By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
RIO GRANDE CITY — As a senior and second-year starting quarterback, Grulla’s Fabian Anzaldua insists he isn’t so much concerned about individual accolades at this stage of his career as he is leading his Gators to a district title.
So before practice got underway Wednesday, Anzaldua approached coach Abel Gonzalez III about how to better maximize his opportunities. Through four games, Anzaldua has connected on just 25 of 65 attempts (40.3 percent) for 377 yards and five touchdowns against two interceptions.
How his completion percentage looks alongside his name isn’t so much the root of his frustration as is the outcome his team could have enjoyed had those looks connected.
“A lot of those routes he’s throwing downfield are 1-on-1s, so I’m going to tell him to go for those every time,” Gonzalez said. “He took those shots last year, and we hit a lot of them. This year we’ve hit about one or two, so we have to be more consistent with our deep ball.”
Anzaldua attributes his recent slump to the pressure he puts on himself to go for “the home run plays,” as Gonzalez describes it, simply “looking to pump up my teammates.” Part of that, Anzaldua said, stems from his intention to establish the run game. Though he plays quarterback exclusively, Anzaldua leads the district in rushing with 532 yards on 58 attempts (9.2 yards per carry average) and six touchdowns.
That production has helped Grulla generate 73.5 percent of its offense on the ground, far and away the best rushing attack in District 16-4A, Division I.
Where Anzaldua might have rushed more than 20 times a game last year, the senior is now finding himself being a bit more conservative, rushing an average of 14.5 times a game. Gonzalez came up with that figure before the year as a way to scale back the number of times Anzaldua could potential absorb hits.
But that’s hardly been the case with Anzaldua, who committed himself to the weight room in an effort to shed defenders and break tackles.
“He’s always been an elusive runner,” Gonzalez said. “He’s always had good speed. But he’s a lot stronger than he was last year, and it’s starting to show. He’s a tough kid to bring down.”
Despite his success on the ground, Anzaldua understands he has to improve his accuracy if his team intends on going past the opening round of the playoffs. The past two games have been the toughest on Anzaldua — a 35-34 loss to PSJA Southwest and a 17-7 win over Lyford — in which he completed 15 of 35 attempts.
The next two games, starting with Friday’s matchup at Rio Hondo, provide the final tune-ups before opening a four-game district slate.
“I was telling Coach about it today how I need to get on my passing game and pay more attention to that,” Anzaldua said. “I haven’t been as accurate as I had been the first two weeks. I went back to the running game. But now I have to pay more attention to the passing so I could be that dual threat.
“It’s just about trying to get the team going, trying to come up with the big plays to give the guys energy.”
As a senior, Anzaldua has taken to heart his role as a leader. He was determined this past offseason to improve his footwork and have a better read on the defense. He’s also been more vocal, pulling aside teammates when the offense is on the sideline, providing words of encouragement or offering advice.
That’s why his stats aren’t so much a concern for him. That will come with the victories, he said. What matters most to Anzaldua is that the Gators, now 2-2 overall, are able to fulfill their potential.
“Everything’s different now,” Anzaldua said. “When we’re watching film, we’re paying attention to details. Here in practice, there’s no messing around. That’s what separates this year’s group from last year’s: they’re showing they want to win. As long as we do that, as long as we stay focus, we’re going to be OK.”
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