By ANDREW CRUM and JOE ALBERICO, The Herald
LOS FRESNOS — A trio of athletes from Los Fresnos will be playing at the next level.
Safety Fabian Rodriguez and fullback/tight end/punter Isaiah Zepeda will continue their football careers and Joseline Caraveo will continue her volleyball career in college.
Rodriguez has decided to attend New Mexico Highlands University, a NCAA Division II school and Zepeda is headed to Crown College, a NCAA Division III school in Minnesota.
Caraveo will compete for Cameron University, a NCAA Division II school in Lawton, Oklahoma.
All three made their decisions official during signing ceremonies Thursday at Los Fresnos.
“Nobody ever worked harder, nobody worked with more intensity, no one ever pushed anybody as hard as he did,” Los Fresnos defensive coordinator Mike Evans said. “He led through his actions, what he said and backed it up on the field.”
Rodriguez led the best defense in District 32-6A this past season that allowed 258 yards and 12 points per game, and helped clinch a share of the district title and earned a playoff berth.
The senior safety, who was district’s top defensive player and The Herald’s All-Metro Defensive Player of the Year, was one of the team’s leading tacklers with 97 tackles (60 solo), including 10 for a loss, forced two fumbles, blocked a field goal and had two interceptions, one of which that was returned for a touchdown.
“Football is my passion,” Rodriguez said. “I will give it all I got. It’s a dream to take it to the next level in football.”
Rodriguez was a three-year starter and showed a work ethic that was second to no one.
“He’s been an example for all the kids, this is how you practice, this is how you play,” Evans said. “He’s a competitor.”
The safety plans to study criminal justice and joins Brownsville Veterans Memorial wide receiver Jeremiah Meyers, who signed to play with the Cowboys last month.
Rodriguez credited former Los Fresnos coach Clint Finley, his coaches and family with helping him get the next level.
“(New Mexico Highlands) gave me an opportunity and I’m going to take it,” he said.
The multi-talented Zepeda will head to the small private school near the Twin Cities. He picked the school because of the coaches’ rapport with the players and it felt familiar.
“It felt like home,” he said. “It felt like Los Fresnos.”
Zepeda was a unanimous all district selection at fullback and an All-Metro first-team selection as a tight end. He finished the season with 11 rushes times for 83 yards (7.5 yards per carry) and a pair of touchdowns and caught 18 passes for 291 yards (16.2 yards per catch) and a touchdown. He also averaged nearly 40 yards per punt.
“Isaiah was coachable and dependable,” Los Fresnos offensive coordinator Craig Foster said. “We asked a lot of him, but we could always depend on him.”
Zepeda expects to start working at tight end with a possibility to see time at running back in the future. He received an academic scholarship and plans to study accounting.
Foster said Zepeda’s versatility was his key to take his game to the next level.
“He filled a lot of roles for us,” Foster said. “He was skilled enough to come in, pick it up and excel at it. I’m sure (Crown College) is going to find a fit for him.”
Los Fresnos also enjoyed its second volleyball signing in two days as Caraveo pledged her services to Cameron University.
Caraveo is coming off a fall campaign in which she earned The Herald’s 2015 All-Metro Team MVP and the District 32-6A MVP awards. The talented blocker ended her final high school season with 351 kills, 237 blocks, 62 digs and six aces, showing a versatility that likely helped her land nearly 10 collegiate offers.
Caraveo was joined by her mother Sandra, her father Chris, her brothers Chris Jr. and Nathan, Lady Falcons volleyball coach Becky Woods and a packed lecture hall as she made her college choice official.
“It’s just a dream come true being able to go to the next level,” Caraveo said. “Being able to have this opportunity that God gave me … it’s just a dream come true.”
It was also a dream realized for Caraveo’s mother, who read a touching letter to her daughter during the festivities. Sandra Caraveo described her constant battle with the bittersweet happiness she’s endured watching her daughter grow from an elite prep athlete to a college prospect and young woman preparing to fly from the nest.
“(My family being here) and my teammates and everyone here (Thursday), it just motivates me to show them that I can (compete at the college level),” Joseline Caraveo said. “Them being here makes me feel like I can be great.”
One person who is already optimistic about Caraveo’s collegiate future is Woods, who entrusted Caraveo with varsity status since her freshman season.
“Joseline is a phenomenal, phenomenal kid, and she will just tear it up at the college level. I truly believe that,” Woods said. “She’s tough, and she’s that player that gets everyone else going and picks them up when they’re down. She’s just a great kid and a terrific athlete.”
Caraveo said she chose Cameron University because of a dedicated Aggies coaching staff which expressed a knowledge of the game that Caraveo believes will help accelerate her growth on the court.
That progress will happen 700 miles from Los Fresnos High School, and when Caraveo leaves Los Fresnos for Oklahoma, it will be her first time living beyond the Texas border. After spending her volleyball days playing against mostly familiar faces, her venture outside the Lone Star State will likely not only bring home sickness, but a new crop of talented teammates and foes and a workload previously unknown at the prep level.
“I’m nervous and I’m excited at the same time,” she said. “It’s a challenge, but once you get to know (new players), once you get the bonding (with new teammates), it’ll become great.
“(And it’s going to be) a lot more work. I just want to work hard and become as great as (my new teammates) are.”