DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

DONNA —After the second session of two-a-days under first-year coach Matthew Rokovich on Monday, Donna North players delivered the typical over-exaggerated platitudes common for this time of year.

They expressed eagerness, joy, optimism, confidence, and, perhaps most of all, belief.

“There’s going to be a lot more effort,” senior offensive lineman Juan Martinez said. “You can tell. You can see it in the players’ eyes. Everybody’s running hard. It’s going to be good for us.”

Why? Why is this year going to be different for the Chiefs than the previous two, when they lost 19 of 20 games?

“I see a difference in the coaching staff,” Martinez answered. “They push us more. Everything starts with leadership, and Coach Rok is a great leader and we have confidence in him.”

It will be a matter of time before Martinez is designated a soothsayer or another young man hungry to buy into the hype of change.

What Rokovich has done, however, since he was hired in early January, is rejuvenate the program stylistically. He plans to change the Chiefs’ personality and schematics as well, but it’s yet to be seen whether that will produce any results better than that of previous coach Tommy Sauceda.

“He brings so much intensity,” defensive end Zac Salazar said. “It’s an incredible feeling playing at that amount of speed and power every single play, even the first day of practice. It’s still early. We’re still trying to get to know everyone, coaches and players. But we’re improving in succeeding in the type of coaching he’s bringing.”

Rokovich, 55, takes the helm of Donna North after spending the last three years as an assistant coach at Donna High. His last head coaching gig came 1995-1997, when he compiled an 11-19 overall record at Brackettville.

Much has changed since then. Rokovoch is sure, though, the basics of football remain the same, and he’s certain he can bring that foundation to the Chiefs.

“Football evolves. The game is ever-changing,” Rokovich said. “But there’s still a few things you have to do to win games. Offensively, you have to know how to block, and that goes for everybody. Offensive linemen have to get off blocks and stay on blocks. Backs have to run with vision and hit holes hard. Defensively, you’ve got to tackle and get to the ball.”

Though he hasn’t been a head coach since Bill Clinton was president, Rokovic boasts versatile experience in his 33 years on the sidelines. His career began at Laredo Martin, and since then his stops have included stints at Donna High, Weslaco High and Weslaco East. He also served as Donna ISD’s assistant athletic director last season and its interim athletic director in 2014.

His expertise comes along the offensive line. Rokovich is quick to tell anyone that he has coached 26 offensive linemen to all-state honors over the course of his career.

“He’s taught me a lot,” Martinez said. “It’s about hand placement, steps, balance. He shows us a lot of stuff. The mindset is simple: it’s to win our battles. He’s changed the tempo around here and he’s pushing us more and more.”

As Rokovich challenges players, the players challenge him.

“More so now, kids have so much more going on outside the game, off the field,” Rokovich said. “So much more stuff takes them away from football. There are your kids who are dedicated and who you know you can count on, but more and more there are kids who you wonder if they even like football. There’s so many more distractions now.”

The change is an adjustment to everyone at Donna North, which is in transition academically as well with the hiring of Belinda Vega as the new principal. In a way, a new era is taking place down North Val Verde road. Rokovich is a new face, bringing a new offense —ditching the spread for the multiple I-formation — and a new multiple defensive front.

Though he will employ a methodical game of football, everything else is about pace. No walking around. Sprinting into huddles. Consistent communication. Demonstrative coaching.

There is a sense of urgency, though there always is this time of year. Rokovich and the Chiefs hope it’s permanent.

“It feels like when you’ve just bought a brand new pick-up truck,” Salazar said. “You get more stuff with it. It’s nice and pretty, and it’s an amazing feeling to go from what we had to what we have now. If we’re 30 points up or 30 points down, we’re going to come at you with everything we have.

“It’s like going from 0 to 100, but we’re working to stay there.”

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DENNIS SILVA II AND GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITERS

In his second season at the helm of Hidalgo, David Duty has made significant strides developing the culture he desires for the Pirates.

“Last year, it was all just about football when I got here April 1. We had to hit the ground running,” Duty said. “We had to learn, because it was a new offense, a new defense. This year, we were able to do more things. We got more kids in our athletic period, we went through a boot camp. We made some philosophical changes that we feel good about. I brought in a couple more staff members that fit my mold. I feel real good.”

Those staff members include running backs coach Robert Meza and outside linebackers coach Elias Esquivel, both of whom bring familiarity with Duty as past colleagues.

