BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — Edinburg High took its lumps last year under first-year coach Joaquin Escobar. The Bobcats finished 2-8, were beaten by an average score of 33-6 and saw their offensive and defensive units rank at the bottom of District 31-6A.
“Last year’s struggles came down to a lot of things,” Escobar said. “Number one, I’m never going to blame the kids. We as a coaching staff didn’t always make clear what it was we were trying to do. I put it all on us as a coaching staff, and I put it on myself. I take it very personally.”
As Escobar enters his second year at the helm of the Bobcats, he and his staff continue the process and rebuilding a program in desperate need of victories. Since 2012, Edinburg High has gone 7-23 and won no more than three games in a season.
“We’re trying to get in shape and increase our stamina,” Escobar said. “We’re trying to build of what we did last year and the kids who played last year. We’ve progressed a little bit more. I think we’re farther ahead than where we were last year. We just had so many young guys on the team.”
The Bobcats run a spread offense, and have four returning starters on that side of the ball, including junior running back Nathan Marez.
“Last year a lot of guys got down because of the losses,” Marez said. “This year, we’re talking to each other and communicating during practices.”
Escobar is high on Marez’s abilities and calls him a perfectionist.
“I love that about him,” he said. “It’s a great characteristic to have. But when he makes a mistake, he’s really down on himself. That’s great because that shows great qualities about who he is as a person. I trust him and he’s going to do everything we ask him to do. He’s going to perform and he’s going to bust his butt.”
LOSS ON THE O-LINE
While Marez will play a role in bringing success to the Bobcats this season, the loss of Matthew Basquez is a major setback for a team with minimal depth. The would-be senior center is likely out for the duration of the season after experiencing heavy chest pains during the summer.
“(Matthew) got really scared. I think it’s something he didn’t want to chance,” Escobar said. “And I understand. He did a great job for us and was looking good over the summer and spring.”
Replacing Basquez is sophomore lineman Marcelino Robledo. Despite losing a rare upperclassman on the roster, Escobar is confident the O-line will respond and be more solidified than it was a season ago.
“I think that’s one area where we’re sound,” he said. “Out of 10 games last year, we started 8 different lines… This year, we’re going to have to find some consistency there.”
FINDING THEIR MAN
After serving as a backup in 2014, Efrain Borrego will look to start under center for the Bobcats. Escobar says there are three to four other quarterbacks waiting in the wings, but will use this year as a learning experience. Regardless of who takes the bulk of the snaps, their skill set must mold to Escobar’s liking.
“(Our quarterbacks) really have to be pretty good athletes,” Escobar said. “He’s got to be able to read the zone and run. He’s got to be a runner and a thrower. Our kids are doing a great job of becoming those type of kids.”
PLAYING EVERY SNAP
Despite being designated a Class 6A school by the UIL, the Bobcats have a relatively low number of varsity players, approximately 40. With so low a turnout, some athletes play multiple positions, and are sometimes on the field for almost every play.
“It gets tiring,” senior linebacker / tight end Zaith Rodriguez said. “But I do it because I love football and I want to do what’s asked of me for the team to win.”
Rodriguez says he is one of roughly seven players to pull double duty, and only started learning how to play offense this season.
Edinburg High’s Prognosis: Edinburg High struggled plenty en route to a 2-8 record a season ago. The Bobcats will be a year older, but the key is playing a year better. Even then, the team’s youth means it’s still at least one year away from consistently competing against its District 31-6A peers.
Projected 2015 record: 2-8
Coach: Joaquin Escobar
Year at school: Second
Record at Edinburg High: 2-8
Check out more stories from The Monitor’s 16-day Two-A-Day Tour: