GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — As D.J. Monroe was helping athletes with their sprinting form during Saturday’s speed camp, one remarked that he wanted to improve his 60-yard dash time — the metric most commonly used to measure speed from first to third for baseball players.

“I run a 7.2,” the athlete said.

“Not for long,” Monroe replied.

Monroe, a former running back for the Texas Longhorns, joined up with South Texas Showcase Director BJ Garcia and Jaime Cavazos of the Cavazos Sports Institute to put on a two-hour speed camp Saturday — one of many held around South Texas throughout the summer.

The primary goal of the camp is to show players proper running fundamentals that will enable them to increase their speed after a few months of repetition.

“You aren’t going to get faster today,” Garcia said, “but you’re going to get the skills and tools that you need that if you implement them in your workouts multiple times per week, you’re going to get faster.”

Monroe said the biggest keys to improving velocity are stride length and foot speed. Those were the main points he focused on when he worked with McAllen Memorial graduate Trevor Speights for six months last year, helping him shave nearly two tenths of a second off of his previously 4.51 40-yard dash time.

“That’s all it is,” Monroe said. “It sounds so simple, but that’s all it is.”

On Saturday, a group of seven high school athletes and six younger players ran through drills to work on both their straight-line speed and lateral quickness.

After the athletes took a few passes through a rope ladder, Cavazos made a circle about 5 yards wide with eight motion-sensing lights. When one illuminated, the athlete would shuffle around the outside of the circle and wave his hand above it to turn it off.

Once every athlete had a turn, Cavazos widened the circle to about 10 yards and had the athletes stationed in the middle, forcing them to recognize and locate the light before sprinting to deactivate it.

Participants also trained with bungee straps and a curved, manual treadmill designed to develop proper running technique.

“What a lot of athletes nowadays lack is the fundamentals, and that’s one thing they focus on here: good footwork and good technique,” Edcouch-Elsa quarterback Marco Aguinaga said. “That makes a big difference. Small things make a big change in your times.”

Now the head track and running backs coach at St. Joseph High School in Victoria, Monroe worked individually with each athlete to find their proper form in the 40-yard dash. Among the major points of emphasis were leaning forward and taking a strong first step.

Monroe said he picked up the techniques when he grew tired of losing races in middle school. After being told he was too short to make it at 5-foot-9, Monroe played running back at UT from 2009-12, largely thanks to his 40-yard dash that has been hand timed as fast as 4.25.

He and Garcia hope the lessons they teach at the camps can help Valley athletes follow a similar path.

“Maybe you don’t have the size,” Garcia said, “but the technique can get you by. The things we teach about cutting and about planting, maybe that will give you a little bit of an edge.”

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GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — When McAllen Memorial quarterback Angel Almaguer looks back on last year’s 7-on-7 season, he sees a very inefficient system.

Splitting time with senior quarterback Jonathan Sanchez, Almaguer mostly watched as offensive players ran “random routes,” reading each other at the line of scrimmage.

Taking the reins as the team’s quarterback and leader this season, Almaguer ditched that method, instead working with the coaches to build a playbook, compete with wristbands to be worn during competition.

“I wanted to come out with a different approach, being able to run actual plays that we usually run during games,” Almaguer said. “It works a lot better than it did last year, that’s for sure.”

With Almaguer leading the charge, McAllen Memorial advanced to the 7-on-7 state tournament in College Station for the first time since 2002. Memorial faces Ellison at 2 p.m. today.

Coach Todd Kinney and defensive leader Joey Delgado both credit the team’s success to Almaguer’s desire to lift the Mustangs to something better.

“We wanted to make a change, and we wanted to make history in our books,” Almaguer said. “We just came out more focused, with more heart and more determination.”

After spending the fall watching McAllen Memorial hand the ball off play after play after play, Almaguer sees the 7-on-7 season as a chance to prove himself.

He can’t help but smile when he thinks about how different Memorial’s typical ground-and-pound game is from 7-on-7’s pass-only look.

“It’s very fun,” Almaguer said. “People know that we can throw the ball, we can pass, and it’s great for me. I love it.”

Last year’s offense, both regular season and 7-on-7, was built around two star players: back Trevor Speights and wideout DJ Johnson. The new stable of Mustangs doesn’t have the same size as those two, but the group boasts greater speed and quickness.

Running back JoJo Williams is making an impact with pre-snap motion, and Trevor’s younger brother, incoming freshman Campbell Speights, is impressing early.

Siblings Ethan and Jayce Bazan have also been standouts in the receiving game.

“We have a lot more speed than we did,” Williams said. “Last year, all they wanted to focus on was DJ and Trevor. Now, we have a whole bunch of stars.”

Memorial leaned heavily on Trevor and the ground game last season, leading the Valley with 4,776 regular season rushing yards and ranking just fourth in District 30-6A with 1,042 passing yards.

A split of that nature has been fairly common during coach Bill Littleton’s 13-year tenure, and during spring practice he gave no indications that he was planning any drastic offensive overhaul, even with Speights graduated.

Still, Almaguer sees a chance to change the perception of the program, or at least plant the seeds for a larger passing game. Already, coaches have told him that some of the aerial concepts may be implemented during the fall.

“I think we’ve already opened up our coaches’ eyes that we can pass the ball,” Almaguer said. “Hopefully during this state run, if we make it all the way, we can open up even more eyes.”

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GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — From third grade, when he got his start in track, McAllen Memorial’s Michael Boltie knew he wanted to compete in college. A visit to Texas A&M five or six years ago sealed it as his dream school.

But even as Boltie kept improving his marks and racked up 72 medals reaching as high as the state meet, A&M never contacted him. So about two months back, Boltie took matters into his own hands.

“What really put me on their radar more recently was contacting them, and really saying, ‘This is what I want, this is what I have, this is what I can do for you, hear me out,’” Boltie said. “So they brought me up, showed me around, and they liked me. So I’m in.”

Boltie signed his Letter of Intent to compete at Texas A&M during a ceremony on Thursday in McAllen Memorial’s gym.

He joins one of the most prestigious programs in the NCAA, currently ranked No. 1 by the USTFCCCA with national championships in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013.

After ranking in the top two in the Valley this year in the 100-meter run, 200, long jump and pole vault, Boltie expects to compete in the decathlon. He’s also trained on the hurdles some during his career at Memorial.

“When I started, I was just a pole vaulter,” Boltie said. “Then they found out I could run pretty fast, so I started doing sprints. Then they found out I could jump pretty far, so I started doing long jump. All of these events, I’m pretty good at. So it was really just I’m a good fit for the decathlon.”

Marcus Kaufmann, a family friend of Boltie’s since he first started to show interest in the sport and Memorial’s coach before leaving last year, said Boltie always displayed a passion and talent for track.

He recalls Boltie at first being hesitant to vault before coaches pushed him. He remembers throwing Boltie into the sprinting events as something of a punishment — a way to keep the talkative athlete busy for a few minutes. He also marveled at Boltie’s natural talent in the jumps. Boltie once showed up for a meet on a Saturday morning and jumped nearly 22 feet — one of the best marks in the Valley — without putting in a day of practice in the long jump pit.

“That’s what he’s always been wanting to do is track, track, track, track,” Kaufmann said. “He wanted to go to Texas A&M. That was his dream school, his dream spot. Everything worked out for him for the best.”

Boltie will run into much tougher competition at A&M than he was used to in the Valley, perhaps none stiffer than on his own campus. Lindon Victor, a junior on this year’s roster, posted the fourth-best score in collegiate decathlon history earlier this month with an 8,446 at the Southeastern Conference Championships. The Aggies also boast two pole vaulters — sophomore Audie Wyatt and senior Chase Wolfle — who rank in the nation’s top three.

“I think it’s going to take time to fit in and develop,” Boltie said. “But (Victor) is going to be a great training partner, and I’m really looking forward to it.”

He knows the workouts will be different than what he’d done previously, with more focus on strength and endurance to be ready for every event.

He only just returned from a visit to campus Sunday, reaffirming the love of the atmosphere, city and people that first lured him when he was younger.

Despite all those factors, Boltie said it was difficult to settle on a school, turning down numerous offers including Kentucky, another SEC university. He isn’t sure what he’ll study at A&M, but he’s leaning towards either engineering or business.

“Since I was in third grade I’ve really been devoted to track, and to finally make it here is a step in the right direction,” Boltie said. “Maybe one step closer to the Olympics. Who knows? I’m just really excited that all of my work is coming together.”

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GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

ALAMO — A three-year starter at quarterback and a major factor on the baseball field for PSJA Memorial, Michael Gonzalez needed two and a half years to realize how he might be able to punch his ticket to college athletics.

While the other positions may have been more glamorous, Gonzalez’s success as a thrower with the Wolverines’ track and field team far outpaced his achievements in the mainstream sports. So, as his career went on, Gonzalez shifted his spring emphasis away from the baseball diamond and toward the discus ring.

“It took focus toward the midseason of my junior year, knowing I had the talent and skills,” Gonzalez said. “I let (my coaches) teach me my skills, and it brought me to the table. Here I am, signing.”