“You’ve got to surround yourself with loyalty and guys who know what to expect,” Duty said. “This program was kind of in a rut before I got here. They were used to doing it a certain way, and we’re trying to build the mentality of the (Class) 6As to the 4A. Before I got here, football was treated like a seasonal sport. It’s not that way. You have to work year-round in this sport. But we’re getting there, and I feel a whole lot better about our base knowledge of the game.”

Long-term, the biggest change made this offseason for Hidalgo may have come at the junior high level.

Hidalgo ISD awarded Duty coordinators to go to Diaz Junior High, which Duty said “was not geared toward football,” and work with seventh and eighth graders during their athletic period. Duty brought in Chris Rodriguez as his junior high coordinator.

Rodriguez previously worked with Duty at PSJA Memorial and also worked as a defensive coordinator at Grulla High.

“A varsity defensive coordinator coming down to be a junior high coordinator for a couple of years, that’s huge,” Duty said.

Duty clearly has a plan in motion that is working. In his 15 months leading the Pirates, Duty has tripled the amount of kids in the football athletic period, from 22 to 66.

“This community had gotten away from football,” Duty said. “It had been put on the backburner after (Scott) Ford had left and we’re trying to put it back in the forefront. Other sports here are doing really well and we want to match that intensity.”

AIRING IT OUT?

Playing his first season at Weslaco East as a sophomore last year, quarterback Richard LeFevre quickly learned an important lesson about the Wildcats offense.

“We’re going to run the ball,” LeFevre said. “No matter where we’re at.”

Weslaco East gained 81.5 percent of its offensive yardage on the ground last season. The contrast was starker in 2014, with the running game racking up 93.9 percent of the team’s total yards from scrimmage.

But with the 6-foot-4 LeFevre showing promise in the passing game, East coach Mike Burget is tempted to make a major offensive change.

“Weslaco East has wanted a throwing team for a long time, and I honestly would love to have a throwing team,” Burget said. “I’ve had some good quarterbacks, but none like this kid here. He can throw the ball across the field on a dime. We’re going to open it up this year. We’re going to throw the ball a lot more this year.”

Talk of adjusted playcalling and offensive balance are easy to find in the opening days of practice, but LeFevre boasts the skill set to support a shift.

A first-time varsity starter last season after transferring to the program from Ben Bolt, LeFevre completed 46 of 89 passes for 731 yards and 10 touchdowns against one interception.

“We’re definitely going to spread it out more,” Burget said. “There are going to be some new formations, but if you look at it in the past, we’ve run spread sets. We’ve always spread it to run the ball. This year, we’re going to spread it to throw the ball.”

Burget said East will head to the line of scrimmage with the intention of passing on “the majority” of plays, though LeFevre will have the option to check into a run.

He’s earned that trust due to his football smarts — the result of his father, Jeff, being a coach. Jeff was the head coach at Ben Bolt for 11 years and now serves as East’s receivers coach and passing coordinator.

With LeFevre boasting the arm strength to snap off throws from sideline to sideline, the Wildcats can expand their route tree to include more outs and corners. LeFevre has also shown the ability to tuck the ball and pick up yardage on the ground when necessary, proving a load to bring down at about 265 pounds.

LeFevre said he felt a little rusty on the first day of practice, but looks forward to potentially working in a different style of offense.

“I think (Burget) wants to change it up a little bit,” LeFevre said. “By that, it means more balance on both sides of the ball. And the tempo is going.”

STARTING EARLY

Eighteen Upper and Mid-Valley programs got a head start on training camp Monday because they did not participate in spring ball.

The 14 teams that did participate in spring ball and have to wait until next week to start up: McAllen High, PSJA Memorial, PSJA North, Mission Veterans Memorial, McAllen Memorial, Edinburg North, Sharyland High, Sharyland Pioneer, Edinburg High, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, Mission High, McAllen Rowe, Edinburg Vela and Edinburg Economedes.

DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

Texas is one of two states — Massachusetts is the other — that plays by NCAA rules when it comes to high school football. But one of the most significant elements of those rules, the cut block, is dying.

The cut block is defined as a block below the waist. Proposals have been made to the UIL to eliminate the cut block. For now, alterations are being made to how cut blocks are employed. The latest rule change is that now cut blocks are confined to a 6-7-yard box between the tackles on the offensive line. Cut blocks are no longer permissible past the line of scrimmage.

As training camps start Monday morning with the 2016 high school football season on the horizon, the latest change in the rule is another step toward the eventual dismissal of the cut block for safety reasons.

