DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
DONNA —After the second session of two-a-days under first-year coach Matthew Rokovich on Monday, Donna North players delivered the typical over-exaggerated platitudes common for this time of year.
They expressed eagerness, joy, optimism, confidence, and, perhaps most of all, belief.
“There’s going to be a lot more effort,” senior offensive lineman Juan Martinez said. “You can tell. You can see it in the players’ eyes. Everybody’s running hard. It’s going to be good for us.”
Why? Why is this year going to be different for the Chiefs than the previous two, when they lost 19 of 20 games?
“I see a difference in the coaching staff,” Martinez answered. “They push us more. Everything starts with leadership, and Coach Rok is a great leader and we have confidence in him.”
It will be a matter of time before Martinez is designated a soothsayer or another young man hungry to buy into the hype of change.
What Rokovich has done, however, since he was hired in early January, is rejuvenate the program stylistically. He plans to change the Chiefs’ personality and schematics as well, but it’s yet to be seen whether that will produce any results better than that of previous coach Tommy Sauceda.
“He brings so much intensity,” defensive end Zac Salazar said. “It’s an incredible feeling playing at that amount of speed and power every single play, even the first day of practice. It’s still early. We’re still trying to get to know everyone, coaches and players. But we’re improving in succeeding in the type of coaching he’s bringing.”
Rokovich, 55, takes the helm of Donna North after spending the last three years as an assistant coach at Donna High. His last head coaching gig came 1995-1997, when he compiled an 11-19 overall record at Brackettville.
Much has changed since then. Rokovoch is sure, though, the basics of football remain the same, and he’s certain he can bring that foundation to the Chiefs.
“Football evolves. The game is ever-changing,” Rokovich said. “But there’s still a few things you have to do to win games. Offensively, you have to know how to block, and that goes for everybody. Offensive linemen have to get off blocks and stay on blocks. Backs have to run with vision and hit holes hard. Defensively, you’ve got to tackle and get to the ball.”
Though he hasn’t been a head coach since Bill Clinton was president, Rokovic boasts versatile experience in his 33 years on the sidelines. His career began at Laredo Martin, and since then his stops have included stints at Donna High, Weslaco High and Weslaco East. He also served as Donna ISD’s assistant athletic director last season and its interim athletic director in 2014.
His expertise comes along the offensive line. Rokovich is quick to tell anyone that he has coached 26 offensive linemen to all-state honors over the course of his career.
“He’s taught me a lot,” Martinez said. “It’s about hand placement, steps, balance. He shows us a lot of stuff. The mindset is simple: it’s to win our battles. He’s changed the tempo around here and he’s pushing us more and more.”
As Rokovich challenges players, the players challenge him.
“More so now, kids have so much more going on outside the game, off the field,” Rokovich said. “So much more stuff takes them away from football. There are your kids who are dedicated and who you know you can count on, but more and more there are kids who you wonder if they even like football. There’s so many more distractions now.”
The change is an adjustment to everyone at Donna North, which is in transition academically as well with the hiring of Belinda Vega as the new principal. In a way, a new era is taking place down North Val Verde road. Rokovich is a new face, bringing a new offense —ditching the spread for the multiple I-formation — and a new multiple defensive front.
Though he will employ a methodical game of football, everything else is about pace. No walking around. Sprinting into huddles. Consistent communication. Demonstrative coaching.
There is a sense of urgency, though there always is this time of year. Rokovich and the Chiefs hope it’s permanent.
“It feels like when you’ve just bought a brand new pick-up truck,” Salazar said. “You get more stuff with it. It’s nice and pretty, and it’s an amazing feeling to go from what we had to what we have now. If we’re 30 points up or 30 points down, we’re going to come at you with everything we have.
“It’s like going from 0 to 100, but we’re working to stay there.”