BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — As he sat in the locker room preparing to make his first varsity start against the Valley’s top team, McAllen Memorial defensive lineman Ricky Minor said he nearly threw up. After missing the majority of his freshman season with a broken wrist, Minor was called up to varsity and told his first game would be at a new position, defensive tackle, on the road against Sharyland High.
He had worked out alongside the likes of senior linebacker Lucas Rios during the summer, but he never thought they’d be in the same starting lineup in 2014.
“It was nerve wrecking,” Minor said.
By halftime, he said he had settled down. And by the end of the year, he had developed into one of McAllen Memorial’s best players.
Now, Minor returns for his junior season as a central piece in an experienced Mustangs defense.
“He’s probably one of the best defensive lineman at a young age that I’ve been around in a long time,” coach Bill Littleton said. “He’s got all the tools. Strong as a bull. He’s got everything going for him. He plays with high emotion, and he plays the game fast.”
In 2014, Minor racked up 65 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles.
He followed that effort with a busy offseason in the weight room and trips to college camps at Rice, Texas Lutheran and Trinity. There he showed off a 40-yard dash time in the range of 4.9 seconds despite his 270-pound frame.
“I’m bragging on Ricky Minor, that dude is just an animal,” senior linebacker Sam Hinojosa said. “I’m so glad he’s up there in front.”
When Minor first moved up to varsity, Hinojosa was slow to believe the hype. He didn’t have much to go off.
On the first play during Minor’s freshman year, the opposing center messed up the snap. The quarterback picked the ball up about 5 yards deep in the backfield, ran to the outside and got past the Mustangs pursuing him.
Minor made the tackle about 2 yards past the line of scrimmage but landed awkwardly, his wrist crushed under his shoulder pads. The broken bone cost him all but the final two games of the year. Minor worried the injury would set him back on the path to varsity.
“I thought it was going to be a big difference, sitting out like seven or eight weeks,” Minor said. “But when I came back, I felt like I was out for two days. I felt great.”
The biggest difference, he said, was that he “got fat,” putting on about 40 pounds. That weight proved helpful in 2014, when he shifted inside to defensive tackle and sometimes had to anchor against double teams.
Minor said the new position was tougher. He had to switch to a four-point stance and make quicker reads. But Littleton said the transition was never an issue for Minor, who he called a good technician.
“He’s got a pretty complete game,” Littleton said. “When you get kids that play with a fast motor, most of the time they’re pretty good run stoppers, and most of the time they’re pretty good pass rushers. They’re just good gamers. He plays hard in practice, but when the lights come on, he hits a different level.”
Hinojosa and Littleton have both seen Minor mature mentally, as well. After spending much of sophomore year simply excited to have a chance, Minor is more focused on the team and facilitating winning.
If he can continue to make those steps, the best may be yet to come, Littleton said.
“He’s come a long ways, but we’re still hoping to see bigger gains on the mental side of things between now and the end of the season,” Littleton said. “We’d like to see him grow up a bunch.”