BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR
EDINBURG — For Edinburg Economedes, ‘Albert Guerra passes to Pete Segura’ is going to be a common refrain this season.
Last year, Roger Barrientos and Guerra battled it out for starting quarterback minutes. Barrientos played a lot early, but Guerra came on late and made a difference in the Jaguars season. This spring, Guerra, a junior, won the job outright, and it has been full speed ahead ever since.
“It all started when he got the job for sure,” Segura said. “It’s been great ever since. He went to a lot of camps, and he won a lot of them. He came through, and now we have really good chemistry.”
Guerra’s hard work over the summer has paid off, as the offense is clicking early, according to coach Gabe Pena. Guerra also has an experienced offensive line in front of him, with three seniors in the unit. The line has bought into Guerra, and the offense has chemistry.
“He’s a very smart guy,” senior offensive lineman AJ Garza said of Guerra. “He understands our job, and he makes everything easier for us. From getting the ball out on time, to good footwork, taking his good deep three steps, whatever he needs to do. He is a really good quarterback.”
As Pena stood on the sideline watching the offense run through a drill during practice, he saw what he hopes to see a lot this season.
“Albert Guerra, he’s No. 18 over here,” Pena said, pointing to Guerra. “He took over late in the year. He even directed us in the playoffs.”
As Guerra completed a 20-yard pass to Segura, Pena pointed to Segura.
“And that’s who we are going to throw to, Pete Segura over there. We feel confident about those two hooking up this season.”
The Jaguars won’t just be dependent on that connection, though. They boast a lot of depth at running back, as well.
“We got two guys that were hampered by injuries last year, coming up and having a good time for their senior campaigns,” Pena said. “One of them, Gabriel Ornelas, he’s been injured for two years. He has never had a complete season, but what gives us optimism this year is he has had a very good offseason. Gabriel is a specimen. If he can stay healthy, he will be a force.
“And then we have Sonny Castillo, who also was injured last year, early. He was having a fantastic year coming out of the gate last year. They are hungry. They are seniors, so we are hoping they fill the void.”
The ability to line up in a power running formation on one play and be in a shotgun passing formation the next makes the Jaguars offense a nightmare for opposing defenses. That also means the line has to handle a lot. They have to be good at both pass blocking and run blocking.
“It’s a tough task,” Garza said. “But we are willing to step up to the task. We are Economedes, and we are going to step up to the task. Nothing is impossible.”
MAN IN THE MIDDLE
The Jaguars employ a 4-3 base on defense. Senior linebacker Nick Villanueva has become a dominant force in the middle of the formation. He is a three-year letterman, and everyone on the team sees him as a leader.
“We are anchored there by Nick Villanueva, our starter at middle linebacker coming back,” Pena said. “He was a starter last year as junior. He’s coming back full throttle for his senior year.”
Villanueva is an intense player. As the emotional leader of the defense, he is the man who gets the players pumped up before a drive. During his senior year, Villanueva is thinking a lot about making sure the young players learn from him so they can follow in his footsteps.
“I have been here now for four years, so I bleed blue and orange,” Villanueva said. “I try to do everything, every rep, as good as I can. I try to teach these youngsters to give it all, because you don’t know when it is going to end. It’s really important for me to be a leader, because it keeps that tradition going.”
AGE IS JUST A NUMBER
Last year, Economedes had to deal with a mountain of injuries. They ravaged the offense and the defense, and at some positions the Jaguars were using their third, fourth or fifth option. The benefit of going deep into the depth chart is that many young players got experience at the varsity level. Pena isn’t as hesitant as he normally would be to trust these younger players.
“We played so many kids last year,” Pena said. “With the culture here, we know how to win. Our JV went 8-2. That’s what a coach likes to see, is when your culture has really seeped into all the nooks and crannies of your program. Every year, we expect to be in the playoffs. Are we going to be young? Yes, we are going to be younger than we were last year, but we have confidence that our program is at a level right now, that we can compete every Friday night. We will need our little young ones to play up early.”
ECONOMEDES’ PROGNOSIS
Economedes’ offense looks to be impressive if its key players can avoid the injury plague that hit the team in 2016. The Jaguars will need their young players to step up to help the veteran core.
2016 record: 7-4
Returning starters O/D: 5/4
COACH’S TENURE
Coach: Gabe Pena
Year at school: 7th
Record at school: 28-36