BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
GRULLA — Junior Dillen Salinas knew his time would come, but last year he got to watch Fabian Anzaldua work his magic.
“Fabian is a great quarterback,” Salinas said. “I have been his backup since Day 1. I like his play. I look up to him.”
Anzaldua graduated in the spring, and the Gators will head into the season with Salinas under center. Abel Gonzalez III, the third longest tenured coach in the Upper Valley, had the plan in place long before Anzaldua began his senior season.
Die-hard Gators fans learned that early last year, on Sept. 29, when Grulla hosted McAllen Rowe. Anzaldua was banged up and couldn’t play. Gonzalez called on Salinas to start the game against an opponent two classes higher than the Gators.
“For a sophomore, getting in there and playing quarterback against a 6A team, I thought he did pretty good,” Gonzalez said. “He made plays when he had to. He moved the ball up and down the field pretty good. So it was a learning lesson for him going against a pretty good squad. That just gave him experience at that position.”
Salinas is a dual-threat quarterback, as Anzaldua was, but the 5-foot-10-inch, 160-pound Salinas is a different kind of runner. Salinas brings game-breaking speed to the position. He might just be the fastest player on the team.
“That’s a close one,” Gonzalez said. “It’s probably between (Salinas) and Miguel Flores, our slot receiver. But he is probably the quickest guy we have on the team. He’s very elusive, runs very well and can see things before they happen. He has the key qualities to a good runner.”
Flores, a senior, has been watching the development of Salinas so far this fall.
“He’s looking pretty good,” Flores said. “I like the way he plays. Dillen is fast, so we can keep playing the way we have, but just go faster.”
The Gators defenders have been trying to track down Salinas all fall, and they can’t wait to see their opponents try to accomplish that difficult task.
“He’s more versatile,” senior defensive tackle Derek Solis said. “He loves to run around. Fabian was more of a pocket passer, but Dillen, he can run the ball, and he can throw the ball. We count on him a lot.”
Anzaldua’s teammates say he was a loud, confident leader who pushed everyone in the locker room to be better. Salinas said last year he was more of a quiet guy on and off the field. During his time this summer, in the weight room, or out on the practice field, Salinas focused on being more vocal with his teammates.
“I feel good about where I am at with that,” Salinas said. “I mean, there is a lot of leadership in this locker room, but I am becoming the main one. It’s pretty good.”
The offense probably wont change a whole lot under Salinas, which can be filed under the old mantra of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” but Gonzalez said there may be some subtle tweaks.
“I think last year we were run heavy with Anzaldua running the ball a lot,” Gonzalez said. “Last year, I think we were about 65 percent run and 35 pass. Hopefully we can even that out a little bit this year.”
BIG BOYS
The easiest way to welcome a new quarterback to the offense is to gift him a strong line in front of him. Salinas is inheriting just that.
“It’s the best line I have ever had,” Salinas said. “Fabian had that line. Now I get it, too. We are lucky to have this line. Most QBs don’t have a line this good.”
The line is composed of four seniors and a junior. All five starters played together for the final five games of last season, playing almost every snap as a unit.
“Our line is looking really good for this year,” Flores said. “They are strong and ready to open up gaps for the running back. They are trying to make plays.”
Over the summer, all five guys were inseparable. Guards David Carillo and Aldhair Lopez, tackles Jorge de la Rosa and Jaime Rios and the lone junior at center Andrew Lopez said they have become as close as brothers.
“They are like my brothers, all four of them,” Rio said. “We come to school, we hang out outside of school, we are good friends, and on the field we, turn into a group.”
They didn’t just spend the summer bro-ing out, though. The line was hard at work getting better and watching film.
“We have all learned more over the summer,” Rios said. “We are working well as a unit. We put in a lot of hard work together.”
STRONG DEFENSE
Being a star on the defensive side of the ball is difficult. Even fans of the team don’t always know the names of the defensive players.
Grulla has a star in Solis. Last year, he was a unanimous first-team all-district player at defensive tackle.
“I think he’s probably going to be one of the best in the Valley at that position,” Gonzalez said.
The 6-foot, 220-pounder anchors a strong defense that returns a lot of key players.
“The team captains are me and Luis Cabello,” Solis said. “We just try to get everyone together. We push everyone. We don’t put anyone down and we just pick everybody back up.”
The defense is a tight-knit group.
“Everyone plays as one,” Flores, who also plays cornerback, said. “We are all going hard in the weight room and on the field. And we are ready to roll.”
GRULLA’S PROGNOSIS
Dillen Salinas takes over at quarterback behind a solid line. If he can take hold of the offense right away, the Gators can build on their first district title from a year ago.
2016 record: 7-5
Returning starters O/D: 7/5
COACH’S TENURE
Coach: Abel Gonzalez III
Years at school: 8th
Record at school: 32-43