or send a letter. I reached out to them. A parent can be doing the same thing I’m doing as a coach. Any parent can put together a highlight film or get film from coaches, and they can send it, too.”

Polo Gutierrez was born in Laredo and grew up in Corpus Christi. Now UTSA’s running backs coach and lead recruiter in south Texas, he said high school athletes looking to get recruited should not be dependent upon their coaches.

“The only reason I got a Division I scholarship (to play football at New Mexico State) is not because these coaches were pushing me like crazy,” Gutierrez said. “It was because my father, he had boxes and boxes and boxes of VHS tapes and he would send them out all over the country.

“It goes down to being your own promoter and putting yourself in the best situation, and now it’s a lot easier and less expensive to make a Hudl highlight tape and send it through email. It doesn’t cost anything.”

FIND A WAY

More and more, Valley coaches are starting to take pride in getting their players to the next level.

“It’s one of the reasons I got into this business,” Valdez said. “The enjoyment and satisfaction I got as a college player just getting on the bus to play 30 days of tournaments … I thought it’d be something to give a student-athlete of mine the opportunity to experience those things, not only from an athletic standpoint, but to become an educated individual to provide for their families.”

Just as Valley players and parents are becoming better educated in what the recruiting process desires, so are coaches. Edinburg Vela football coach Michael Salinas recently had a junior-senior camp day at Texas A&M-Kingsville, his alma mater. He invited all the Valley coaches and players to the camp.

Some Valley coaches take a prominent role in their kids moving on to the next level. Others don’t.

“It’s unfair for me to say what other coaches do and why,” Valdez said. “But I do know that the successful teams, they find a way to get their players to the next level.”

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For more stories, videos, photos and graphics covering recruiting in the Valley, visit themonitor.com/recruiting

DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — Like most parents of Rio Grande Valley high school student-athletes, Jesus Falcon was wary of having daughter Stephanie leave the Valley for college. The Valley has a reputation of high school student-athletes who either stay at home or don’t go too far away to continue their athletic careers, despite possibly having better opportunities elsewhere.

But the Falcons knew a good thing when they saw it, and as Stephanie signed her letter of intent Tuesday to play tennis at Saint Peter’s University in New Jersey, an NCAA Division I program that competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, it was not necessarily about playing a sport at the highest of levels. It was about the possibilities.

“I really wanted to play for a Division I school,” Falcon said. “I like that it’s different from the Valley and I think it’s going to be a good experience for me. I love the Valley and I love being home, but it’s good getting out. Being around new people and a new environment is good.”

It was something Jesus and wife Mercedes encouraged.

“She has trained since she was 10 years old,” Jesus said. “She works hard and she deserves to play Division I tennis. She’s gotten better and better and she put in the time. This opportunity is owed to her.”

Falcon, a three-time district champion and three-time regional qualifier, is the first Division I athlete for Rattlers girls tennis coach Yvette Vela, who is entering her 12th season at the school.

“It’s hope for everybody else,” Vela said. “Not many people go out of the Valley to go to the next level. It’s a difficult task for many. So what she’s doing is a great, great thing. She’s setting the benchmark.

“She’s someone everybody looks up to and she always exemplified tradition and pride.”

The turning point for Falcon came before her senior year, when she was not getting the interest from college coaches she had expected. So she asked Vela to compete in mixed doubles for the first time.

Just like her singles career, it was a success. Falcon and teammate Hector Ronquillo made it to the Class 5A regional semifinals this season.

Falcon said playing mixed doubles, against guys where the pace is faster and competition is harder, made a difference and got her noticed to Saint Peter’s. It allowed her to show off her dominant power game.

“She’s always had the desire to do better, and every year she did her best to improve,” Vela said. “She did whatever she could to become a stronger player.”

Falcon is still undecided about what she will study in college; it will either be business or physical therapy. For now, however, she’s focused on setting a higher bar for tennis in the Valley.

“I think it goes to show that it’s possible,” Falcon said. “Tennis is strong here, and it’s possible for any girl or guy to play Division I. Most parents don’t want their kids to go far from the Valley, or at all, but my parents were encouraging.

“They know I may never get this opportunity again.”

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

DONNA — Inside the helmets of Donna High’s junior varsity and varsity football players this season will be a military grade composite of which the outer layer is made of Kevlar, a fiber used in bulletproof vests and is five times stronger than steel.