Gonzalez’s increased focus on the discus paid off this season not just with a Region IV title and a trip to state, but also with a partial scholarship to throw at UTRGV. He signed his letter of intent during a ceremony on Thursday in PSJA Memorial’s library.

“He never really scratched his potential until this year,” Wolverines throwing coach Marc Evans said. “He realized his potential because he put a lot more time into it. He was a multi-sport athlete, and this year he realized where his career is going to be made — in track — and he put a lot more time into it.”

Starting up on throwing practice right after Christmas — the earliest point during his four years of competition — Gonzalez put a greater emphasis on using his legs. The change produced a personal best throw of 178 feet this season and helped him claim district and regional titles before a seventh-place finish at the state meet.

Gonzalez improved on last year’s personal best of 161 feet, 5 inches by nearly 17 feet.

“What I liked about Michael is he was improving every week,” Gonzalez’s father, Luis, said. “I saw a lot of improvement, and that he really wanted to throw at a higher level, so he did really good this year.”

Michael will be the fourth of his siblings to attend college and hopes to continue the family’s strong history with athletics.

His sister, Klarissa, also threw at UTRGV, finishing third in last season’s WAC Outdoor Championships. Michael said Klarissa helped him with his decision by giving him a positive review of the coaches and campus. She also played a major role in him learning and improving in the sport.

“Usually, we’re at home watching videos,” Michael said. “We look at different techniques: the German or the Spaniard style. We put it together and see what we can work on to make me a better thrower.”

In the lead up to his debut at UTRGV, Michael wants to continue to add mass and work on his technique. During practice this season, Michael showed potential to hit 180 feet or more, but struggled to stay in the ring on his longer throws. Evans projected Michael as a potential four-event thrower in college, depending on what direction the UTRGV coaches wish to take him.

“The biggest factor was when he stepped in the ring, he never freaked out and panicked,” Evans said. “He was always prepared and knew what he had to go do.”

Michael said he is planning to major in education with a minor in kinesiology. He sees himself as a coach down the road, like his father, and said he is willing to work with any sport at any level, although he’d like to somehow give back to PSJA.

“Hopefully it motivates me so I can get my degree, come back and teach the kids what the coaches taught to me,” Michael said.

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GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — On the walk off the practice field, through the weight room and into his office that overlooks Tom Landry Stadium, new Mission High coach Koy Detmer greets every player he passes by name.

He’s only been on the job since February — just enough time to start getting settled in and run the team through two weeks of spring practice. In that span, his primary focuses have been installing his system, evaluating talent and getting to know his players on a personal level.

“Some guys maybe are a little more figurehead and oversee the whole thing. I’m more right in the middle of it,” Detmer said. “I want to have my hands in on what’s going on. Getting to know these kids and what they have going on, even outside of football.”

Detmer has had numerous one-on-one meetings with his players in an effort to learn their background and set personal goals.

When he met with quarterback Rudy Treviño and center Sebastian Sanchez, he spoke to them about the leadership role they need to fill as seniors on next year’s squad.

“He’s awesome,” Sanchez said. “He communicates with us. He has a bunch of love for the sport and is just a great coach to learn from because of what he’s done at the pro and collegiate level.”

Given his background as a quarterback at the University of Colorado and with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, Detmer has spent the bulk of his practice time working with the team’s quarterbacks.

Detmer said he’ll be calling Mission’s offensive plays from the box this season, just as he did the past four years at Somerset. The Eagles plan to be multiple on that side of the ball, operating mostly under center after working almost exclusively from a shotgun set last season.

“It’s a lot different from the past years that I’ve been here,” Treviño said. “It’s a tough (transition), but I’m just learning.”

Off the bat, Detmer said the biggest hurdle is adjusting the players to new offensive terminology. Detmer is helping Treviño learn how to operate the offense from under center, and offensive coordinator Eric Mannheimer — previously with Brackenridge High — is teaching the offensive line group how to pull after the Eagles rarely used the technique last season.

“Honestly, we’re pretty far along for what I thought we might be,” Detmer said. “I wasn’t sure we would be this far into things, but it’s a credit to the kids. They’ve been focused.”

Defensively, Detmer said he’s turned most of the responsibility over to coordinator Chris Castillo, previously with Medina Valley.

Detmer sees signs of the work former coach Mario Peña put in with the Eagles’ defense last year. He said his group is aggressive and tackles well — attributes that will aid the transition from last year’s 3-3 stack into running multiple fronts.

Linebacker Josue Sanchez said Mission has run a lot of 3-4 to this point, often blitzing with outside linebackers.

“The new coaching staff is very different,” Sanchez said. “Different formations. Different techniques. It’s not the same. We have to get used to it, but we already have, for most of it.”

