BY MARK MOLINA | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
The Hanna Golden Eagles’ defense that has been a big reason why they will play December football this Saturday when they face San Antonio Brandeis in the Class 6A Regional semifinal Saturday afternoon at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio.
One of the key cogs in that defense is senior strong safety Bryan Duran, who has helped make an impact in the Hanna secondary.
On the season, Duran has tallied 57 total tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and three caused fumbles.
The Brownsville Herald had a chance to catch up with Duran and get to know him earlier in the week.
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Q: How many years have you been playing football?
Bryan: I’ve played football since second grade.
Q: Why did you decide to play football when you were young?
Bryan: I started to want to play football when I saw that Texas and USC game and how crazy it was and how the atmosphere was. I wanted to live up to that hype. My brother also got me into it as well as my dad.
Q: What was your first impression of the game when you first put on the pads?
Bryan: In the beginning it felt good; I liked it. I put on pads, got out there, played some ball with my friends.. Then pee wee started and when the first game happened, it was great.
Q: What’s your favorite football memory if you could only pick one and why?
Bryan: Honestly, it’s probably this year with this group of guys. I love these guys so much. We got the title and we’ve just kept going because we don’t want the season to end; I love these guys.
Q: What would you say is the toughest part of playing football overall and at your position?
Bryan: The hardest thing in football would have to be the communication. Not a lot of people have that. A lot of people go out, keep their mouths shut and do their jobs sometimes. Most of the time, you have to execute, communicate and do your job. You also have to keep up your conditioning, your execution with everyone and make sure you’re on the same page. That might be the hardest part. As far as playing on defense, it’s hard. You have to know what everyone is doing not just at your position, but everyone’s position. You have to fit in if it’s zone or if it’s man, you have to communicate with everyone to make sure the defensive lineman know what they’re doing, make sure the linebackers know what they’re doing. Make sure you know if you need to give help or not. It’s just a lot of communication.
Q: What was your first experience of varsity football like?
Bryan: My first experience I knew it was going to be a faster game. You know you have to be there, but by the time you think, you’re already too late and someone is blocking you or the pass is thrown. You just have to react to everything.
Q: What’s your favorite food and why?
Bryan: That’s a hard one. My favorite food is tamales or tacos, one of those two. That’s my top two.
Q: What is you favorite show?
Bryan: Sons of Anarchy
Q: What’s your favorite subject in school? You can’t say football.
Bryan: Can I say lunch? But honestly, it’s probably history. I like learning what happened in the past and all of the crazy things that have happened; it’s interesting.
Q: if you can play for one team and one pro team in the world, which teams would it be and why?
Bryan: In the NFL, it would be the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys have been my favorite team since I was a little boy. In college, it would probably be LSU.