The composite — which consists of a multi-layer polymer, a high density elastomeric foam, and Kevlar — is another avenue the Redskins are trying in regard to preventing concussions. The composite is an energy-dispersing agent. When an impact occurs, the energy from the force is dispersed and dissipated away from the body.

The liner absorbs so much more shock on impact that it is said to reduce the amount of concussions by 50-75 percent.

“I’ve always been proactive as far as anything having to do with safety,” Donna High coach Ramiro Leal said. “We buy knee braces for all of our offensive linemen. We know we have to protect our players, especially with the split with Donna North and how that affects our depth. I’m very optimistic this will have a big impact for our kids.”

Donna High athletic trainer Mark Lozano said there were about 15-20 concussions on all levels of Redskins football last season. However, those numbers tend to be high because concussions are classified easier these days. A student-athlete reporting to a trainer that he has a headache is regarded as a concussion case, which means a five-day evaluation period by way of a standard concussion protocol system.

The difficulty is determining which headaches are actual concussions and which are, for example, sinus-related. Leal and Lozano are optimistic the composite will help differentiate between the severe and non-severe.

“A headache with something like this protecting you, we know will be serious,” Leal said.

The composite, which costs $60 at market value, is one of two new additions to Redskins football equipment this season. Donna High skill position players and players who have suffered concussions in the past will wear new flex helmets, which cost approximately $360 each. The primary feature is a bend at the top of the helmet that allows for more give on impact.

And it’s not just football that is getting attention. Donna High boys and girls soccer players will wear black headbands made of the composite as a preventative measure against concussions.

“It’s something that’s been in the market for awhile, but it just hasn’t hit the Valley,” Lozano said of the composite. “It’s about the safety of our athletes and doing what we can. Taking proactive approaches is what we need to do.”

Donna High is believed to be the first athletics program in the Valley to use the composite in its football helmets.

“Times are changing,” Leal said, “and we have to change with the times. If they make it, we’re going to try it.”

[email protected]

DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

Hidalgo is welcoming its third coach in four years. Weslaco East is attempting to reload while sustaining its recent run of success. Edcouch-Elsa is dealing with tragedy.

Those were just some of the storylines as high school football practices started Monday morning for teams that did not go through spring ball. Energy was high, fundamentals were at a premium and every team had something to overcome.

ANOTHER NEW FACE

David Duty joins Taihi Jones and Scott Ford as leaders of Hidalgo football the last four years.

Duty, former offensive coordinator at PSJA North and an offensive line coach for Hidalgo during the late ‘90s, is challenged with reviving a program that has lost 32 of 52 games since 2010.

His first job is to establish an identity, specifically as a good defensive team with a hard-nosed running game.

“When you get hired at a place, the first thing you have to realize is why you’re there,” Duty said. “You’re not there for no reason. What I’ve found is football here is not doing as well as other sports, and kids want to gravitate around a winning program. We’re not going to change everything in a day, but we’ve got to win. These seniors have made a commitment to winning, and that’s the first step.”

One of those seniors is quarterback Peter Quiroz, who said Duty’s personality and knowledge of the game has made the transition to yet another new head coach relatively easy.

“We’re all just trying to get used to it,” said Quiroz, who was part of Hidalgo’s district championship 2012 season that also was the program’s last winning season. “As a leader, I know I have to speak up and make sure I’m on the same page with Coach so that everybody else feels comfortable in the environment we’re trying to work with.”

Duty said the Pirates had 10 more kids attend the first day of practice than last season, and he expects more Friday. Some players are attending summer college classes that won’t end until Thursday.

“I’m not just a white boy from up north,” Duty said. “I was born in downtown McAllen. I’m a Valley boy, been here all my life. I’ve been a coach here in Hidalgo before and I know what it’s like here. I picked up some kids on my way to work and brought them to offseason (workouts) this summer. The athletes I had in Hidalgo my first year here were district champs and that was the most athletic team I’ve ever coached, at any level.

“I know what Hidalgo is capable of.”

WILDCATS RELOAD

Weslaco East has won 17 combined games the last two seasons and is coming off a regional semifinal appearance last season. But with only one starter returning on offense, this season’s version of the Wildcats got off to a rough start Monday.

“Normally, I can call out 20 formations a day,” Weslaco East coach Mike Burget said. “Today, I’m calling out three. Some of it has to do with just being behind. Whether it’s lack of concentration or whatever, we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

The Wildcats’ offense is simple. It has few plays, but is based out of a lot of formations. The emphasis is on alignment. If even one player is out of place, it can throw the whole offense off.

“We know we’ve got to work with whatever we have, and we’re going to find ways to win,” said Ciro Rojas, who played safety last season but is now in the lead for the quarterback spot. “This system is about learning positions and that’s what we’ve got to focus on. The main thing is working on doing things right.”

Weslaco East lost about 3,700 rushing yards with the graduation of key playmakers, including signal-caller Darren Rivas and running back Lupe Moron. Now Rojas and Emilio Tamez will anchor the backfield, surrounded by a stout defense that returns eight starters.

“It’s got a classroom feel,” Tamez said of practice. “There are kids ahead and kids behind. But we’ll get there. Every year we go through the same thing, teaching players a bunch of new information, and every year we do fine.”

Burget, too, is not concerned. Yes, he lost some running attack, but he also has capable backs in Tamez, Fabian Castro and Chris Cardenas. And yes, only one starter on offense is back, but six linemen each started at least three games last year. Experience is there.

“We’re going to be OK,” Burget said. “We’ve got to put it all together. It’s never where you want it to be on the first day. We’ve just got to keep pushing.”

AN AID IN THE GAME

Edcouch-Elsa senior running back/receiver/quarterback Andrew Segura returned to the field Monday with a heavy heart.

Early last month, the Segura family lost middle son Anthony, who would have been an incoming freshman, during a car accident in Gonzalez, just outside of San Antonio. Segura’s mother, father and younger brother were also involved in the accident. His mother and younger brother are OK, and his father recently was removed from ICU in San Antonio but is still in a dire situation.

Being back on the field was a welcomed sight for Segura, one of the Yellowjackets’ top playmakers.

“Football gives me a chance to not worry about anything at home and I can come back to my friends and laugh and play a game I love,” Segura said. “It makes me feel better. Football makes you feel like you’re your own person out there, like you can do anything.”

During the last few weeks, Segura’s primary focus was being a rock of strength for his family. Coach Joe Marichalar texted often every day, asking about his player’s well-being. Teammates communicated consistently with stories about workouts.

“We’re here for each other,” senior running back Tey Valdez said. “It’s a community on this field. We’re all brothers, all a part of this team. We have to be positive for him, we have to be here for him. We’re not going to let him down.”

Segura was quiet in going about his work during practice. He took some snaps at quarterback and exhibited a determined, if not solemn, focus. Marichalar said there will be constant one-on-one talks with Segura to gauge his mindset as practices go on.

“I haven’t been put in a situation like this before, but one thing for sure is we’re going to be there for Andrew,” Marichalar said. “The game can be a good therapy and we’re going to help him out.

“For his sake, he’s probably going to be a bit more inspired. His brother was a part of this game too, and playing for him is probably the biggest thing Andrew can do.”

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

As Bob Aparicio enters his 25th year in the Rio Grande Valley, and eighth as president of the Valley Athletic Trainers Association, the Mission High athletic trainer said his primary concern this high school football season is the same it’s been the last handful of years.

“For all of us athletic trainers, it’s the likelihood of concussions or head injuries,” Aparicio said. “I think us down here in the Valley have done a good job trying to curve that.”

As another season kicks off today for teams that did not go through spring football, Aparicio is wary, but proud.

Though he said it would “be really hard to estimate” how many concussions there have been in Valley varsity football the last few years – the VATA does not share an injury database, so most athletic trainers are only familiar with their own school’s circumstances – Aparicio is grateful for how the organization and its trainers have gone about treating them.

When Texas House Bill 2038 passed in June 2011, it became easier for athletic trainers to emphasize rules and regulations in the treatment of concussions. The bill specifically related to the prevention, treatment and oversight of the injury in regard to high school student-athletes.

The important aspect of treating concussions is what is called the return-to-play evaluation. A student-athlete suspected of a concussion is referred to a physician for further testing. Each school district has a return-to-play protocol it must abide by.

When the student-athlete is cleared to participate again, each district has a five-day progression period as the athlete returns to full activity/contact.

Aparicio said Valley athletic trainers have taken a proactive approach to return-to-play protocols, even when there is no set protocol to go by.

“The post-care (of concussions) is more controlled,” PSJA Southwest athletic trainer Erica Martinez said. “I’d say it’s (concussions) become even less of an issue. With new laws, it makes it easier for us when it comes to dealing with coaches, parents and athletes.”

Aside from the proper treatment of concussions as a point of emphasis, there are other concerns for athletic trainers.

Aparicio knows he will encounter some sort of heat-related instances as the Eagles start practices this morning. He said most of those will be suffered by kids who did not exercise or diet properly during the summer and are now being thrown into a physically intense environment.

“Most schools now have summer strength and conditioning programs, but not all kids attend,” Aparicio said. “So if you don’t do anything for three months as an athlete, you’re not going to be very productive. I know I’m going to see conditions like that.

“Our school and other schools do a good job giving kids an opportunity to train and prepare for the fall season. It’s just a matter of if kids take advantage of that.”

For the most part, however, Aparicio is encouraged with student-athletes taking their health more seriously. That means staying hydrated and attempting to stick to a proper diet.

“In my experience, I have not had a serious injury with heat illness, knock on wood,” Aparicio said. “A lot of it has to do with our student-athletes. These young men and women are used to it and they know what to do about it. It’s just about being proactive and educating these kids about how to prevent heat-related illness.”

Martinez said aside from the usual array of ankle and knee injuries, collarbone injuries are becoming more common as well.

Collarbone injuries hampered the seasons of Donna High quarterback Amonte Bowen and Grulla receiver Leo Martinez, among others, last year. At the varsity level, the injury can occur when a ballcarrier tries to extend himself further for extra yards on a play, leaving his upper body vulnerable to oncoming collisions with defenders as he lands.

“It’s an injury we see, for sure, every year,” Martinez said. “I usually have at least two a year, mostly at the lower levels because their muscles are still developing.”

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

Amonte Bowen was ready to take the reins as Donna High’s quarterback last season. A collarbone injury suffered in the team’s final scrimmage of the preseason, however, limited him to just two games.

Now a senior, Bowen is ready to give it another shot as preseason practices start up Monday. He is one of a few Rio Grande Valley high school football players looking for a rebirth of sorts after experiencing injury-plagued 2014 seasons.

“It’s my last year and the last time I’ll be able to call myself a Redskin,” Bowen said. “I’ve been waiting all offseason, all summer, so when I step back onto that field, it’s nothing but excellence. I’m excited.”

Every athlete deals with injury differently. Bowen found solace in still being on the field, with the exception of Friday nights. During practices he’d watch and mentor quarterback Edward Daugherty and offer pick-me-ups to whoever needed it.

“What I tell our guys is injuries are just a part of the game,” Donna High coach Ramiro Leal said. “But they’re still a part of the team. The components of the team are complicated — starters, backups, managers, trainers, coaches, supporters. It’s just switching roles. An injury doesn’t mean you no longer have any importance.”

Bowen learned from the situation. On the play he got injured, he put his shoulder into a defender, searching for extra yards for a first down. That defender came down and “took out my legs,” Bowen said, forcing Bowen to land with his upper body. Another defender came from behind and fell on top of him. That’s when Bowen heard a snap.

“I watch that play over and over knowing I could’ve just run out of bounds and avoided contact,” Bowen said. “This year I’m not going to risk my body to keep moving the chains. I won’t put it in danger anymore like I used to.”

Bowen worked all offseason on shoulder strength and conditioning. He said he’s never been in better shape as a Redskin.

His return will boost Donna High’s offense. With the Redskins a favorite for the District 32-5A championship, Bowen provides a welcomed dynamic with his versatility — he played quarterback, tailback, receiver and tight end as a sophomore — and strength.

“Wherever coach puts me, I’m going to give my best and do whatever I can to help this team,” Bowen said.

OTHER PLAYERS LOOKING TO REBOUND FROM INJURY:

JOSEPH GAMEZ, PSJA MEMORIAL SR. DEFENSIVE END: The 5-foot-11, 205-pound Gamez was expected to be a defensive stalwart for the Wolverines last year, but he tore his ACL during the second game of the season. His recovery, however, has been impressive. “As far as work ethic, he’s second to none,” PSJA Memorial first-year coach Michael Uribe said. “He missed no days during strength and conditioning. He is 100 percent cleared and he looks great, and because of his hard work we expect big things from him this season because he deserves it.”

ISAAC VELA, MERCEDES SR. RUNNING BACK: Vela hurt his leg during a Sept. 15 practice, missed three games and then played in bits as he was never completely healthy the rest of the way. In all, he played in just 6 of 11 games for the Tigers. “He’s had a tremendous spring,” Mercedes coach Roger Adame said. “He put on about 15 pounds of muscle and his speed is still there. He’s full go. He’s everything we expect out of a senior and he’s determined and motivated to leave his mark here at Mercedes. We lean on his leadership.”

LEO MARTINEZ, GRULLA SR. WIDE RECEIVER: A collarbone injury also haunted Grulla’s top pass-catcher during 2014. Martinez suffered the injury during the preseason last year and was sorely missed. He was sidelined the first six games of the season, all Grulla losses. Martinez’s presence will help juice a Gators offense that averaged 13.6 points last season.

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

Though he’s close to earning his PGA Tour card, there was a point last year when Abraham Ancer never felt further from that goal.

A McAllen native who graduated from Sharyland High, Ancer lost his father Abraham Sr. to heart problems in January and suffered a bad back injury in July that kept him away from golf for two months.

“It was a terrible year for me,” Ancer said of 2014. “I was just in a bad spot the whole year.”

But it turned out for the best. Ancer, 24, could hardly walk during the couple of months of rehab, but he saw a sports psychologist and spent a lot of time with family and friends in dealing with the loss of his father, the man responsible for first putting a golf club in Ancer’s hand “when I was in diapers.”

“It was the best thing that happened to me, being able to take some time off, talk to some people about what had been going on in my life and working through that,” Ancer said. “It gave me time to heal physically and emotionally.”

Less than a year later, Ancer stands No. 5 on the Web.com Tour regular season money list rankings ($192,945 total year-to-date money). With six more tournaments left this year, Ancer will earn his PGA Tour card if he finishes in the top 25. He will have an opportunity to enhance his standing with a playoff tournament between the top 25 and the worst 75 players on the PGA Tour at the end of the year.

“Everybody I talk to says I’m sitting pretty,” Ancer said. “I’ll get my card. I just need to keep playing well, and that’s my focus.”

THE PROCESS

Ancer was born in McAllen, but moved to Reynosa not long after that. He moved back to the states, to Mission, when he was 14 years old.

He played his first golf tournament when he was 6 years old and played amateur tournaments in Mexico. At Sharyland High, he qualified for state individually his junior and senior years.

“He was very disciplined,” said Fernando Rodriguez, Ancer’s coach at Sharyland and in his 15th year as a golf coach for the Rattlers. “He was always willing to do the little things to get better. His aspiration was always about making it to the big-time. He’s put in the work to do so.

“I never had to tell him to work on his game or what to work on. He’d do it on his own. He was a humble young man who’s always known what he’s wanted.”

It showed during Ancer’s senior year at the regional golf tournament in 2009 at Fort Worth. Ancer had to make par on hole No. 18 to advance to state. A bogey would force a play-off.

“My nerves were crazy,” Rodriguez said. “It was a 10-foot putt, and here I was behind a tree, just waiting with my eyes closed. I didn’t even know what happened until I heard the applause.

“Of course he nailed it.”

Ancer never let up. He attended Odessa Junior College his freshman year, receiving the 2010 Jack Nicklaus Award as the Golf Coaches Association of America junior college player of the year, before heading to Oklahoma and finishing second in school history in career scoring average in relation to par, behind only three-time All-American Anthony Kim.

Ancer turned pro after graduating as a Sooner in 2013.

“Getting to the PGA Tour has been my dream since I was a kid,” Ancer said. “From Mexico to Mission to Odessa to Oklahoma. I’ve enjoyed the process. I’ve learned a lot, and learned a little bit at every stage in my life to help me get to this spot.”

THE REBOUND

Losing his father and suffering a back injury could have derailed Ancer’s prospects. Instead, it clarified things for him.

“That first day I was able to step back on the course last October was big for me,” Ancer said. “Spending two months without touching a club was tough, and it was then that I knew my dream was my dad’s dream and this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”

The dream is now closer than ever. In his 13th tournament of the year earlier this month, Ancer won the Nova Scotia Open with a 15-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff. It was his first Web.com Tour title, and launched him from 32 on the rankings list to No. 4 at the time.

A little more than a year ago, Ancer said he had no motivation. All he could think about was his father and how he was putting a lot of pressure on himself to make opportunities count as he fought through “Q” school, the annual qualifying tournaments for leading tours such as the PGA.

But now Ancer is calm. He’s confident again. And, still, all he can think about is his father.

