NATHANIEL MATA | STAFF WRITER
Elias Gutierrez is a part of two families: the family that gave him life and raised him, and his teammates on the field that he’s played alongside for years at La Joya Juarez-Lincoln. Unfortunately, at the end of last football season, his nuclear family needed him to step away from football and leave town to deal with a family emergency.
He was unable to play in the Huskies’ playoff game in the Alamo City, where the team was eliminated by San Antonio Southwest. It would have been a tall order to stop Southwest’s offense even if Gutierrez, along with defensive end Xavier Monreal and linebacker Oscar Gaona, who both missed the game due to injury, were able to play in the 33-17 loss.
“It was a terrible feeling, but my parents really wanted me to go, because it was family related,” Gutierrez said. “It was very heartbreaking for the team, because I let them down. But there was nothing I could do.”
The versatile player is a defensive specialist. His coach and teammates count on him to call schemes and adjustments on the fly. He is heralded as a ball hawk and hard hitter as a safety. On offense, he offers coach Tommy Garcia different looks and packages on a weekly basis. Gutierrez has played running back, receiver and quarterback, stepping in whenever the Huskies need a shot of speed and power at a skill position.
“Yesterday he was with the receivers, today he’s with the running backs, and of course on defense he’s our quarterback from the free safety position,” Garcia said after having trouble finding his athletic senior for an interview.
Gutierrez is back with his team for his senior year, and he’s eager to get the Huskies back in position to play beyond the regular season.
“It’s very exciting. It’s our senior season for most of us,” Gutierrez said. “We just have to take advantage of what we got. We only have 10 games. It’s the last 10 for us seniors.”
Part of the senior group that has been to the playoffs for two straight seasons is linebacker Joseph Valdez. He’s been a beneficiary of Gutierrez’s presence, helping the Huskies allow 116 fewer points in 2016 than 2015.
“Elias is a great leader,” Valdez said. “It’s great. It feels great with him back in the backfield, with him and the leadership that he has. Everybody listens, everybody works hard, and he pushes everybody to their limit.”
Valdez, who is part of a strong duo at linebacker along with Benito Gonzalez, hopes to stay healthy and effective while challenging teams in the run-heavy District 30-6A.
Garcia mentioned the importance of staying healthy for a roster that has lots of talent but questionable depth. Valdez feels it’s a nonissue.
“We go through tackling drills three times a week. We go over and over the right formation on how to tackle,” Valdez said. “So, that’s pretty much it.”
Gutierrez, Valdez and the senior group are ready to set their sights higher than just qualifying for the playoffs. They’ll rely on experience from two straight postseason trips as they chase the first playoff win in program history.
“If we stay focused all throughout the game, we should come out with the win. We just have to keep our head strong and don’t let it get in our head that we’re ‘too good,’” Gutierrez said.
The safety and utility skill player plans to use this season as a chance to erase the frustration he felt last November and prove to his Husky family he’s an anchor they can count on.