GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
LA JOYA — For first-year La Joya High coach Reuben Farias, the key to building the district’s best defense wasn’t any personnel overhaul or schematic change. Instead, Farias simply made a few minor tweaks and leaned on his senior leaders.
So far, Farias’ plan has been working, with the Coyotes’ boasting a 2-0 record in District 30-6A and allowing a league-best 232.8 yards and 12 points per game.
“It’s the attitude that the guys have,” said Rey Hernandez, one of the group’s seniors. “We ask them to do certain stuff, and they always adjust, no matter what. They listen to the leader. They listen to coach. They listen to their position coaches. And their attitude is a really big part of the game.”
Hernandez has been the central figure on that side of the ball, lining up at middle linebacker and ranking atop the team in tackles for the second consecutive season.
A third-year varsity starter, Hernandez finished last year with 79 tackles and has made another 46 stops in 2016.
Hernandez said his success is due to him knowing his job and being in the right place at the right time — something he’s tried to help his teammates master, as well. Farias has given him the freedom to check the defense into different plays and assignments based on what he sees from the offense.
“I just try to talk to them with respect,” Hernandez said. “Never cuss them out. Never say anything in a bad way. I just talk to them with respect, and they respect me, and that’s the relationship that we have.”
Linebacker Anthony Chapa, defensive lineman Jose Perez and safeties Fernando De La Rosa and Leo Garza have also provided senior leadership.
Chapa, a three-year starter, is a quiet, hard-working run stuffer, Farias said. Perez has anchored the defensive line as the lone returner, and Danny Villarreal and Carlos Silva have surpassed expectations beside him. Silva leads the team with six sacks.
“We had some young men that were being put on the field who have managed to play at a higher level than what we were expecting,” Farias said. “Those two young men have really stepped it up.”
Garza and De La Rosa deliver hard hits from the secondary. Although each has missed time to injury this season, both are expected to play at a higher level coming out of last week’s bye.
De La Rosa, in particular, has impressed Farias with his ability to transition from strong safety to free safety, a position that requires him to better understand the defensive system and relay signals to his teammates.
“We thought he was going to struggle to pick it up, but so far it’s just like if he played there last year,” Farias said.
Indeed, De La Rosa said the transition was difficult at first, but not once he had game experience under his belt.
For a time, Farias wasn’t sure if De La Rosa would be available at all this season. De La Rosa left school early in the spring to work alongside his father in oil fields around the state. He briefly considered not coming back for his senior year, but ultimately decided he should. He’s on track to graduate in December, at which time he plans to go back to work.
“It was just for the summer, just to get money to buy my clothes and stuff,” De La Rosa said. “But I kept thinking about this, and I kept thinking and thinking, and I decided I was going to come back.”
A few younger players have also been key for the Coyotes. Junior linebacker Jonathan Gomez ranks second on the team with 41 tackles, and sophomore Irvin Zamora has stood out in the secondary because of his speed.
Up and down the roster, the Coyotes have been playing with slightly adjusted techniques, setting to different depths in pass coverages or approaching man-to-man responsibilities differently. At corner, for example, the Coyotes are turning toward the receivers when chasing downfield on deep routes, rather than turning in toward the quarterback.
“It makes the defensive player play a little bit more aggressive,” Farias said.
The bottom line is a 2-0 record in district play for the first time since 2006 — before the La Joya ISD split that produced Palmview and Juarez-Lincoln. La Joya High hosts the league’s only other remaining unbeaten at 7:30 tonight, clashing with McAllen Memorial. Farias called it a “David versus Goliath type of story.” The Mustangs have not lost a district game since 2013.
“We respect their game, we respect what they do, and we can’t be afraid of them,” Hernandez said. “We can’t back down from them on any play.”