It’s unusual for Rivera to be on the football field for spring practices.
However, this upcoming season will see the Raiders deploy a younger squad on the gridiron, which brought up the need to work on some of the basics before the new campaign begins in August.
“I used to do it a lot in my younger days,” Rivera coach Tom Chavez said of spring sessions. “We’re coming in to work on the concepts so we can be ready to work in the fall. When we get back here in the fall, they’ll be ready to go.”
Rivera is coming off a rough season, winning it’s opening game before going winless the rest of the season for a 1-9 mark.
The Raiders struggled on both sides of the ball but are hoping the extra work this spring will benefit them in the fall.
While the Rivera offense is senior-laden and more experienced, the defense is mostly underclassmen and in need of the extra reps.
Either way, both units are trying to get ready for the upcoming season.
“We had a tough season last year, but we have to keep working to get better and better,” Rivera senior offensive lineman Jonathan Trouchet said. “(We have to) keep working hard for the fall and get ready to go. We’re trying to send a message to other teams — we’re coming.”
Rivera will continue practice for the remainder of the week and finish up with a few practices next week.
The team split into position groups for individual work. The linemen hit sleds while running backs concentrated on footwork. Receivers and tight ends worked on catching footballs spit out of a JUGS machine in the new training facility at Rivera before heading back outside to the adjacent practice field to run routes for a pair of quarterbacks. The defensive backs and linebackers worked on basics such as tackling techniques.
The regimens were part of a plan to get the Raiders ready for the fall.
“It’s a physical game,” Chavez said. “ … so we’re working on contact and hitting, blocking and tackling.”
Despite the change in schedule for Rivera this spring, the team is coming together and hopes to improve on last season’s record.
“We’re working as a unit, as a team. We’re bonding … pushing each other to the limit,” Trouchet added. “The seniors are stepping up and helping the younger ones to keep working to make this team a good one this fall. We want more games, so we have to work together. Everyone wants to be here, so let’s keep moving forward.”
The Raiders will forfeit a scrimmage and miss a week of practice before the season starts this summer due to spring practices.
“That’s no problem,” Chavez said. “We’ll be a week behind, but that’s all right. I think this is more important for us right now than that one week.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.