“It was huge,” Ancer said of the win. “I’d had a taste of it at the beginning of the season in Brazil, where I finished second. That opened my eyes that I can compete at this level. I’m just being more patient and that’s what helped me in Nova Scotia. Trust in your abilities and it will come at the right time. I just felt really confident with my whole game that week.

“It was for my dad, that win. He was there with me.”

Ancer’s only true coach throughout his career had been his father. He never had a swing coach as an amateur. He doesn’t have a professional coach. Rodriguez and Oklahoma coach Ryan Hybl simply left him alone because there wasn’t really anything to tweak.

Ancer hits straight shots, almost always finds the fairways and the greens, and “if the putter’s working, it’s going to be a great week.”

But Ancer — who has dual citizenship in the US and Mexico, but represents the latter as a pro because that’s where he grew up and learned the sport — is the golfer he is because of the work he’s put in, and the work he’s put in has been because of his father.

“I never would say I’m the best player, but that’s the mentality I have,” Ancer said. “It’s about knowing that you’re working hard, and the way you’re working is the right way.”

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

As the Manning Passing Academy celebrates its 20th anniversary this week, it’s a bittersweet moment for Donna High senior quarterback Edward Dougherty.

Dougherty, who threw for 450 yards and ran for 697 more as a first-year starter for the run-dominant Redskins in 2014, has attended the annual four-day camp the last four years. This year is his last, as the camp — initiated by former New Orleans Saints great Archie Manning and his sons to help develop young athletes — is only open to players in grades 9-12 in high school.

“It’s a great experience,” Dougherty said. “You get to meet the Mannings and college quarterbacks. I just try and soak it all in, especially with this being my last year. I’m going to miss it.

“My big thing is paying attention to the fundamentals and techniques and every single thing they teach you.”

Dougherty said he’s seen considerable improvement in his leadership skills, footwork and arm strength, crediting the camp, which attends to offensive skill position players, for the progress. Dougherty specifically stressed the importance of staying “even-keel” as a quarterback, never getting too high or too low.

“In order to get people to follow you, you have to earn their respect,” Peyton Manning tells the campers, according to The Associated Press. “The best way to earn their respect is maybe not necessarily by talking to them. It’s by showing them. By being the first one out there. By being the last one off the field, working hard, kind of earning that platform.”

Archie’s sons Peyton and Eli, of the Denver Broncos and New York Giants, respectively, help lead the camp, along with an assortment of big-name college quarterbacks.

This year, some of those names include TCU’s Trevone Boykin, Oklahoma’s Trevor Knight and Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg. In the past, players like Jameis Winston (the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft) and Marcus Mariota (the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft) have worked the camp.

In all, there are 37 college quarterbacks and approximately 1,200 participants at this year’s camp, which concludes Sunday. There are about 10-12 kids per coach, allowing for a more intimate setting for instruction.

Other than Dougherty, other Rio Grande Valley athletes in attendance include Donna High receivers Bo Barrera and Jonathan Sandoval, and McAllen Rowe quarterback Hector Bosquez, among others.

“They’re very rule-oriented at the camp,” said Luis Dougherty, Edward’s father. “They expect professionalism. They emphasize being timely. They have kids from 47 different states, and even from other countries. The experience opens eyes.”

Dougherty had the opportunity to work with Peyton Manning on Friday. Dougherty said Manning emphasized eye placement split down the field and keeping feet moving in the pocket.

This year the camp is hosted at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana. The camp schedule is rigid. There is a 6:30 a.m. wake-up call, three two-hour practices per day and a curfew of 11 p.m.

Participants can choose to be a day camper or overnight camper. Dougherty has been an overnight camper each of his four years.

“I like the independence. It’s like a college routine,” he said. “You’re set by a schedule; you’re off on your own on campus. You’re staying in dorms. It just gives you an idea of how things will be after high school.”

Registration is open every October for the camp. Cost is $605 for overnight campers and $460 for day campers. A $100 non-refundable deposit is necessary.

“Edward came up to me when he was in eighth grade and told me about the camp,” Luis said. “He’s a huge Peyton Manning fan. The camp teaches just like how Peyton is — solid work ethic, playing the game right. Playing smart.”

For Edward, who also attended a University of Florida week-long camp a few weeks ago and has aspirations of being a Gator, the experience is priceless.

“You just learn so much, you get better, and it gets you prepared for the season,” Dougherty said. “We have district title hopes this year. We want a deeper playoff run this year. We’re all working to achieve our goals.”

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