“Personally speaking, there are a lot of teams that rely so heavily on the cut block, especially running teams,” Sharyland High coach Ron Adame said. “Even us, when we used to run the wing-T, it was a big part of the scheme, to cut at the line of scrimmage. But this is all meant for the protection of our players, and as players and coaches we just have to get used to it.

“I would anticipate a big impact,” Adame added. “The game is played on your feet. When you cut somebody, you’re taking away their base and their ability to move. It will force a lot of teams to alter their blocking schemes.”

The Rio Grande Valley primarily features teams that run the ball, whether under the center or in a shotgun look. Of the 30 teams in the Upper and Mid-Valley, only six had passing yards account for more than 52.2 percent of their total yards.

But Valley coaches that favor heavy ground-and-pound offenses do not use the cut block as often as one might think. Roma coach Max Habecker Jr., who leads a team that had running yards account for 84.3 percent of its total yards last season, does not teach or use the cut block expect for minimal situations. He prefers emphasizing the hands in the Gladiators’ blocking schemes.

“The teams that do (cut block) a lot, it’s a great advantage to them,” Habecker Jr. said. “The cut block is something that is pretty popular in football in general, not just Valley teams. A lot of people use it in a lot of different manners. But I do see people making adjustments now if we think it’s only a matter of time before it becomes illegal.”

Weslaco High’s Tony Villarreal feels that the UIL is more focused on the “high-low” block, which he said takes place often in spread offenses. A defensive tackle will engage the opposing offensive guard around chest height and then the center will chop block, a cut block at the knees, the defensive tackle.

Villarreal does not see cut blocking as much of a major issue in comparison to the chop block.

“I’m going to do whatever the UIL wants,” Villarreal said. “I don’t care; we’ll modify as necessary because we care about safety. The high-low (block) is the only thing I care about because it causes severe injury. Our aiming point is the thigh pad, and circumstances may dictate that we end up hitting lower, but that’s a one-on-one situation. It’s not a high-low where another guy comes in to hit. Our aiming point is hit you in the mouth or the thigh pad.”

McAllen High coach Kevin Brewer was taught to use the cut block in certain situations, depending on the defender’s reaction, when he played the offensive line for TCU from 1991-1995. But he does not condone the cut block, and in 21 years he said he has not coached his kids to cut block from any position.

“We were taught to cut in college,” Brewer said. “I didn’t think that much about it at the time, because that was my job, but when I started coaching, I didn’t want to teach my kids to jump around and flop around on the ground. We’re going to stay up and block with our feet and hands and move our hips. I’ve never in my career taught cut blocking. I think it’s lazy. I think it’s cheap. I think it’s dirty.”

In his fourth year at the helm of the Bulldogs, Brewer said he is seeing the cut block utilized less and less by teams in the Valley.

“There are teams that use it here and there,” he said. “Ten or 15 years ago, you’d play a team that ran the veer or wishbone and they were cutting every single play. You don’t see it as much anymore. There’s some slot (formation) teams that do some cutting on sweep plays and stuff like that, or I-(formation) teams on the toss sweep …but there’s not a lot. With more spread offenses, you don’t see it as much.

“But it’s part of the game right now. I think it will move to the point where they’re going to outlaw it altogether, and that’ll be a happy day for me. Then it will be a fair playing field.”

The recent rule change was the hot topic of conversation at the Texas High School Coaches Association convention earlier this month. Many coaches agree with the prospect of eliminating the cut block in order to assure the student-athlete’s safety. But many also have concerns about how it will be officiated.

“It will take some games of experience, but those guys (officials) are trained for all the new rule changes,” Adame said. “The better ones will do their research, studying and interpreting the rules. I’m sure at the beginning of the season, it will really be looked at, but who knows what course it may take as the season goes on.”

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

Sharyland High baseball coach Junior Martinez recently stepped down from his post to spend more time with his wife Veronica, who has multiple sclerosis.

“She’s not getting better or worse, but I need to be there for her,” said Martinez, who said Veronica goes to Houston every three months for check-ups.

Martinez will still be with the Rattlers’ program, remaining on as a varsity first assistant coach.

“I don’t have the flexibility (to leave and attend to Veronica) as a head coach,” Martinez said Saturday afternoon. “I need to be there for her. I decided it’d be best for the family to step back. It’s strictly based on my family.

“Sharyland’s been good for me and I enjoy it here. But I didn’t want to continue this position knowing in the back of my mind that there are other priorities.”

In three years at the helm of the Rattlers, Martinez went 52-31.

On Saturday afternoon, former Sharyland High coach Bart Bickerton told The Monitor via text message that he will be the head coach of the Rattlers.

Bickerton compiled a 382-76 record in 15 years at the helm of Sharyland High before stepping down in 2013. Since then, he has been the head coach at Mercedes (2014) and Brownsville Porter (2015) and was an assistant coach at Port Isabel this season.

Bickerton led the Rattlers to 12 district championships and helped progress the talents of Tres Barrera, Eric Gutierrez and others.

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

After losing two of three games in an intense Pool H field on Friday, Mercedes completed its stint at the state 7 on 7 football tournament in College Station with one of the best finishes for a Rio Grande Valley program.

The Tigers went 3-1 in the consolation bracket on Saturday, topping McAllen Memorial (39-25), Mesquite (26-13) and Sharyland Pioneer (32-13) before falling to consolation runner-up A&M Consolidated, 48-6.

Mercedes’ run was the best for a Valley team at the state 7-on-7 tournament since Weslaco High reached the consolation semis in 2013. The best run by a Valley team came in 2007, when San Benito upended McAllen Rowe in the consolation championship game.

The Tigers finished 4-3 at state this year.

“We knew we were going to play some big dogs and we were excited to show the state what Mercedes is all about,” junior quarterback Zach Gomez said. “Our goal when this all started in March was to make it here and do well. For it to all fold out like it did, it was a great experience and I know these guys will die for one another.”

Gomez and junior linebacker Roger Adame III credited a 21-20 loss to DeSoto on Friday for their success on Saturday. The Tigers came a two-point conversion short of upsetting the north Texas powerhouse.

“We played two close games Friday,” Adame said. “DeSoto could’ve gone either way and we just fell short. It didn’t go our way. Today, we played with a lot of confidence after that game.”

Added Gomez: “I feel like it boosted our confidence and it showed us we can hang with the big dogs. It was on me, honestly. I was trying to call a play that would get one of my guys open and it came up short. Held the ball too long. That’s how it goes sometimes.”

After the DeSoto game, Gomez said the team gathered at its hotel to discuss routes and what was working and what wasn’t. Saturday, that was the difference. The chemistry on the field was stronger. Routes were run sharper and Gomez’s timing was on point.

“We just have to be a bit quicker and faster, and I have to make reads faster,” Gomez said. “If we do that, we’ll be OK.”

This was Mercedes’ fifth appearance at the state tournament. Once two-a-days start in August, the Tigers will likely be contenders for the District 32-5A championship, which they fell a win shy of last season.

With 12 sophomores seeing significant playing time last season, Mercedes has the core, and now the experience, to compete for its second district title in three years.

“There are a lot of guys out here that can ball,” Adame said. “It’s going to take a lot to get there and compete with them. We wanted all five games to get to the championship, but it didn’t happen. Once we found out we’re in consolation, we just wanted to do the best we could. We’re proud of the accomplishment, but it’s just more motivation going forward.”

In consolation play Saturday, McAllen Memorial’s loss to Mercedes finished its state stay. The Mustangs went 1-3 at the tournament in their first state appearance since 2002.

Sharyland Pioneer, making its debut at the state tournament, went 2-1 in consolation Saturday, beating El Paso Eastwood 41-20 and Clear Brook 41-38 before losing to the Tigers. The Diamondbacks went 2-4 at state.

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — Each of the previous two years, Sharyland Pioneer 7-on-7 coach Jordan Lee and incoming senior Alec Garcia talked about making the state tournament.

“We knew it’d be a big step as far as getting valuable experience going into the real season in the fall,” Lee said.

The first year in 2014 didn’t go so well. Last season, Pioneer fell short of reaching that goal, losing to Edcouch-Elsa in the semifinals of a state qualifying tournament. This season, however, history was made.

The Diamondbacks are headed to the state 7-on-7 tournament in College Station this weekend for the first time. Pioneer opens against Plano East at 1 p.m. Friday.

“We have a lot more experience now, but I also think our guys are just practicing harder and a lot more dedicated to this stuff,” said Garcia, a slot receiver. “That’s why we’re here. We’re putting in a lot more work. Once two-a-days get here, we’re going to be that much better.”

The Diamondbacks have a plethora of pure athletes: running back Brandon Casas, receivers Garcia, Bobby Acosta and Mike Madrigal, and sophomore quarterback Jacob Rosales. But a pivotal reason behind their summer success is a more modern philosophy, incorporated by new offensive coordinator Eddie Galindo, which has taken advantage of those weapons on the field.

