NATHANIEL MATA | THE MONITOR
MISSION — It feels like almost every corner of Mission High is undergoing some sort of major construction. While Tom Landry Stadium approaches completion, the football team in maroon is starting to morph into a group that is better than in recent years, particularly in the backfield.
Mission’s Horacio “Tito” Moronta V is finally getting first-string carries. The sophomore running back is new to the school after playing a portion of McAllen Rowe’s season as a freshman, then transferring to Mission.
He used the summer to assimilate to the Eagles, hanging out with future teammates outside of football.
He didn’t play in varsity games for the first three weeks of the 2017 season. After learning the system and impressing at JV, he’s back to varsity and back to making an impact.
“The first few weeks helped me get in rhythm with the offense at the JV level, just so I can get the hang of things with the offensive scheme,” Moronta said. “It did do me good, keeping me fresh and everything.”
He debuted Sept. 22 against Eagle Pass Winn, only rushing for 17 yards but logging 55 receiving yards on three catches. Now he’s a feature of the Eagles offense, which averages 23.6 points per game.
Moronta is pleased with his numbers and is earning respect from older teammates and coaches alike. He didn’t expect to be such a large piece of the puzzle right away.
“There’s a lot of guys who have been here before me,” Moronta said. “I was just trying to work my way up and prove myself and show what I can do and try to earn that top spot. I think I’ve done a good job of that.”
Mission had almost a spoil of riches at running back this season. Early on, freshman Andrew Maldonado was the team’s leader in carries, complementing the power game of Steven De Leon.
Maldonado has since moved to a primarily defensive role, while De Leon, when healthy, has been joined by Moronta and Joe Resendez in the backfield.
“We all run hard,” Maldonado said. “Once the line does its job, we all do our job, getting as much yards as we can.”
Coach Koy Detmer has been happy with the mix and variety of runners in the backfield.
“Tito is doing a great job,” Detmer said. “He’s come in and learned the system really well — smart player. He’s got very good ability, as well.”
The sophomore went over 100 yards for the first time last week, crossing the milestone in a big way with a 170-yard game. He saved the performance for a matchup against his former team, which meant a little extra, personally.
“That was a real big game for me, but I didn’t try to make the game about me,” Moronta said. “Just tried to be a team player and try to come through for the team when they needed me to.”
The loss to Rowe last week was a tough result for Mission to take, as the Eagles held a lead before falling in overtime.
Quarterback Damian Gomez and linebacker/running back De Leon suffered injuries during the first half and weren’t able to compete down the stretch.
Moronta was called on to run the offense out of the wildcat formation despite not having much practice in the set. The direct snaps led to first downs in the fourth quarter, but the Warriors eventually forced a punt to set up their comeback.
“We hadn’t practiced that before,” Moronta said. “We didn’t expect our quarterback to go down. When he did, I just had to step up and help the team out when no one else could.”
Detmer said that while his starting quarterback Gomez is day-to-day, his sophomore running back Moronta should be able to build on last week’s efforts when he gets the call.
“He’s a versatile player,” Detmer said. “We were able to function and get some things done, and that was within a game. It helps now (that) we’ve had a week’s worth of practice to work on a lot more.”
The Eagles are on the ropes as they head into the final two games of 2017 attempting to qualify for the postseason for the first time in five years.
The Eagles’ district record is 1-3, but they have a favorable schedule remaining. Mission faces La Joya Palmview, which is winless in district play, on Friday. In Week 11, Mission closes the season against McAllen High. The Bulldogs also have one win in district play and will likely be fighting the Eagles for the final 30-6A postseason berth.
“We’re just trying to work hard these last two weeks we have left,” Moronta said. “My motivation is, ‘Do it for the seniors,’ since it’s their last year. Since Damian got hurt, we really need to all come together as a team and just work to finish out strong and hopefully make the playoffs.”