GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — When fullback Izaiah Ramos learned he had paced Weslaco High in rushing attempts during the team’s Week 2 win, he was shocked. With 12 rushers combining for 56 attempts, Ramos understandably lost track of who had the ball how many times.
“I led the team in carries?” Ramos said. “I didn’t know that. I didn’t expect that, at all.”
He probably shouldn’t get used to it. In coach Tony Villarreal’s slot-t offense, diversity and misdirection are paramount. So while Ramos has certainly been impressive in his first year back at fullback after playing linebacker last season, projecting from week to week who will be the leading attackers in the Panthers’ vaunted rushing game is a daunting task.
Who will top the team in attempts, yards or touchdowns when Weslaco High hosts Mercedes at 7:30 tonight at Weslaco’s Bobby Lackey Stadium is anyone’s guess.
“We really don’t want to show who the guy is,” Villarreal said. “You have to key on everybody. Who is in? Who is out? What’s the formation? We move them around.”
Entering the season, Alex Lara and Justin Coronado were expected to be Weslaco High’s top options, and the Panthers and Villarreal still laud them as the team’s best and fastest playmakers.
Lara has been the team’s leading rusher through two weeks, with 8 carries for 120 yards. With Coronado sidelined for last week’s game against San Antonio Marshall, Weslaco still mustered 435 yards on the ground in a 48-20 win. Twelve Panthers ran the ball, and six had five or more attempts.
“Because a lot of defenses key on one guy, us having 12 different backs running the ball makes it tougher on defenses,” offensive lineman Rudy De La Torre said.
After playing almost exclusively as a linebacker since the midpoint of his sophomore season, Ramos is readjusting to the fullback position.
He carried 10 times for 57 yards last week, and Villarreal praised him as a natural runner with plenty of power and just a little wiggle.
“I’m getting more comfortable with transitioning back here and knowing what I’m supposed to do,” Ramos said. “I’m getting better.”
Ramos said his biggest challenge is blocking, starting with picking up the calls from the offensive line. On some series, his assignment is straightforward, but on others “right” may mean “left” with the intention of fooling the defense.
As a runner, he said he’s still learning how to follow his blocks. Last week, he felt he was too quick to bounce outside while his blockers were making holes in the middle. Villarreal is happy with the progress Ramos has made.
“It was hard at first, but I think he’s started to learn the offense,” Villarreal said. “He’s probably one of our best running backs, naturally, with instincts.”
Ramos notched a 70-yard touchdown on the first snap from scrimmage against Marshall, but the play was called back on a penalty by sophomore Jeremy Coronado, Justin’s younger brother and that week’s starter in the backfield.
Jeremy finished with 7 carries for 70 yards, much more production than he expected after barely playing in the team’s preseason scrimmage.
“I didn’t think I was going to play, but I came back, and (Villarreal) started playing me more and more, and I got the starting spot,” Coronado said. “I just have to keep working and getting better so I can keep that spot.”
Even in limited time, Coronado caught Villarreal’s eye during the preseason. He said the sophomore “torched” Weslaco’s defense, showing many of the same traits that made his brother a key cog in the system.
Villarreal said watching the two Coronado brothers is like seeing double, and Jeremy said he’s never hesitated to go to Justin for advice.
“He’s always there for me,” Jeremy said. “He tells me what I’m doing right and things I’m doing wrong. He told me to follow my blocks, to stay on them. He told me to work towards the middle and then try to find the open field.”
Richard Olszak has also been key for Weslaco High, picking up 103 yards on just 4 carries this season by exploiting defenses with sweeps and reverses. Driving the whole system is the offensive line, anchored by returning guard De La Torre and tackle Brandon Perez on the right side.
Together, the group attacked Marshall with a level of physicality unseen in the season-opening loss to Richmond George Ranch. The Panthers are hoping to take that same mentality into the matchup with Mercedes.
“We took the leather to them and hit them quite hard,” Villarreal said. “The level of physicality we brought was different. I was real impressed with the physicality of our kids.”