BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
DONNA – Building a foundation takes time. At the high school level, the foundation often starts at the quarterback position.
Donna North heads into the 2017 season with two quarterbacks, senior Gus Alvarez and junior C.J. Castillo, duking it out for the right to start under center in the team’s season opener against PSJA High on Sept. 1.
Both quarterbacks bring different capabilities and body types to the table. Alvarez, the bulkier of the two, lost 20 pounds during the offseason.
“Most of the coaches and players know I’m not the tallest, but I do have an arm,” Alvarez said. “I’ve got the accuracy and the long ball. I think I can really help us out a lot.”
Alvarez says he learned a lot from Alex Saenz, Donna North’s starting quarterback last season.
“I would look up to him, because he would teach me a lot of things,” Alvarez said. “He had a record of throwing the ball deep, and he helped me learn how to throw the ball and read defenses.”
The 6-foot Castillo is switching from the safety and cornerback spots to the quarterback position.
“It’s been something new transitioning from defense to offense, but I had a peek at the offense a while back,” Castillo said. “When I transferred in, I stayed on the offensive side of the ball a little bit, and then transitioned to defense. I stayed on that side last year, and now I’m back on offense.”
Castillo believes his extensive experience playing in the secondary gives him an edge on how to make decisions as a quarterback. “As a former DB, I know what a DB needs to do when a quarterback throws the ball,” Castillo said.
“As a quarterback, I now know where I need to place the ball most of the time when the defense decides to man up.”
Second-year coach Matthew Rokovich has yet to make a definitive decision before North takes on Port Isabel in a scrimmage Friday. “We’ve got a real battle going on,” Rokovich said. “Gus has a strong arm, but C.J. has a little bit more speed than Gus does. And Gus can run over you, too. Both of them are improving every day. I’m excited to see how they both perform under the lights.”
FAMILIAR FACE COACHING O-LINE
Rokovich had a hole to fill on his coaching staff, as his offensive line coach was no longer at Donna North. “
I went out and tried to find the best O-line coach that I could,” Rokovich said. “I quickly realized that that guy was me.
“There’s so many little things to take care of on the offensive side of the ball. We have some good running backs who can do a lot of things. If those guys up front don’t know what they’re doing, it’s going to turn a really good back into an average one.”
Senior Cris Mireles is making the change from center to left guard under Rokovich’s instruction.
“He’s really helped us work on our steps and our blocking schemes,” Mireles said.
Starting senior right guard Israel Martinez said Rokovich’s philosophy will open up more room for senior running back Tony Gomez, who ran for 405 yards in only five games last season.
“We’re going to do our best to hold up. For us and for Tony,” Martinez said.
“They’re learning every day,” Rokovich said. “They’re doing everything we’re asking them to do, and they’re improving. We have more depth in our offensive line than we have in years past. We have about 10 or 11 varsity linemen who I know can step on a field and help us. If you’ve got that many, those are good numbers up front. That’s what you’re looking for.”
BUILDING A RIVALRY
Donna North is entering its fourth year as a football program. The birth of Donna North gave Donna High something it never had previously: an in-district rival. Unfortunately, the annual Donna North-Donna High football game has not yielded the competitive nature both head coaches have hoped for.
Donna High dispatched Donna North rather easily in 2014 and 2015 by a combined score of 97-21, but a small tide had begun to turn once Rokovich was hired to lead North’s football program. The 2016 game resulted in a 20-0 Donna High win — a closer margin than the first two meetings. North will be looking for a breakthrough come Oct. 27 at Bennie LaPrade Stadium.
“That’s the great thing about being in a town with multiple schools,” Rokovich said. “You get a sense that players and coaches on both sides pencil in that game on the schedule. When we play Donna High and other teams, we want to beat those guys. And afterwards, we shake each other’s hands and go on like the sportsmen that we are.”
DONNA NORTH’S PROGNOSIS
The gradual building up of Donna North’s football program will continue for Matthew Rokovich, his coaching staff and players. According to Rokovich, defense will be his team’s calling card.
2016 record: 2-8
Returning starters O/D: 6/8
COACH’S TENURE
Coach: Matthew Rokovich
Year at school: 2nd
Record at school: 2-8