UNDER CENTER

After taking over the starting quarterback job midway through last season, Treviño is in line to do so again come fall.

He said his biggest strengths as a player are his fundamentals and footwork. He describes himself as a pocket passer most comfortable making short throws, but he’s said he has the ability to be a punishing runner when necessary.

“Rudy has done a real good job in a short amount of time picking up a new system,” Detmer said. “He’s a smart kid, and he’s processing the offense really well for it being a short amount of time. As a quarterback, that goes a long way.”

RISING STAR

Returning all-state honorable mention Steven De Leon highlights Mission’s defense. As a sophomore last season, De Leon racked up 129 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.

He was also used occasionally as a running back last year, and Detmer said De Leon is preparing to shoulder another heavy load in 2016.

“He’s definitely been impressive on both sides of the ball,” Detmer said. “You can see on defense, very aggressive kid. Great tools. Great work ethic. He’s strong in the weight room. Strong on the field. Has some real natural instincts for playing the game of football and is a tough kid. He’s a guy that has been impressive, and we look for big things out of him.”

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MISSION HIGH

Returning starters (O/D): 4/5

Key Players: LB Steven De Leon, QB Rudy Treviño, RB Robert Martinez, OL Sebastian Sanchez, OL Zeke Gutierrez, LB Josue Sanchez, WR Azahel Arizpe, WR Omar Vera

Biggest Question: Can new coach Koy Detmer and fresh systems on both offense and defense help Mission High get back to the playoffs?

2015 Record: 4-6, 2-4

GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — Jose Barrera, McAllen Rowe’s second-leading tackler last season, describes himself as an impact hitter. He said he enjoys playing aggressive, jumping in the dog pile on every play.

This season, with a new coach in Bobby Flores and an updated defensive philosophy, Barrera will be able to do even more of what he loves. As the Warriors go through spring practices this month, Barrera and his teammates are tweaking their style of play on both sides of the ball as the team looks to bounce back after missing the playoffs in three consecutive seasons.

“We’re implementing this new thing where we’re attacking instead of falling back so much and just waiting,” Barrera said. “We’re playing more aggressive and just working on our coverages, better than we did last year.”

Defense was a major weakness last season for McAllen Rowe. The team ranked last in District 30-6A, yielding 37 points per game. The Warriors’ 411.1 yards per game allowed were better than only McAllen High.

Flores is attacking the problem by bringing in a new defensive coordinator in Oscar Torres and taking on a multiple approach favoring a 3-4 alignment. Looking back on last season, the biggest issue Flores saw was a lack of team unity.

“We have to work a lot on being sound and reacting, instead of maybe you’re just sending somebody or maybe you’re just blitzing. It’s being sound fundamentally,” Flores said. “It’s flying to the football. Defensively, you have to have guys who aren’t afraid to attack the football and are more aggressive.”

Rowe has the benefit of returning many of its top defensive players from last season, including Barrera, leading tackler Frank Delgado at linebacker and Richard Sanders at safety.

The Warriors also hope to get a full season from more of their starters after suffering a litany of injuries last year. Rowe was without at least four starters for multiple games. Barrera missed three contests to injury, and outside linebacker Roman Villarreal sat out the season’s final five games with a torn ligament in his foot.

“It was pretty tough,” Villarreal said. “There were some games I felt like I could’ve done a job someone else couldn’t, but you can’t do much about it. All you can do is keep your head high and cheer on your teammates.”

Flores said the injuries had a major impact on the defense, and Barrera saw them suck away the unit’s energy.

Flores is working to combat any potential issues by cross training many of Rowe’s top athletes. He’s also run a more strict camp in his first season as the Warriors’ head coach. Barrera said the players were made to run laps on the track surrounding the field when they came out sluggish for the fifth period of one of last week’s practices.

“We’ve never had a really, really strict coach, and he’s on us all the time,” Barrera said. “He really emphasizes discipline.”

Barrera added that punishments for players have stepped up for everything from being late to not having their helmets on. Even the assistants have been more strict this year, he said.

Quarterback Jesus Sanchez has noticed the change, too. He said some players obviously don’t enjoy the added discipline, but added that he thinks its best for the team. Villarreal said the coaches no longer accept any excuses.

“If you don’t show up to practice, you won’t play, and they’re actually serious about it,” Villarreal said. “They’re going to put in the guys who want to work.”

NEW-LOOK OFFENSE

Flores is looking to ditch the air-raid attack Rowe used last season in favor of a spread, one-back set with plenty of motion across the formation. He brought offensive coordinator Shaun Tarantola over from Mission High in hopes of building a better running attack, but he admits the offensive line will need to improve for the unit to be effective.

Sanchez said the biggest issues have been small mistakes like dropped passes or wrong routes, but that the team makes improvement each day by watching practice on film. Overall, the goal is for the offense to operate at a higher tempo.

“That gives the defense pressure, and they get tired quicker,” offensive lineman Alan Hernandez said. “That makes it easier for us to run the ball.”

MAKING THE LEAP

Sanchez has had a busy spring trying to learn the new scheme and faster tempo. As a sophomore last season, Sanchez split time at the quarterback position, completing 73 of 110 pass attempts for 948 yards and 9 touchdowns against 4 interceptions. Since the end of the year, his focus has been on learning the game and adding arm strength either through the weight room or with extra throwing.

“The absolute hardest part has to be learning everything at once,” Sanchez said. “Everything is thrown at you, and you have to expect what to do. Especially at my position, you have to know what he’s doing, what he’s running, what he’s blocking. But so far, we’re picking it up really good.”

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McALLEN ROWE

Returning starters (O/D): 4/7

Key Players: QB Jesus Sanchez, DB Jose Barrera, LB Frank Delgado, DB Richard Sanders, RB Raudel Garcia, RB Hector Ramirez,

Biggest Question: Will Bobby Flores be the coach to put Rowe back into the playoffs for the first time since 2012?

2015 Record: 3-6, 2-4

GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

MISSION — La Joya Juarez-Lincoln junior Andrew Rodriguez was a freshman the last time quarterback was his primary position. The past two years, Rodriguez worked mostly at cornerback, leading the Huskies with 40 solo tackles in 2015.

As Juarez-Lincoln runs through spring workouts this month, Rodriguez is going back to his roots, hoping to be the team’s primary option under center as the Huskies try to follow up on a record-setting year that produced the first playoff berth in program history.

“Now I’m the starting quarterback for the Huskies, and I’m happy,” Rodriguez said. “It’s all good things coming.”

Coach Tommy Garcia said Rodriguez was the backup to starter Obed Fernandez last season, but Rodriguez only rarely saw the field on offense after suffering an injury during the team’s first district game.

Rodriguez would occasionally switch to offense in practice, but he never needed to have a complete understanding of the formations and play calls. Regardless, Garcia thinks Rodriguez is the correct choice for the job in the wake of Fernandez’s upcoming graduation.

“I’ve always said you want to put your best athlete at quarterback, and I think we have in Andrew,” Garcia said. “That’s why we made the change, and he’s handled it well. At times, he struggles. But I think that’s what spring ball is for.”

Rodriguez said he was happy to take on a leadership role. While learning the complete offense was a slight challenge, he said he was happy with his progress.

Isai Galvan will be pushing Rodriguez for the job in practice, but Rodriguez has the early lead.

“It took me a little bit of time, but I’m getting the hang of it,” Rodriguez said. “At first, it was complicated. But then everything went good.”

Rodriguez says he is comfortable as both a rusher and passer, and Garcia said the Huskies will tailor the offense to his strengths.

In this case, that likely means more rollouts and run-pass options.

“He’s a playmaker,” Garcia said. “We have to do things a little bit different and put him in a position for him to be successful.”

Garcia believes many of the skill players around Rodriguez are poised to have breakout years. Speedy scatback Adonis Barillas is back to full strength after battling injury last season. Eddie Hernandez is reprising his role at fullback, and Livan Pequeño will continue to split time at tight end and running back. CJ Flores and Harley Vargas look like the top options at wideout, and Juarez-Lincoln has three players coming back on the offensive line: junior Ulises Garcia and sophomores Jesus Proa and Julio Monsivalles.

The offense will hinge on Rodriguez’s development, but Ulises is confident in his new signal caller.

“I’ve been playing with him since middle school, so I trust him,” Ulises said. “I feel positive about it.”

BUILDING UP

After notching the first playoff appearance in school history last season, coach Garcia is seeing increased participation in spring ball, up to 80 players. That includes a group of 42 freshmen, even with about 10 not joining during the spring to tend to other responsibilities outside of football.

“Success breeds success,” Garcia said. “We have new kids coming out because of the success that we had getting into the playoffs. That’s helped out.”

Last year’s glimpse into postseason play has also given a boost to some of the returning players, who have set their sights even higher.

“It motivates us more to keep going,” sophomore safety Elias Gutierrez said. “To get three rounds deep, or even state. That’s the ultimate goal right there.”

DEFENSIVE FRONT

Though Garcia believes offense will be the Huskies’ strength, the team also boasts a few significant returners in the defensive front seven. Abram Aguilar and Norberto Lomeili are key on the defensive line, while sophomores Joseph Valdez and Benito Gonzalez are set to return at linebacker.

Another key underclassman, defensive tackle Bryan Lira, will not be back next season after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery last week to repair an injury suffered during the team’s bi-district loss to Laredo United.

Prior to his surgery, Lira had been watching spring practices from the sidelines, despite the likelihood that he will never play again. Garcia said the Huskies are dedicating their season to Lira.

“It’s one of those rare injuries that a doctor told me he has the knee of a 60-year-old,” Garcia said. “So it was bad. We feel for the kid, because he was our heart and hustle.”

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LA JOYA JUAREZ-LINCOLN

Returning starters (O/D): 3/3

Returning lettermen: 23

Key Players: S Elias Gutierrez, RB Adonis Barillas, LB Joseph Valdez, LB Benito Gonzalez, FB Eddie Hernandez, OL Julio Monsivalles, TE Livan Pequeno, OL Jesus Proa, OL Ulises Garcia

Biggest Question: With a new quarterback, can Juarez-Lincoln build forward after the first playoff appearance in program history?

2015 Record: 4-7, 3-3

GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — Edinburg High linebacker Edgar Guerrero is the youngest of four brothers to wear the Bobcats uniform. Before that, one of his uncles played football for EHS, too.

Perhaps better than anyone else on the roster, Guerrero understands one of the primary points coach J.J. Leija has been pushing in his first year as Edinburg High coach: Bobcats pride. Beyond increased discipline and the introduction of new offensive and defensive systems, Leija’s biggest focus during the offseason has been developing in his players a respect and appreciation for the Bobcats name.

“My family, they’re all Bobcats. And my team, they’re all Bobcats, getting coached by all Bobcats,” Guerrero said. “The tradition is real here.”

Coming to Edinburg High in December after two years as the defensive coordinator at La Joya Palmview, Leija wanted to build a staff of Edinburg High alumni. All but about three of his assistants were former Edinburg High students, and those who weren’t have history coaching in the program.

Offensive coordinator Oscar Campos played under Leija, and defensive coordinator Robert Valdez was one of Leija’s teammates. The staff is familiar with the community and its expectations, and the players are starting to gain the same understanding.

“They’ve bought into our program as we’ve talked about tradition and we’ve talked about pride,” Leija said. “Tradition and pride are in our DNA, being former Edinburg Bobcats.”

Leija said he and his assistants talk to the players about tradition and pride daily. Last week, former Edinburg High coach Joe Vasquez visited a practice to discuss the program’s history.

During Leija’s second week on the job, he dug out old photos of Bobcats players who went on to play at the college or pro level and posted them in the team’s trophy case. He remembers seeing those same photos and being motivated by the possibilities when he was a player.

“We’re bringing back our tradition,” defensive tackle Tony Hernandez said. “Our other coaches, they didn’t know about the Bobcat tradition. But our coaches bleed red and blue. They’re bringing that back to us.”

Edinburg High is hoping the infusion of tradition can help the team get back to its previous heights. The school will celebrate its 100th birthday next year, and the football program has been around since 1920, posting an all-time record of 485-431 that includes 11 seasons with 10 or more wins.

But the program has fallen on hard times of late, going just 8-32 on the gridiron in the four seasons since Edinburg Vela began siphoning off a large portion of the city’s talent prior to the 2012 season.

“From my perspective, we didn’t have commitment,” sophomore Irving Garcia said. “You have to work your butt off to be the best. These past years with the other coach, a lot of people didn’t want to work their butts off. The commitment was just down.”

Garcia said that commitment has started to develop under Leija, even if many of the players aren’t used to having to work as hard as they do now.

Leija said he’s pushed the players to their limits this offseason, including character classes, a military-style boot camp and finally getting on the field and learning some of the new tweaks on offense and defense.

The players have shown better discipline in terms of showing up to practice and class, and they’re starting to pick up the two-back spread offense and aggressive 4-2-5 multiple defense.

Leija said every player in the character class listed a district title as a goal. The Bobcats may not have the talent of some of the district’s other programs, but they are hoping their bond and eye towards tradition can lead to a successful run.

“We bond with our kids, and we have relationships with them,” Leija said. “That’s what coaching is all about. It’s about coaching the average kid. And what we have a lot of here is average kids. But we’re going to do what we can with these Edinburg Bobcats, and we’re going to lead them to great goals.”

RETURNING STARTER

After getting a crack at the quarterback job midway through last year, Nathan Marez will enter his senior year as the presumptive starter.

Marez said he faced a tough transition after playing primarily running back but knew he had a decent arm from his time as a baseball outfielder. He admits last year wasn’t a great one individually or as a team, but he saw signs of improvement.

“I just learned to stay calm and stay in the pocket,” Marez said. “You’re the leader of the team.”

