BY GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — A season after racking up more than 3,000 rushing yards en route to the best year in program history, La Joya Palmview isn’t ruling out the possibility of doing things a little differently.
With 1,000-yard rushers Freddy Villarreal and Jose Bernal graduated, the Lobos might lean more heavily on the passing game in 2015. While the quarterback position is still up in the air, Palmview is confident senior Damian Quintanilla will be the top target.
“He’s out to prove something,” coach Margarito Requenez said. “You can throw the ball up there and he’s going to come down with it no matter what, no matter who you put on him. We’re going to try to get him the ball as much as possible this year.”
As a junior last year, Quintanilla led Palmview with 17 catches for 216 yards — not a bad total for a team that attempted only 69 passes.
Requenez said Quintanilla’s strength is his size, calling him the biggest receiver in the district aside from McAllen Memorial’s DJ Johnson. Quintanilla continued to show his potential during Palmview’s 7-on-7 season, serving as the Lobos’ go-to guy.
That work was part of a busy summer for Quintanilla, who said he stepped up his conditioning regimen compared to previous years.
“This year I went a lot harder, just for senior year,” Quintanilla said. “This year I have a lot of expectations for myself. I didn’t wake up in the morning for nothing. I can’t wait to see how hard work pays off. I’m just waiting for the season.”
Requenez said he tailors his offense to what his team does best, and that could be good news for Quintanilla.
The Lobos return all but one player on the offensive line and have a pair of experienced quarterbacks in Andrew Puente and Jon Zieske.
Puente ran the offense last season as a sophomore, completing 21 of 45 passes for 301 yards and two scores.
“I was pretty nervous the first games, but as the season went on, it was pretty exciting,” Puente said. “Now I have one year experience as a quarterback. Now I know my reads, and I know my calls. It’s going to be a better year.”
Zieske, also a sophomore a year ago, was involved as well, taking snaps in both playoff games.
Requenez said he’s looking for a player who can call plays at the line of scrimmage, something Palmview started doing more regularly down the stretch.
“It’s going to be a good matchup until we finally decide who we’re going to go with,” Requenez said. “It’s still up in the air.”
DEFENSIVE SIDE
While Palmview’s offense returns mostly intact, the defense brings back just a couple of key pieces from a group that led the district last year by allowing 232.1 yards per game.
Senior linebacker Luis Sanchez, a utility player for Palmview a year ago, has been trying to get his new teammates up to speed.
“We’re having to fill in for some huge spots that were left open,” Sanchez said. “It’s going to be tough, because we lost a lot of players. But it’s something that’s going to happen, and we have to adjust.”
Requenez said the new group doesn’t have the size of last year’s defense, but added that the 2015 team is actually superior in speed and strength.
RETURNING PIECES
Palmview is bringing back a pair of starters in the secondary: Fabian Perez and Armando Ayala.
The Lobos are also returning two rotation players on the defensive line in Carlos Alvarez and Danny Garza. Alvarez is a bulky presence at tackle, while Garza is a quicker defensive end.
FOUNDATION SET
The Lobos finished last season 7-4-1 to mark the first winning year in Palmview’s history. Requenez thinks that success can be a building block for his program. He’s already seeing a different atmosphere in practice.
“The underclassmen, last year, they saw what it took,” Requenez said. “The hard work, the dedication, the motivation that the senior group from last year had. It made a huge difference. I think that was the key element we were lacking here. … The kids are saying that the foundation has been set.”
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PROGNOSIS
Palmview will need a strong offense to maintain the ball-control style that led to the most successful season in program history a year ago. With many pieces back on that side of the ball, a repeat playoff appearance could be in store.
Projected 2015 Record: 6-5
TENURE
Coach: Margarito Requenez
Year at School: Second
Record at School: 8-9-1
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