DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
DONNA — The rap and techno music blares over the speakers at Bennie La Prade Stadium. What one could expect should be a quiet, if not underwhelming, Donna High football practice is relentlessly upbeat.
The Redskins have gone through a lot this season. As it was, only seven starters returned from last season. Then three tailbacks suffered season-ending injuries. A fourth one missed five weeks because of injury. Five players hardly ever miss a snap, playing both ways out of necessity.
But that pales in comparison to the tragedy that took place two weeks ago when first-year outside linebackers coach Jason Garcia passed away during a car accident in San Benito. Since then, however, and remarkably, the Redskins have played their best football, winning two straight games and keeping their slim playoff hopes alive.
Perhaps that’s why during Wednesday’s late afternoon practice, players bobbed to the music — a good sign, as coach Ramiro Leal allows music during the last hour of practices the week after a win — and the mood is relaxed. Spirits are high for a 3-5 team, 2-3 in District 32-5A.
“It’s sad to say tragedy can jell a team together, but what happened to Coach Garcia brought players out of their shells, they were openly emotional, and they really rallied around each other,” Leal said. “It’s a more united team that has more appreciation for the game.”
The Redskins persevered when they could have waned.
After a season-opening win over Valley View, Donna High lost five straight games. Two tailbacks went down during a 16-0 loss to La Joya High in Week 3. By the time district play rolled around two weeks later, the Redskins’ backfield was bare and Leal was forced to adapt. Defensive players started playing more on offense; talented free safety Noel Perez is the team’s top rusher.
“It’s been hard,” said junior quarterback Josh Mata, who missed two games with a sprained ankle. “It’s tough asking younger players to fill in for guys who are experienced and have adapted to varsity. It’s a big difference, but everyone is pulling through.”
A Donna High practice generally starts with offense going through drills on one side of the field while the defense is on the other. That goes on for 90 minutes before the team goes “live” 11-on-11 for the final 45 minutes.
Now, since the Week 6 game against Edcouch-Elsa, Leal has his varsity players go through an hour on defensive work and then an hour on offense. He also cut the offensive playbook down and structured the defense around a base alignment.
During last week’s win over Donna North, for instance, Leal said the Redskins used variations of just four plays.
“I told the coaches we’re going to have to give up on a lot of the things we do as far as complexity,” said Leal, who added the biggest thing he has learned this season is that it is OK to depart from one’s comfort zone. “We needed to get simpler, but get good at those things. We weren’t getting good at anything. Now we’re executing a lot better.”
Indeed, Perez, who has rushed for 492 yards and four touchdowns on 53 carries, has been a revelation. Mata (237 yards, four touchdowns) has produced as a ballcarrier. Hector Guerrero has improved at quarterback. Since two straight shutout losses to La Joya High and Mercedes, the Redskins are averaging 25.5 points over the last four games. The defense, a steady component all season long, has sustained quality play despite key players being used on the other side of the ball.
Donna High whipped Brownsville Porter 42-12 two weeks ago — four days after Garcia’s accident; the Redskins essentially played on emotional adrenaline after having one true practice during the week — and shut down the rival Chiefs 20-0 last week.
For the third straight game, the Redskins will trot out the same starters Friday against Brownsville Pace as they did the previous game.
“We’re finally executing as a team,” Perez said. “We’re all feeling more comfortable. We’re all doing our jobs and we know who’s going to be out there. That’s a big difference.”
Leal said his team is no longer locked in on always trying to win. Garcia’s loss offered bigger, and better, perspective. Early on, the Redskins dealt with the pressure of being defending 32-5A champs. The expectations of players and coaches, as well as the community, were overwhelming.
Things are different now. The players are not as focused on the result of games, but on their effort and play. Interestingly enough, the new mindset has birthed the first winning streak of the season.
“It’s impressive how this team has kept moving forward,” Perez said. “We’re doing great things right now. We’ve stuck together and hung in there, and we’re winning games. Everything we’ve gone through, it’s tough. But we’ve done well going through all this pain, going through all this adversity.
“With Coach Garcia’s tragedy, it opened our eyes in telling us that the next day is not a given. You have to work for today.”
A life lesson learned, Leal is pleased, if not relieved.
“For the first time,” he said, “they’re taking their own identity and they’re trying to enjoy themselves and things are outright working out better.”