By MARK MOLINA | The Brownsville Herald
Ask anyone on the Brownsville Veterans Memorial football staff about free safety Tony Medrano and chances are the feedback will be positive.
In fact, they are quite glowing.
“ Tony is a class kid and he’s the type of kid that you’d like to marry your daughter,” Brownsville Veterans defensive coordinator Dave Evans said. “He does everything right, works hard every day in practice and never complains. Those are the type of guys that are a joy to a coach. Kind of coaches himself.”
It’s those qualities that have made Medrano an ideal lead for a young Chargers defense that returned just two starters.
With a lot of new faces and the daunting task of leading the defense placed before him, Medrano has not shied away from his duties and has done what he can to be a positive example.
“ I knew I (would have to be a leader), so I just had to do my part so that they would fall behind me,” he said. “I knew the new guys coming in are looking up to me, so I just try to do my best to represent.”
Brownsville Veterans head coach David Cantu said that trusting Medrano was a no-brainer as his work ethic and the respect he gets from his peers speaks for itself.
“ Tony is an example of somebody that is extremely reliable, dependable and leads by example,” the Chargers coach said. “He brings with him a vast amount of experience. We say we have two starters returning, but we really had one. He is the type that is always going to be at his best and competing all the time. The team voted for a leadership council and he was the top vote getter — he is what this team is all about.”
Just a week into the season, trusting Medrano to be the glue of the unit already has paid off as Brownsville Veterans looked impressive during a 50-13 victory over Rivera in which the defense forced a fumble and intercepted two passes in the first half alone.
Medrano, who recorded seven tackles and had an interception on the night, said the performance showed just how much the young group has come on so far this season.
“ We felt like we all connected together and we felt confident as a defense,” the senior safety said. “We knew that going into the game that we had the skills and all the tools we needed. We just needed to go out there and perform.”
Evans said the defense is a work in progress, so far, and the coaches have done a good job with the young group as they have used different lineups and combinations through scrimmages and Week 1.
The Chargers expect that to continue and are looking for Medrano to stay at the forefront.
“ He makes the defense gel because he’s going to come up and lay the wood to you. He’s a strong hitter and not a complainer,” Evans said. “He’s a guy that’s going to get it done and be a, ‘Follow me and I’ll lead by example,’ kind of player. Everybody needs those type of people to mimic.”