BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR
PSJA Memorial may be 0-2 heading into Week 3, but the Wolverines still have a lot of optimism.
“Our goals are still intact,” Memorial coach Michael Uribe said. “Our kids are doing some good things. We are showing improvement every single day. We are going to continue to work hard. Participation has been great. The attitude has been great. The numbers are bigger than any other year since I have been here. I’m proud of the effort my kids are putting in.”
A large portion of the optimism centers around junior quarterback Orlando Muñoz, who has completed 30 of 50 passes for 290 yards and a touchdown.
“By the time the season is said and done, he’s going to be one of the top quarterbacks in our district,” Uribe said. “He’s getting better every single day. He has jumped leaps and bounds from his freshman year to last year. At the start of his sophomore year, he got thrown into the fire. Now, he has the situation under control. The game has slowed down for him. He’s confident. He handles the flow of the game a lot better.”
If there is one area Muñoz needs to improve, it’s his punting. He was rushed into the role after last season’s punter decided not to join the team this year. In Memorial’s game against McAllen High, Muñoz’s punting played a large part in the outcome. Punting from his own end zone, Muñoz had a punt go out of bounds after 0 yards, giving the Bulldogs the ball at the 4-yard line. He had several other less than stellar punts in the game. The punting, combined with other special teams blunders, hurt Memorial in the field-position battle.
“It’s not that he’s a bad punter. It’s just when you’re transitioning as a punter, and you play quarterback, it can be a little challenging,” Uribe said. “We have been hunting and scouring the soccer classes, but he’s currently the best one that we have. … We still believe in Orlando to be our punter, but we would like to have some options just in case.”
The turnaround for Memorial could begin Friday. The Wolverines host Brownsville Lopez at 7:30 p.m. at PSJA Stadium in Pharr.
“I used them as an example all offseason and all summer,” Uribe said. “I have a lot of respect for coach (Jason) Starkey over there. I got to know him personally over the last year. The way he has changed the culture there is similar to the situation and circumstance that we are under. Lopez has had some good years in the past, but it’s been up and down. PSJA Memorial has had some good years in the past, but it’s been up and down. The way that they are playing and the environment and the feel that they have over there, I think that is the direction that we are heading. I think we can get there really soon.”