By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
SAN JUAN — A year ago, PSJA High coach Steve Marroquin entered two-a-days with virtually an entirely new team.
With only three returning starters, the Bears were tasked with replacing 35 players it had graduated from their 2014 playoff team. They did that with a collection off first-year varsity players, and trudged through a 1-9 season, tied for last place in district.
“We were swamped with a lot underclassmen feeling their way out,” Marroquin said. “It was a rough year. But I tell you what, because of those bumps and bruises, they’ve bonded well and they’re united.”
Marroquin is banking on that familiarity, and physical maturation, to lift them from the district cellar to playoff contention once again. They bring back 27 lettermen and 14 starters, including eight on offense.
Seniors Nathaniel Herrera and Mike Portillo stabilized the offensive line a year ago, and they’re accompanied by juniors Orly Huerta and Jacob Gonzalez. David Chapa also joins the mix. All return after playing a big role in creating holes for their running attack, which accounted for nearly half of its offense in 2015.
PSJA has two dependable running threats with Joachim Almaguer and Mark Castillo. A sprinter who ran for 600 all-purpose yards last year, Almaguer will divide his time between running back, receiver and kick off and punt returner. Castillo, a three-year letterman and tailback, generated close to 400 yards of offense last year.
“I call them thunder lightning,” Marroquin said. “Just having those two is invaluable. Not just for the team, but for the quarterback. We’re expecting big things on the offensive side.”
Sophomore Trey Guajardo will start under center this year. He spent the first five games of 2015 on the freshmen squad, before being promoted to varsity. He was one of five signal callers the Bears auditioned throughout the year, making his first start in the final game of the regular season, a 27-9 win over Donna North.
Guajardo completed 2 of 6 passes for 18 yards in that game, but he made his impact felt rushing the ball, where he scored once and picked up 16 carries for 160 yards.
“Everything that I’ve noticed since I’ve watched him in the middle ranks up to now is that the team always rallies around him,” Marroquin said. “Even the younger guys, they see that and they feed off of that.”
With their two receivers gone, Anthony Dunaway will likely be one of Marroquin’s primary targets in their spread offense. A three-year starter, Dunaway finished the year scoring four touchdowns in the last three games, and Marroquin said he expects his multi-sport athlete to have “a breakout year.”
BRINGING THE ‘D’
Though his defensive players are undersized, Marroquin expressed confidence in their performance heading into this season, especially with the secondary.
“Everybody says it starts up front and it does,” Marroquin said. “The game is won in the trenches. But you have to be strong in the back or it’s going to be a long night.”
The Bears did a formidable job in that regard, with the defense allowing 30 percent of its yards through the air. The team finished last in district in points (39.4) and yards (404.4) allowed per game last year, but they’re encouraged by their progress during two-a-days.
“We’re improved in the secondary and in the box,” said linebacker A.J. Gomez, one of the team’s better defensive players a year ago. “We lifted, we ran, we did everything as a team to get better. We just learned never to stop playing.”
CHANGES TO STAFF
The Bears beefed up their coaching staff over the offseason, adding longtime RGV coach Roy Peña as a defensive coordinator. Peña enters his 40th coaching season.
Tommy Sauceda, formerly the Donna North head coach, will take over as offensive coordinator. Sauceda is tasked with improving an offense that last year averaged 12.8 points per game, last in district.
The Bears’ 265.1 yards per game last year was sixth-best out of the eight teams in district.
[email protected]
=========================
PSJA HIGH’S PROGNOSIS
With far more returners in place than a year ago, the Bears find themselves in better position to compete for a postseason berth. Much of it will depend in their maturation, and how they adapt to a new system on both sides of the ball.
Projected 2016 record: 4-6
COACH’S TENURE
Coach: Steve Marroquin
Year at school: Fourth
Record at Southwest: 13-18