These days, the Diamondbacks are playing faster and making more of an emphasis to use the whole field offensively.

“It’s a faster pace, much more spread out,” said the 6-foot-3 Madrigal. “It’s not as slow as it used to be. It’s simplifying things for us. We’re going to be going quicker and faster, but things won’t be as complicated.”

The new offense comes at a perfect time for Rosales, who has quickly impressed his teammates and coaches. The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder has drawn praise for his arm strength and ability to read coverages.

“He is a young guy, but he knows the game well,” said Lee, 22-year-old son of Pioneer athletic coordinator Tom Lee. “You can tell when he steps on the field that he will be seasoned and he’s going to be ready for the bright lights. He’s going to be one of the best quarterbacks no one’s ever heard of.”

While they certainly have the physical tools, players have changed their approach to summer training.

Madrigal said the team is more of a family this year and has shown greater commitment to everything, from strength and conditioning to running more routes after practices. The Diamondbacks’ summer workload is heavier as well.

Lee said the team has played 20 more games than it did during last summer’s 7-on-7 season, and that has paid off, particularly for players acclimating to a new offense.

During the fall last season, Pioneer won six games, twice the amount it won during its inaugural year of varsity ball in 2014. Now the Diamondbacks are talking playoffs and taking another big step in establishing a foundation.

“Just being able to make it to state 7-on-7 is going to help us so much,” Madrigal said. “We’re going to have to learn to play a complete game. It can’t be just the offense scoring and no defense, or the defense getting stops and no offense. It’s a big boost of confidence and the competition we’re going to see is going to be key for us.

“We want to prove a point to everybody that we’re a team that can’t be taken lightly.”

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Sharyland Pioneer

7-on-7 state appearances: 2016

Friday schedule

Pool E

1 p.m.: vs. Plano East

3 p.m.: vs. Dickinson

5 p.m.: vs. Harker Heights

Top two teams in each pool advance to championship bracket and play Saturday

DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

MERCEDES — Though Mercedes’ football players admit their run to the state 7-on-7 tournament — which, for them, begins 2 p.m. Friday against Tomball Memorial in College Station — isn’t the end-all, be-all for their promise as a football team, they acknowledge it is a significant step in the right direction.

Mercedes has been a buzzsaw during the summer season, winning 49 of 52 games in qualifying for its fifth state 7-on-7 tournament.

“Playing 50-something games is a lot of games, a crazy amount,” said incoming junior linebacker Roger Adame III, a 2015 all-state honoree. “But all of our work in strength and conditioning put us in good shape to handle that. And these games are experience, as far as knowing routes, and timing and coverages. We get more and more reps.”

This fall, the Tigers have goals of a second district championship in three years and a deep playoff run. Eight sophomores saw fulltime starting roles last season, and four more sophomores started at one point or another.

“We’re a brotherhood here,” incoming junior quarterback Zach Gomez said. “We took it to heart when we lost to Sharyland (a 10-point bi-district playoff defeat), when we were doubted almost every single game last year. We take it personal.”

If anything has been said or written about Mercedes football, odds are these Tigers are aware of it. Hanging all over the fieldhouse are sheets of paper with Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine’s District 32-5A preseason rankings, which have Mercedes second behind projected district champ Edcouch-Elsa.

“We pay attention to stuff like that,” Adame said. “We beat Edcouch the last two years and they’re ranked first? But I know that’s the way it goes sometimes. We just try and keep that workmanlike mentality and come out and do our jobs.”

Since their loss to the Rattlers last season, the Tigers have either been in the weight room or on the track. The work has paid off on the field.

Offensively, receivers are running tighter routes and dropped balls are a rarity. Gomez, who has participated in six football camps this summer and is planning an unofficial visit to Texas A&M, has put on weight and added more zip to his passes. Defensively, the Tigers are quicker to the ball and in adjusting to schemes.

“There’s a maturity to this team that’s impressive,” 7-on-7 coach Randy Smith said. “You ask them, ‘When did you all start getting ready for this season?’ And they’ll tell you it was right as soon as last season ended. They’ve been at this for months.

“This state tournament is a culmination of all of that work. It didn’t just start this summer.”

While the Tigers are physically stronger, the bigger difference may be in the chemistry.

Players say there was too much arguing between one another last season. There were cliques around this time last year, with incoming freshmen and sophomores hanging together and incoming seniors hanging out on their own.

Now, Adame said, players will call each other just to check in. The offense encourages the defense. The defense encourages the offense.

“There were too many people putting their heads down after bad plays last year,” incoming junior defensive back Ivan Vela said. “Too many people arguing with each other. This summer, we’re clicking. We talk things through. We pick each other up.”

The Tigers have bonded together in a joint mission to quiet the doubters.

Mercedes is annually one of the toughest defenses in the Valley. The offense is blossoming into a powerhouse. A 2014 district championship banner hangs on the fence surrounding the 10-month old stadium on campus, and this is essentially the same returning group of players that went 6-1 in district last season, falling a loss-against-Donna shy of winning a second straight league title.

And, yet, there is still a feeling around the team that Mercedes is at least overlooked, if not outright disrespected.

“This 7-on-7 season is just a small preview of what’s to come,” Gomez said. “We’re a hungry team, hungry to prove everyone wrong.”

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MERCEDES TIGERS

State 7-on-7 Appearances: 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016

Pool H

Friday schedule

2 p.m.: vs. Tomball Memorial

4 p.m.: vs. Alamo Heights

6 p.m.: vs. DeSoto

Top two teams in each pool advance to championship bracket and play Saturday.

DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — The idea that the body can be manipulated led Jaime Cavazos down the path he is on now. That path has helped advance some of the Rio Grande Valley’s premier athletes.

In 10 years, Cavazos has helped 36 high school student-athletes attain NCAA Division I scholarships. In all, 90 have earned opportunities to compete at the collegiate level.

It was during an exercise-physical class during his junior year at UTPA in 2004 that Cavazos had an awakening.

“That’s the class that did it for me, knowing you can make your body do whatever you want it to do,” said Cavazos, whose initial goal was to become a history professor. “Whether training or conditioning, muscle size, muscle strength, muscle speed … that class really, really interested me.”

Cavazos, now a certified strength and conditioning specialist, tells his story inside a cozy office at his 20,000-square-foot training facility, the Cavazos Sports Institute in North McAllen.

Since 2005, Cavazos, a 1999 graduate of Mission High, has worked with some of the Valley’s finest athletes. He started his career training one client, for free — former Edinburg Economedes standout Esteban Cardenas. Now his clients include professional boxer Eric Molina, Major League Soccer’s Mikey Lopez, former McAllen High football star Joshua McGowen, UTSA track and field athletes Cierra Peña and Randy Bermea, Big 12 baseball player of the year Eric Gutierrez, and others.

The reason they abide by Cavazos: the trainer’s methods are fresh and progressive.

“Everything is researched. Everything is pinpoint accurate,” said Lopez, in his first season with New York City FC and third as a Major League Soccer player. “What sports science does is proven scientifically, and any training that’s not has the potential to hurt an athlete. These high school kids training with Jaime are doing what a lot of pro athletes are doing.”

‘ON ANOTHER LEVEL’

Cavazos’ facility is mostly an eye-candy display of the latest equipment in sports science training.

One of his top training tools is the “Run Rocket,” a resistance running harness used to correct form and enhance acceleration.

During one drill, Peña, a former sprinter and jumper at Harlingen South, ties it to her waist and sprints. The harness pulls back as she runs, and forces her to sprint at the angle she should be running at. She is forced to have proper arm swings and knee height to sprint correctly.

“The workouts accommodate improvements specific to the athlete,” said Peña, who has worked with Cavazos since her junior year of high school and even had him organize home workouts.

There are air-pressured weights, plyometrics (speed-strength power exercises) and medicine balls used for balance and core work. There is a motorless treadmill for lighter running, laser-timed 40-yard sprints and, a favorite of the clients, a wireless sensor device composed of eight mobile LED lights. Athletes deactivate the lights through physical contact with their hands or feet.

“My definition of sports science is mimicking and training movement patterns that the athlete will go through in their event or in their position in their sport,” Cavazos said. “It’s not necessarily about skill work. It’s about doing training that can transfer movement-wise into their sport. Mimicking movements, not mimicking skills.”

During a busy Wednesday afternoon, Sharyland Pioneer incoming junior Kaitie Watson ran through stations of resistance running, medicine ball work and footwork drills. RGVSports.com’s All-Valley Newcomer of the Year as a freshman in 2015, Watson was named All-Area Player of the Year this season, crediting a difference in strength and speed after she began training with Cavazos last summer.

“It’s rigorous as far as the amount of sets we do, and it helps you mentally as much as physically,” Watson said. “There are some coaches who you feel make you work out just to say they put you through a workout. But here, it’s specific to athletes and there’s a purpose. The training is demanding, but he’s very positive.”

Molina started training with Cavazos before his April fight against Tomasz Adamek in Poland. He beat Adamek — who entered with a record 50-4-0 and promptly retired after the defeat — for the vacant IBF inter-continental heavyweight title.

“I felt like I was on another level with my strength and conditioning,” Molina said. “I had worked on strengthening muscles, and (Cavazos) had me working on muscles that I’d never even strengthened before.”

HURDLES

When Cavazos started his business 11 years ago, it was met with dismay by area high school coaches.

“In the beginning, there was a lot of negativity to what I do,” he said. “I don’t know why. I’m here to help. I’m not here to take over or replace. This is just the icing on the cake.

“I’m the type to never tell a kid how their training is wrong. I want to supplement it. But now I have head coaches’ sons and daughters coming in here, so the respect is getting there.”

One of those head coaches is Rio Grande City football coach Aaron Garcia. Garcia’s son, Michael Aaron, is an incoming freshman at Edinburg Vela and has been training with Cavazos for two years.

Garcia said he has seen significant improvement in his son’s vertical jump under Cavazos. Michael will be a basketball player, so Cavazos has designed his workouts to help facilitate explosion and power.

“He’s come a long way athletically and confidence-wise,” Garcia said as he watched Michael train on a recent afternoon.

Garcia recognizes Cavazos’ training as an aid to the programs high school coaches use.

“With everyday training as a coach, you’re preparing for a massive group of kids,” Garcia said. “Here, the individual athlete can be looked at, and where that athlete needs help is where they target. It’s different as far as scope. They both go hand in hand. This is something extra to benefit athletes to get an edge over the kid that doesn’t use this.”

Cavazos does not have business partners, nor does he employ trainers. He does not have the budget. He barters with his collegiate athletes, using them as coaches for workouts in exchange for free workouts. He answers his business’ emails and phone calls personally. Sunday is the only day he doesn’t host workouts.

Cavazos hopes to one day expand his business to Harlingen, where he is getting more and more clients. For now, the majority of his athletes come from McAllen, Mission and Edinburg, and almost all come multiple times a week.

He has no intentions of leaving the Valley.

“I remember the faculty at UTPA and his mentor professor advising him to leave the Valley because he would be much more successful in big cities like Austin or San Antonio,” said Cavazos’ sister, Janette. “However, my brother always wanted to help Valley natives. He was tired of big cities defeating our very own when athletes here are just as capable. Instead of doing what was best for him and seeking greater opportunities outside of the Valley, he wanted to give back to his community, even if that meant facing an uphill battle and starting from scratch.”

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

Late Friday night, John Henry Gonzalez, who graduated from Edinburg High last weekend, received a call from the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Rays had Gonzalez, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher, pegged to be selected in rounds 11-15 of Major League Baseball’s draft. Tampa Bay called to see if Gonzalez was “all in” on playing professional baseball even with a full-ride scholarship to play at Texas Tech.

“We had been discussing it all night,” said Gonzalez’s father, John. “It was going to depend on when he was going to get picked. The top 10 rounds was our goal. If it didn’t happen by then, we were just going to wait. It was an honor to get that phone call when they expressed their interest, but he’s going to Texas Tech.”

The decision was John Henry’s to make, and he assured his family Saturday morning that he would not return the Rays’ phone call to express his interest in playing pro ball.

“He feels he still has a lot more to improve and get better,” John said. “He knows he can mature. He’s only 18 years old. He’s getting a full ride at Texas Tech and he’ll have another shot to get drafted higher. It’s a win-win situation.”

With this decision, Gonzalez is not eligible to re-enter the draft until after his junior season at Texas Tech.

Gonzalez will take the rest of the month off and is scheduled to be in Lubbock at Texas Tech the first week of July.

GUTIERREZ DRAFTED

Former Sharyland High standout and Texas Tech senior Eric Gutierrez was drafted Saturday with the 593rd pick in the 20th round of the Major League Baseball draft.

Gutierrez, who contributed a clutch two-run single in Game 2 of the Red Raiders’ Super Regional 3-1 win over East Carolina on Saturday, is the Big 12 Player of the Year.

Gutierrez, a Mission native, was a first-team all-state standout for the Rattlers his senior year, when he hit .591 with 13 doubles, six triples, eight home runs, 50 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.

