DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
RIO GRANDE CITY – Two years removed from the best season in program history, Grulla is entering this season off its worst.
The Gators went 1-8 during an injury-riddled 2014, though that one win, over Hidalgo, was enough to qualify them for the four-team playoff picture out of the five-team District 16-4A, Division I.
“Our kids kept fighting,” Grulla coach Abel Gonzalez III said. “They kept grinding. They found a way to get into the playoffs.
“Their effort and their commitment was something we took from last year.”
Grulla did not play with its full starting offensive line for the first six games of last season, and lost all six. But with four of five starters returning, Gonzalez is optimistic about 2015.
“It’s essential we’re solid up front,” Gonzalez said. “We’re going to rely hard on those boys because they’re experienced and they know what it takes. They’re going to give us a chance.”
The line will be led by a pair of three-year starters in left tackle Gilbert Vera and right tackle Nazario Garza. The rotation up front goes seven deep.
“Right now, our big thing is we all know how to move,” Vera said. “We’re big and strong, but we’re quick. Being better than last season is what’s driving us. We’re going to fight harder than we ever have.”
Injuries didn’t just affect Grulla’s line. They were all over the place, including the quarterback and receiver spots. High ankle sprains and collarbone injuries plagued the Gators, and depth is always a concern for a program that carries only 35 kids on varsity.
Still, the thinking around camp this summer is that the Gators never got to show what team they really are.
“The hope is we stay healthy this year,” Gonzalez said. “If we can do that, we can have a pretty good ballclub.
“We’re never going to be very deep as far as the number of kids. So you lose two or three kids, you start shuffling around and it becomes a domino effect. It makes it really tough to gel together as a unit and find out where we’re really good at.”
A NEW LOOK
The Gators are under a new defensive coordinator in Jimmy Ortiz, formerly of Weslaco East. Ortiz brings a 4-2 scheme opposed to the 3-3-stack Grulla had been familiar with.
“It’s an easier defense, from the routines to the drills to the holds,” senior linebacker Orlando Ramirez said. “We’re better in the gaps and we’re able to really show what we can do.”
Gonzalez said the big thing is cramming a lot of learning into these few weeks of camp. From understanding alignments to formations to verbiage, there is a lot to digest.
But the Gators are confident the change will be worth it.
“We’re going to be better tacklers,” Ramirez said. “We won’t miss. And because it’s more of a zone defense, we’re going to get more interceptions. We’ll be able to give our offense a lot more opportunities.”
LEADING THE WAY
Junior Fabian Anzaldua is the full-time signal-caller for Grulla after sharing time with brother Eddie, then a senior, last season.
Gonzalez raved about Anzaldua’s work during the offseason and is impressed with his instincts.
“He’s very athletic and he’s very smart,” Gonzalez said. “He knows where to go with the ball and what his reads are. He doesn’t ask many questions because he just gets it. He sees the big picture, and that’s what a quarterback needs.”
Anzaldua said he took a lot from his first year as a varsity quarterback.
“I can’t get too tight. When the pressure comes, I’ve got to relax,” he said. “Now that I’m a junior, I’m more laid back, more comfortable, but still working just as hard.”
X-FACTOR
If there’s an “X-factor” for Grulla this season, it’s sophomore receiver Miguel Flores.
Flores stands 6-foot-1 and is like former Grulla star Troy Trillayes, a versatile, dynamic talent that can play all over the field.
“He’s a big, tall kid who’s athletic,” Gonzalez said. “He has great speed, great hands. He’s going to be one of those kids who surprise.”
Flores will complement a strong playmaking group that includes receivers Leo Martinez, who missed seven games last season with a collarbone injury, and Omar Martinez.
GRULLA’S PROGNOSIS
If they can stay healthy, the Gators have the talent to not only make the playoffs for the fourth time in six years, but also compete for a district title.
Projected 2015 Record: 6-3
TENURE
Coach: Abel Gonzalez III
Year at school: 6th
Record at Grulla: 21-31
=======================
Check out more stories from The Monitor’s 16-day Two-A-Day Tour: