ROY HESS | Staff Writer
There’s a little more stability involved for coach Armando Gutierrez this year as he starts the football season with the Lopez Lobos.
Just 12 months ago, Gutierrez was a late hire to guide the Lobos, and he found himself moving back to his native Brownsville from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex almost the same day Lopez’s practice started. In addition, the coach’s wife was about to give birth to the couple’s first child, and she initially had to stay behind in DFW before making the trip to the Valley.
It was a move made with less-than-ideal timing, and it was a demanding scenario that Gutierrez would not care to repeat.
Thank goodness, things are going much more in stride for the coach this time around as he begins his second season directing the Lobos.
Gutierrez, a 1996 Hanna graduate, said there are no regrets in having made his move back home.
“Experience-wise, it’s a lot better situation this year,” he said. “The good thing for me personally is I’ve gotten down here, I’ve finally gotten acclimated to being with these guys and I’ve gone through an offseason with them.
“Being back in the Valley after being in the DFW (for 15 years), it’s a completely different atmosphere,” he added. “Just getting these guys higher in their football acumen, I think that’s the key here.”
The Lobos are coming off a 2-8 season in which they went 1-8 in District 32-5A Division I. One of the wins was a 21-14 triumph over “Battle of Southmost” rival Porter.
It’s going to be a rebuilding season for the Lobos, who run an open, spread offense with a base 4-3 defense.
“We’re going to be very young this year,” Gutierrez said. “We had about 44 players last season and we graduated about 30 of them, so we are starting out this year with guys who have a decent amount of experience, but they’re still young players. We’re working through that.”
The Lopez coach said there are 85 to 90 athletes turning out for workouts. Out of those numbers, four are returning starters on offense and three on defense. Some of them are two-way players.
One of those is Luis Barrera, a senior H-back and strong outside linebacker who has been on the varsity three years and started two of them.
“It’s one of the best things (to have football starting again),” said Barrera, a 5-foot-8, 225-pounder. “It’s amazing.
“I really do want to see us get back to the playoffs (after missing the postseason last year),” he added. “Especially with these guys who are returning starters (and seniors), I think there are three or four of us, and we really hope we can make it.”
Sharing that mindset is senior teammate Santiago Castillo, a 6-2, 300-pound right guard who has been on the varsity for three years.
“The start of football gets me excited because I’ve been waiting for it so many months,” Castillo said. “This is my last year and I’m trying to make the most of it. Hopefully we can get to the playoffs and go as far as possible — just have fun.
“I think we have a couple more weapons as receivers, and I think we’re going to have a pretty decent O-line,” he added. “Our defense is looking good, too, and honestly, I’m pretty excited (about our chances).”
Directing the Lobos at quarterback will be Jose Manuel Cruz, a 6-1, 170-pound senior. He’s been a member of the varsity for two years.
“A lot of people don’t expect much from us and we’re trying to prove them wrong,” Cruz said. “We have a lot of potential. We’ll get there.”
The Lobos don pads on Saturday and begin full contact. They’ll be at Lopez to scrimmage Rio Hondo on Aug. 16 and La Feria on Aug. 22.