GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
McALLEN — Immediately after every snap, all five McAllen High offensive linemen clap in unison. Coach Kevin Brewer invented the move as a way to get their hands up and inside the pads of their defenders.
After four years playing offensive line at TCU and 17 years as an offensive line coach, Brewer has a passion for the position. He spends a good portion of most practices working with the group. During one of the early stages Tuesday, he was helping the players improve their first step, letting out a “Wooo!” or a “Yeah, baby!” whenever they got it right.
Under Brewer’s guidance, the group has developed into one of the Valley’s strongest units, paving the way for quarterback Fred Hover and running back Ricky Rodriguez to drive a potent offense. Even after losing Jacob Amar and Jesus Alvarado to Cisco College, McAllen’s line is a major force.
“They have the potential to be pretty dad gum good,” Brewer said. “We were pretty good last year up front, and I think this group potentially could be better than last year’s group.”
Central to the group are three senior, all-district returners: left tackle Brandon Cuellar, right tackle Raul Luera and center Jose “Chico” Reyes.
Cuellar is the technician. He’s hardly the thickest or strongest at 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, but Brewer has nicknamed him “Textbook.” Cuellar said he’s been playing tackle since seventh grade, and he always reviews his plays to look for faults.
“His technique is flawless,” Brewer said. “His assignments are flawless. He beats people by being in the right place at the right time.”
Luera is more of the brute-force type on the opposite side. Brewer called him the strongest kid in the program. He squats 550 pounds, benches 320 and power cleans 250. Luera said his strength is being able to drive defenders off the line of scrimmage.
Reyes is the quickest and most athletic of the bunch. Because he’s only 5-foot-9 and 200 pounds, Brewer originally projected him as a fullback. He quickly changed his mind when he saw Reyes’ strength and aggression.
Having three stalwarts in place has made it easier for juniors Elijah Dames and Isaiah Leanos to slide up from JV and take on the starting guard positions.
“Our two guards matured a lot over the summer,” Luera said. “That was a pleasant surprise for us, because it really makes our jobs a lot easier.”
Brewer said the young players have benefited just by being able to follow the lead of the seniors.
Reyes has tried to take on a more active role in their development. As the center, he’s in charge of knowing who blocks who on any given snap. If an assignment is missed, he’s the first to pick them up and get them realigned, and he said they’re never afraid to ask what they did wrong. So far, he’s been impressed with their performance.
“We’ve seen how much our young pups have grown,” Reyes said. “In all honesty, they have adjusted a lot faster than I did last year.”
Leanos and Dames said they felt welcomed by the three returners, and both were willing to take instruction.
Brewer said the learning curve for the new linemen was very short, even going back to the spring. Still, picking up the game’s little nuances is a work in progress.
Dames said he’s specifically working on his footwork, although Brewer cited that as one of his strengths, along with his hands, balance and positioning. In that way, Brewer sees Dames as a younger version of Cuellar, part of the reason he paired them together on the left side.
The same goes for the right, where Leanos was paired with Luera to make a duo of big, physical maulers.
Overall, the line forms a group that is slightly smaller but more agile and athletic than last year’s. The unit gives Brewer the flexibility to mix in some different packages on offense, and is a major reason why McHi boasts one of the Valley’s most powerful attacks.
“Definitely the strength of our team is the offensive line,” Hover, the returning District 31-5A MVP, said. “They’re going to be what carries us through the season.”