BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
DONNA — Senior Jesus Lagunes has never played quarterback before.
The last three years, he has been on Donna North’s varsity team as a defensive end.
When coach Joe Marichalar was hired at North, he realized he didn’t have a quarterback on the roster.
Sure, Lagunes knew he could throw the ball from his backyard games with his brother, sophomore Marcus, but varsity quarterback was a whole new level.
Jesus used to joke about it with offensive coordinator Alejandro Rosales, who was previously at San Benito. None of the coaches knew if he was serious about it, or if it would work.
Jesus showed up to practice one day, and the Chiefs didn’t have anyone to take the quarterback snaps.
“Coach, we need a quarterback. We don’t have a quarterback,” Jesus recalled his teammates and coaches saying. “Coach Marichalar said, ‘Yes, we do. Lagunes is there.’ I stepped up, got some touchdowns, and now I am here: starting quarterback.”
Lagunes has never let being late to the party slow him down.
“I never played any other sports,” Jesus said. “I never even really played football. Starting seventh grade, I knew I had it in me. … But my main position they put me in was defensive end.”
Jesus earned a job that wasn’t contested, but his actions every day since suggest he wasn’t going to give up the spot no matter who he was competing with.
“I’m really proud of Lagunes for standing back there. You know, if you haven’t done it, it’s not easy,” Marichalar said. “We expect a lot from him. Obviously, he is new to the position, but he will learn little by little. He showed some signs that he can get it done, and some signs that he’s inexperienced and needs more work. So we have a lot of cleaning up to do, and that is what we are going to do.”
Jesus has done his best to earn the trust of his locker room.
“I have put a lot of work in,” Jesus said. “All summer, we put in a lot of work. I was trying to get my whole team here. Like my running back said, we are trying to get to the city of Round Rock. And that means, one day, be recognized as champions. And we are going to get there if we keep working hard.”
YOUNG TRIBE
The chiefs return four starters, they have eight or nine returning lettermen, and they have just eight seniors on the roster.
“I have been told, a lot of them go work up north during the summer,” Marichalar said. “They return when school starts. The numbers might get a little bigger here, according to some of the coaches who were here before.”
Regardless, North will field an extremely young team. Sophomores and juniors form the core of the team.
So far, the numbers in the program haven’t helped.
“Our numbers are not going to be like that of the schools that we will face, but I will tell you what, the quality of our kids, whether it be 40 or 30, it doesn’t matter. You still have to compete and go play the game of football,” Marichalar said. “I tell our guys, some of you are going to have to go warrior football, and that means go both ways. There is nothing you can do about it. The season is going to get here whether you are ready or not.”
Donna North was added to Class 6A just this year in the new realignments of districts. The Chiefs were 41 students above the Class 5A limit.
ROLL TRIBE
The Chiefs have a pair of backs who they are hoping can make a difference and take the pressure off of Jesus Lagunes, at least for a bit.
“We have sophomore Alex Benavides and junior Adrian Sanchez,” Marichalar said. “They are little guys. They are about the same size. They might look like twins, but they think they are 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, and they are going to go out there and have fun, compete, and get after it.”
Sanchez was out of the area for the summer, so he, Benavides and Jesus Lagunes have worked together to make sure they all know the playbook.
“I just want my team to work together, so we can have a good bond,” Sanchez said. “We want to make sure we are ready for the season.”
Benavides will take his first crack at varsity this year, and he is getting used to the change.
“It has been fun and tough,” Benavides said. “Coach Marichalar has pushed me to limits that I didn’t even know I could exceed. He has made me into a much better player than I was last year, and I thank him for that.”
The signs of a new regime are often what give the players the confidence to buy in and commit to helping the team. Marichalar instituted a battle cry: Roll tribe, Chief pride.
“I’m here to try to help these kids,” Marichalar said. “I want to help them compete, day in and day out, and have fun playing the game of football.
“Our kids have bought in completely. I believe we have the beginnings of something special here in Donna North. We just need to build a foundation.”
DONNA NORTH’S KEY TO THE SEASON
Young Donna North will have to fight for every inch. If the team is all-in and stays healthy, the Chiefs might be able to turn some heads this year.
2017 record: 1-9
Returning starters O/D: 2/2
COACH’S TENURE
Coach: Joe Marichalar
Year at the school: 1st
Record at Donna North: 0-0