BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR
SAN JUAN — PSJA High senior defensive end Orlando Huerta doesn’t stop running once he hits the target distance for his position group.
He doubles back around and runs with whoever is near the back of the line.
Huerta wants to make sure everyone finishes.
“Whenever I do stuff like that, it shows them that they can believe in me and they can trust me,” Huerta said. “I think it just bonds everybody together. It’s important on Friday nights that the person next to you can trust you. You need to know that they are always there for you, and it’s the little things like that, that help you accomplish that.”
Last year, Tommy Sauceda was the offensive line coach, and Huerta played left tackle. When PSJA brought in Lupe Rodriguez as its new head coach, Rodriguez moved Sauceda to defensive coordinator, and Sauceda knew he wanted to bring Huerta with him. Huerta has emerged as one of the focal points on the Bears’ defense.
“(Huerta) has done a good job this summer keeping that group together,” Rodriguez said. “He has really been getting on those guys and accepting that role.”
The Bears haven’t been able to boast about their defense for several years, but Huerta is convinced that will change this season. If it does, he will likely play a big part in it.
“I think we have been waiting for a few years now to come out here and make a change,” Huerta said. “I think it will be very exciting to kind of prove some people wrong, that we are not a weak defense anymore.”
One thing that the defense knows for sure will be improved is its conditioning. Huerta had his unit working all summer. They were in the weight room, and they were running twice a day.
“The new offense is fast,” Huerta said. “They are going to score a lot. I’m expecting at least four or five touchdowns per game. You think about them getting down the field quicker, that means less break time for us. We have been stressing conditioning. We will be ready for that.”
LINE ‘EM UP
The key to PSJA’s offense is giving junior quarterback Trey Guajardo enough time to get through his progressions and find the open man.
“I’m very proud of these guys on the line,” Guajardo said. “Considering we lost two big seniors, these guys have put in a lot of hard work, and they know that it is a different atmosphere — the varsity level to the JV level. I told them, ‘I got your back, and just know that anything that goes wrong, I will let you know.’”
That relationship has become reciprocal.
“(Guajardo) is one hell of a player, and I am glad to say that I play with him and block for him,” senior Jacob Gonzalez said. “I would put my life on the line for that guy. That’s how I play for him.”
Questions exist along that line, with some sophomores getting their first work on the varsity squad. That group draws its confidence from strong leadership in the middle.
Senior Jacob Gonzalez is the unquestioned leader of the line at the center position. He is vocal in the huddle, and he pushes his teammates to work in practice.
“It feels pretty amazing to be the leader,” Gonzalez said. “I like to fire them up in the huddle, because you get to see them get all hyped and everything. You get them ready to go kick the other person’s ass.”
The fire he brings was earned in the trenches, but the trust he has from his linemates comes from their bond.
“We are pretty close,” Gonzalez said. “We go to each other’s houses and stuff like that. We chill. It’s a really tight bond.”
When the whole line gets together, look out. Gonzalez said the group can really do some damage at the Peter Piper Pizza buffet.
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT
Rodriguez comes in with a solid reputation. He spent eight years as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Mission Veterans, working with the likes of Santos Villarreal and Diego Hernandez, The Monitor’s 2016 All-Area Player of the Year. As a player, Rodriguez holds the Valley’s single-season passing record, racking up 4,179 yards at Mission High in 1987.
“He has a legacy here in the Rio Grande Valley,” Guajardo said. “Having the privilege for him to coach us is amazing.”
Right away, Guajardo has noticed how much of a difference Rodriguez makes in his game.
“It’s crazy with the stuff he knows. How to read the defenses, and the certain routes that we run. It’s just exciting,” Guajardo said. “When he first got here, he was looking at film and what I did. Something that I really didn’t think of that I did last year, is just protecting myself. I took unnecessary hits. Also being smart with the ball. He’s really good at perfecting all the little things.”
With Sauceda, a former head coach, managing much of the defense, Rodriguez has the time to work with the quarterbacks. His style is not like some coaches, but it has been very effective thus far.
“He’s very mellow, but he is there,” Gonzalez said. “He is quiet, but he is still there as a leader. He’s more quiet than our last coach, but he teaches us more than our last coach.”
PSJA HIGH’S PROGNOSOS
One of the hottest young QB prospects combines with one of the best QB coaches, so sparks could fly in the Bears offense this year. If the defense can keep them in it, the Bears could win the Tri-City Championship for the first time ever.
2016 record: 3-7
Returning starters O/D: 5/5
COACH’S TENURE
Coach: Lupe Rodriguez
Year at school: 1st
Record at school: 0-0