BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
HIDALGO — Tristan Castillo is learning his new job on the fly.
The Sharyland Pioneer sophomore began this season, his first at the varsity level, exclusively as a wide receiver on offense. While the Diamondbacks’ passing attack thrived through their first four games (1,090 passing yards), the running game had not been as successful (494 yards) heading into the Week 5 bye.
“We decided last week that if we were going to five-wide, let’s put a back in there (Castillo) and motion him in,” Sharyland Pioneer coach Tommy Lee said.
“I’ve been a wide receiver all my life,” Castillo said. “The coaches saw that I was elusive, so they moved me to running back.”
Castillo debuted as the Pioneer’s No. 1 running back in Week 6 against Mercedes and ran for his first career touchdown. On Friday, Castillo carried the rock 15 times for 118 yards and two touchdowns, solidifying his spot in the Diamondback backfield.
His second rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter turned out to be the difference in Sharyland Pioneer’s 35-28 road win over the previously undefeated Valley View Tigers (6-1, 2-1).
The Diamondback offense didn’t take many chances through the air against Valley View’s defense, which collected 11 interceptions during their 6-0 start. Senior quarterback Jacob Rosales connected with fellow senior Roel Cajero on a 45-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, but that would be the only passing touchdown in Friday’s game.
Sharyland Pioneer turned to the ground game with Castillo and Rosales. Castillo scored his first touchdown on the Diamondbacks’ first possession while Rosales finished with a game-high 133 yards rushing.
But Rosales didn’t take all of Pioneer’s snaps. Sophomore Eddie Marburger, with whom Rosales had shared the starting quarterback job, subbed in for him in the second quarter. Valley View free safety Javier Lopez picked off Marburger for his team-leading sixth pick of the season, allowing Tiger quarterback Simon Fernandez to punch in the Tigers’ first touchdown of the game.
Rosales checked back in on Pioneer’s next possession, but the offense went for a three-and-out. Rosales didn’t see the field again until early in the fourth quarter.
“I was cramping,” Rosales said. “The humidity was crazy. I felt like I was hydrating a lot, but I didn’t hydrate enough, I guess. I spent the entire third quarter trying to get my calf ready. In the fourth quarter, I felt good and came back in.”
In the meantime, the Marburger-led Pioneer offense continued to be a mixed bag. Marburger had a 39-yard rushing touchdown to start the second half, but the Diamondbacks didn’t finish a red zone opportunity with a touchdown later in the period. He also threw his second interception in the third.
Down 24-7, Valley View was on the comeback trail. They appeared to be nearing their final destination when Fernandez ran for his third touchdown of the night to begin the fourth quarter. The score put the Tigers up 28-27, their first lead of the night.
“I’m glad we came back, but we were flat in the first quarter,” Valley View coach Elifonso Esquivel said. “We’re playing a good team and we made some mental errors that cost us 14 points. You can’t do that against a good team that will probably make the playoffs. This atmosphere felt like a playoff game. Our kids don’t have that experience. Once our kids realized that this was it’s all about, they showed a lot of character to come back after being down three scores.”
The Diamondbacks (4-2, 2-0) will face their most familiar opponent next week when they meet Sharyland High (4-3, 2-0) in the fifth annual Snakeskin Classic at Richard Thompson Stadium.
Lee, whose team is on a three-game winning streak, isn’t leaving his team’s fortunes against his district rivals to chance.
“I’m a pretty superstitious guy. I wear the same clothes and same socks each game. I wash them, of course,” Lee said. “I don’t like having a beard, but I haven’t shaved in a couple weeks. You may see again like this next week. My wife doesn’t like it at all, but she understands. It’s football season.”