INCREASED ATTENDANCE

Leija said the Bobcats have about 115 players in spring practice — approximately double last year’s figure — with another 80 set to enroll as freshmen in the fall. Many older players who had previously left the team have reentered the fold under a new coach.

“A bunch of these kids, once the change came, wanted to get back in,” Leija said.

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EDINBURG HIGH

Returning starters (O/D): 4/4

Returning lettermen: 26

Key Players: QB Nathan Marez, DL Edgar Arevalo, DE Albert Segura, LB Edgar Guerrero, LB James Champion, C Marcelino Robledo

Biggest Question: Can a new staff with a focus on discipline and tradition get Edinburg High back to winning ways?

2015 Record: 1-9, 1-5

GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — From offensive linemen like Armando Garcia all the way around to linebackers like Jaryd Lara, every player on the McAllen Memorial roster has been impacted by the end of Trevor Speights’ career.

But even as the Mustangs spend the spring season trying to cope with the loss of the leading rusher in Valley football history, coach Bill Littleton isn’t altering his goals. Like every year, he is aiming to make this McAllen Memorial squad the best in school history.

“Our kids expect to win. They’re not sitting here worried about what we lost,” Littleton said. “They’re sitting there thinking the expectation is to do what they’ve been doing.”

The task will be undoubtedly more daunting without Speights, who wrapped up his high school career last fall with Valley records of 9,868 yards and 116 rushing touchdowns.

Behind 3,195 yards and 50 scores from Speights, McAllen Memorial finished an undefeated 2015 regular season with 600 points — the most ever for a team in the classification now designated 6A.

With Speights headed to Stanford, quarterback Jonathan Sanchez set to play for Army and leading wideout DJ Johnson also in line to graduate, Memorial will be hard pressed to match the gaudy numbers.

“It might be a little bit tough,” fullback Emilio Mendez said. “Trevor was really fast and could score easily. This year, we might be on the field a little bit more. It might be a little bit tougher to score. But we should be there, and we should score.”

Mendez, a bruising runner, is the leading returner in the backfield, with 584 yards and seven touchdowns in 2015. He expects to stay in the fullback role, with sophomore JoJo Williams likely headed for the feature job. Littleton praised Williams for his vision, speed and feet, but acknowledged that adding strength in the summer would be key to Williams’ development.

Through the first week of spring practice, the line was the offense’s biggest strength, Littleton said. Garcia, Esteban Perez and Aaron Ramirez are all returning up front, as is blocking tight end Trey Earhart.

“Last year, we had Trevor,” Garcia said. “This year, it’s going to be on the linemen to show that we have what it takes to score as many points as last year.”

Behind that strong front, McAllen Memorial projects to again be a run-heavy bunch. Last season, the Mustangs gained 5,308 yards on the ground compared to just 1,260 through the air. The straightforward, downhill attack has become one of Littleton’s trademarks.

“We’ve always been a running football team, and we’ll continue to be a running football team,” Littleton said. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you we’re going to be pass heavy, but we’re always constantly trying to get our passing game better.”

With scoring not as much of a guarantee as it was a year ago, Lara is expecting the defense to carry a heavier load. One of the team’s key returners on that end along with safety Joey Delgado and tackle Ricky Miner, Lara is sliding to middle linebacker and trying to fill the leadership role left by last year’s leading tackler, Sam Hinojosa.

So far, Littleton said he and the coaches have been pleasantly surprised by the Mustangs’ defensive speed. Lara said Memorial is still working to integrate some newcomers on that side, but that he sees a group that has the potential to be “something special.”

“Not having such a great running back as Trevor in our offense, we’re definitely not going to be as dependable on our offense,” Lara said. “We just have to step it up as a defense and pull our weight, and the offense will pull theirs.”

RISING STAR

Littleton and Lara both spoke highly of sophomore defensive end Frank Opazo, who was poised to make an impact last season before missing the year with a broken arm.

Opazo stands 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds but is fast enough to earn a spot on McAllen Memorial’s junior varsity sprint relay team.

“He is going to be the real deal,” Littleton said. “He’s a heck of a football player.”

UNDER CENTER

After serving as Memorial’s backup quarterback last year as a sophomore, Angel Almaguer is in position to take the starting role. Littleton describes him as a dual threat with quickness, vision and adequate arm strength.

Above all else, Littleton values Almaguer’s winning pedigree. In 2014, he led the freshman team to an undefeated season.

“The thing about Angel is he’s a winner,” Littleton said. “He’s not a physical specimen as far as his height and all that kind of stuff, but he has those intangibles that you can’t coach.”

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McAllen Memorial

Returning starters (O/D): 5/4

Returning lettermen: 28

Key Players: LB Jaryd Lara, DT Ricky Miner, OL Armando Garcia, QB Angel Almaguer, DB Joey Delgado, OL Esteban Perez, OL Aaron Ramirez, RB JoJo Williams, DE Frank Opazo

Biggest Question: Can McAllen Memorial maintain its dominance without Trevor Speights in the backfield?

2015 Record: 11-1

GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER

McALLEN — Last season, Sandon Yarto was mostly a blocking tight end for McAllen High. He had just seven catches for 114 yards, slotting into a peripheral role in an offense built around Josh McGowen.

Now, with McGowen closing out his high school career in track and field, the Bulldogs are going to be looking for offense up and down the roster, even from players like Yarto. As McAllen High goes through its spring practice, Yarto is working on his hands and route running, hoping to be a major part of McHi’s effort to replace the missing production.

“We lost Josh, and Josh was a huge factor,” Yarto said. “He was just a great runner, so we should be a little bit more diverse with what we do this year.”

Diversity was hardly the Bulldogs’ forte last season. McGowen, a senior playing in his first year at McHi, set school records with 1,891 yards, 22 rushing touchdowns, 26 total touchdowns, and 340 yards in a single game. He was also the team’s leader with 199 yards receiving and 299 yards on kick returns.

He accounted for 60.8 percent of McHi’s yards from scrimmage and 54.2 percent of the Bulldogs’ total points.

“We have to get the same production, it just has to be more of a committee,” McAllen High coach Kevin Brewer said. “It has to be our backs, and our receivers, and our tight ends, and our quarterbacks all contribute to get that same production that Josh had by himself.”

In the backfield, the presumptive starter is sophomore cornerback Gunnar Henderson, even as he sits out the team’s spring workouts to rest a nagging wrist injury.

He’s never played running back in McHi’s system, but in practice he’s worked at quarterback, Wildcat quarterback and receiver. He was also the Bulldogs’ leading punt returner.

“I think Gunnar is going to do a heck of a job and fit right in,” Brewer said. “He’s very instinctive. He sees holes. He’s a great athlete. He’s explosive, and he’s a perfect fit for our offensive scheme.”

McHi’s quarterback battle remains wide open, with a mix of returning reserves and junior varsity players vying for the starting spot. Whoever emerges from the competition will be throwing to a group of receivers that lacks a clear standout but has more size than years past.

Yarto is also expected to get into the mix at tight end after flashing big-play potential with a 65-yard touchdown grab last season.

“I love going deep, but I love slants,” Yarto said. “I love going in the middle, because it’s just adrenaline running through your body whenever you do that.”

Whichever skill players earn starting roles will have the benefit of playing behind an experienced offensive line.

McAllen High returns left tackle Will Solis, left guard Joseph Guerra and right guard Andrew Tipton.

“We’ve been working all offseason, so there’s lots of continuity on the o-line,” Tipton said. “We have a lot of chemistry on our O-line, so we’re looking good.”

Solis started the first five games of 2015 before missing the rest of the season due to injury. To make up for the loss, McHi slid Guerra from defense to offense, where he found a home the rest of the way.

Tipton said the group is working to improve its pass blocking during the spring. Brewer highlights the ground game as the unit’s biggest strength to this point.

“Our offensive line has been playing really well so far this spring,” Brewer said. “That needs to be the case. We need to be able to rely on that offensive line and lean on that offensive line. And they’ve been coming together pretty well so far this spring.”

STRONG FRONT

Defensively, McAllen High’s front seven has been the bright spot.

On the line, the Bulldogs return four starters: tackles Tony Carranza and Carlos Rivera and ends Amadeo Salinas and Mark Neal. Franky Gutierrez and Jose Peña are also back at linebacker.

“I feel good about our front seven,” Salinas said. “We have a lot of returners, so I like that area very much.”

REBOUND YEAR

Tipton admits that McHi’s 2015 season “wasn’t great.” The Bulldogs went 5-6, suffering a bi-district loss to Laredo Alexander.

He believes toughness on the interior will be the biggest key to turning things around.

“We’re going to have to be a lot more physical, especially in the trenches, and we’re going to have to finish games,” Tipton said. “We didn’t finish games last year, and that cost us.”

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Returning starters (O/D): 4/7
Returning lettermen: 27
Key Players: RB Gunnar Henderson, DE Amadeo Salinas, LB Franky Gutierrez, DB Pablo Alvarado, OT Will Solis, OG Andrew Tipton, TE Sandon Yarto
Biggest Question: How will McAllen High find offense this season without Josh McGowen?
2015 Record: 5-6, 4-2