BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Sharyland High’s offense ran like a well-oiled machine in 2017.
The team averaged 36.8 points and piled on 5,055 yards of total offense over the course of 12 games. Playmakers were sprinkled in at various positions up and down the depth chart. Defenses had trouble clamping down on speedy running back/wide receiver Blake Klein, while quarterback Edgar Longoria (18 touchdown passes, three interceptions; 614 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns) was a true dual threat in his first full varsity year under center. As talented as the Rattlers’ pieces were, they would not have reached those numbers without the guiding force of their offensive line.
The Rattlers did not simply cut and paste a random group of five guys together. They assembled one of the most decorated front fives in all of Valley football. Six linemen were named to the district’s first, second or honorable mention teams.
“Being on an O-line, you aren’t going to be in the spotlight a lot,” junior tackle Josh Williams said. “But we care enough to do our best to help out our friends and teammates on the field.”
Williams and guard Xavier Luna were both first-team all-district linemen last season, with Williams also being named to The Monitor’s All-Area First Team, as well. Center Armando Padrón was the Rattlers’ lone second-team all-district performer.
Padrón and Luna, however, are set to graduate this spring, leaving two important holes in the Rattlers front line.
Oscar Garcia, the 6-foot-4, 300-pound senior-to-be, will be counted on to shoulder the load.
“Spring practice has gone fine for us,” Garcia said. “We’ve been getting along together since our center (Padrón) and guard (Luna) graduated. We’re progressing well.”
“An important thing for us is that we’ve got our two tackles (Williams and Gabriel Martinez) back,” Sharyland High coach Ron Adame said. “When you talk about offensive linemen, you’re talking about chemistry. Josh and Gabriel are going into their third year after playing 23 games together. The chemistry is there. And then you add in someone like Oscar, who is like a prototypical offensive lineman. He’s smart academically, he thinks outside the box, and he’s able to anticipate things before they happen. Oscar is great at picking up tendencies of the defensive ends he’s going up against.”
A healthy offensive line could lead to another successful offensive season for the Rattlers, who appear to be the prohibitive favorite in the brand-new District 16-5A Division II.
“What Armando and Xavier taught us was to take advantage of the opportunity we have in front of us,” Williams said. “We have to push with one mind, go hard every time and never give up. We were down two touchdowns against Pioneer in the fourth quarter (last season), but we came back and finished it. That’s how we have to play every time we go out there.”
NEED FOR DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT
The Rattlers offense may have finished second in the district with 442 points, but their defense finished dead last in the nine-team district, allowing 382. For context, the Rio Grande City Rattlers gave up the fewest points in the district with 179, albeit playing two fewer games than Sharyland High.
“I think this defense has grown a lot compared to last year,” linebacker Javo Lopez said. “Guys have learned how to tackle a lot more efficiently, making plays and coming down on the ball harder. We know we gave up a lot of points last year, but I’m sure it’s not going to happen again this year.”
With Noe Guzman and Jimmy Esquivel departing, two Sharyland secondary players who are likely to get more looks are sophomores Sebastian Hinojosa and Mauricio Sanchez.
Hinojosa appeared in six varsity games last season and finished the year tied for the team lead in interceptions with three.
“I’m trying to fill in wherever my team needs me to help out,” Hinojosa said. “I’m in there to do my job. Part of our job going into next year is focusing on winning third downs and getting opponents off the field. Last year, we could force teams to third down, but then they’d scramble away and move the chains.”
Sanchez was equally opportunistic defensively, recovering two fumbles in 2017. He plans on training with former Rattler Sean Landez, who is currently a safety at Texas A&M-Kingsville, during the offseason.
“I got to work out with Sean when he came down during winter break,” Sanchez said. “When I worked out with him, I was almost in tears. He put me to work. I know working with him will make me a better player.”
REPLACING THE SNAKE
Klein, who was affectionately known as “The Snake” for his ability to slither away from the opposition, will graduate this spring. He was the team’s leading rusher (782 yards) and slot receiver (861 yards) in 2017. The search for his replacement, or replacements, is already underway.
Three viable options might be Adrian Solis, Hector Zavala and Mauricio Sanchez, who will split time between offense and defense in 2018.
Solis showed some big-play ability in 2017, averaging 10.5 yards per rush and 16.3 yards per catch. The first of Solis’ three touchdown receptions was a game-winning score to knock off Edinburg North in the closing seconds of Week 2. Zavala caught 21 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown in 2017.
“Hector was our starting Y receiver last year. He wasn’t in our athletic block this spring, but we think he’ll be good to go,” Adame said. “Adrian was our swing man at both slots, so once we have them in place, guys like Mauricio and even Sebastian (Hinojosa) can provide a great deal of depth for us at those positions.”
SHARYLAND HIGH RATTLERS
Returning starters (O/D): 8/4
Returning lettermen: 37
Key players: QB Edgar Longoria, OL Josh Williams, LB Javo Lopez, DE Brandon Mireles, WR Ruben Davila, OL Gabriel Martinez
Coach: Ron Adame, 7th year at school
2017 record: 9-3