Barton Bickerton, Gutierrez’s high school coach and an associate scout with the San Diego Padres, believed his former player would be taken low because he had no leverage as a senior.

“All the scouts talk about are the kids with leverage,” Bickerton said Saturday morning before Gutierrez was drafted. “They will probably take him low, which would be unbelievable. The kid has gone through a lot and has really proved people wrong at every level.”

VAQUERO SIGNEE DRAFTED

While no UTRGV player was taken in Major League Baseball’s 40-round draft, Laredo Alexander senior Alec Benavides, a UTRGV signee, was.

Benavides, a left-handed pitcher, was selected with the 1,098th overall pick in the 37th round by the Cincinnati Reds. Benavides’ father, Freddie, is the first base coach for the Reds. But Benavides said via text message that he will continue his career at UTRGV despite “the honor of being drafted.”

“Alec’s in the 84-to-86 (mile per hour) range right now in a workout setting,” UTRGV recruiting coordinator Jordon Banfield said. “I think he has a chance to be a really high-end guy at some point. He’s from a really good program at Laredo Alexander and the sky’s really the limit for him when he starts to develop physically.”

BROWNSVILLE VETS’ VILLARREAL DRAFTED

Brownsville Veterans Memorial senior right-handed pitcher Freddy Villarreal was selected Saturday by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 660th pick overall in the 22nd round of the Major League Baseball draft.

The 5-foot-11 Villarreal had signed to continue his career at the University of Houston, but told The Monitor on Saturday night that he will sign to play professional baseball.

“I’m just going to continue to work hard and not be satisfied with anything,” Villarreal said.

Villarreal went 11-1 with a 0.50 ERA in 13 appearances for the Chargers last season. He had four no-hitters and one perfect game, striking out 124 batters in 69.1 innings.

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DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER

As he watched younger brother and UTRGV signee Santana get closer to his goal of winning a state championship, Tres Barrera’s ultimate dream come true.

The Washington Nationals drafted the former Sharyland High star and University of Texas junior with the 184th pick in the sixth round of the Major League Baseball draft on Friday afternoon. Barrera found out while watching his brother’s San Antonio Johnson team, for which his father Felipe is also a coach for, beat Amarillo Sandies in the Class 6A state semifinals to advance to today’s final against Dallas Jesuit in Round Rock.

Barrera can return to Texas for his senior season or sign with the Nationals. His messages on social media, however, implied his days as a Longhorn are over.

A couple hours after he was drafted, Barrera posted on Instagram: “Words can not describe the emotions running through me at the moment. Want to thank the @nationals for the great opportunity! It has been a life long dream to get a chance to play professional baseball. Would also like to thank my family, coaches, fans and University of Texas for leading me up to this point in my life. The best is yet to come and once again HOOK ‘em forever!”

The 6-foot, 215-pound Barrera, 21, is listed as a catcher in Major League Baseball’s system, though he split time between backstop and the corner infield positions the last two seasons for Texas. Barrera was the everyday catcher on the Longhorns’ 2014 College World Series team as a freshman.

Barrera’s prospect evaluation on MLB.com reads: “Barrera’s most impressive tool is his plus raw right-handed power, which he generates with a combination of bat speed and strength. The question is how much he’ll be able to tap into that pop in pro ball because he often tries to do too much at the plate and pull every pitch out of the park. He has hit .169 with wood bats in two summers in the Cape Cod League and will have to tone down his approach to handle pro pitching. Texas has played Barrera on the infield corners more because of team need than any lack of ability at catcher. His receiving and blocking skills are fine, and he has a solid, accurate arm. Though he’s a bottom-of-the-scale runner, he moves well enough behind the plate.”

Moments after he was drafted, Barrera tweeted: “Want to thank the Washington Nationals for the great opportunity! It’s only the beginning! Proud to be apart of the D.C family.”

The financial value for the slot that Barrera was taken at is $265,400. The Nationals have a $7.635 million bonus pool to use on all of their draft picks this week, so it’s possible Barrera could make more than what his slot accounts for.

In 179 games for Texas, 177 as a starter, Barrera hit .279 with 106 RBIs and 20 home runs. He had a .990 fielding percentage and 11 errors, eight of which came during his freshman campaign.

Barrera was born in Eagle Pass and moved to the Rio Grande Valley when he was 10 years old. He played three years under former Sharyland High coach Barton Bickerton, where he was named a Lousiville Slugger first team All-American catcher as a senior.

For his Rattlers career, Barrera hit .452 with 22 home runs.

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