BY NATE KOTISSO | THE MONITOR
An 0-5 start isn’t how Donna North coach Matthew Rokovich wanted the year to begin. But now the problems that need fixing are simple.
“I’ve been 12-1 and I’ve been 0-10. There’s a process to it all,” Rokovich said. “We just need to play a complete game. We’ve had some halves where we’ve been very strong and other halves where we’ve made mistakes. This past week, we’ve gone back and re-emphasized fundamentals.”
What hasn’t helped the Chiefs is playing on the road in three of their first five games, including matchups with undefeated teams PSJA High (5-0) and Brownsville Lopez (5-0).
“We started our district play against pretty good opponents (4-1 Edcouch-Elsa and Lopez), and our non-district was tough, as well,” Rokovich said. “Going forward, we’re going to continue to work hard and do what we need to improve.”
One bright stop for Rokovich is the play of North’s running backs, led by senior Tony Gomez and freshman Juan Jaramillo. Jaramillo leads the team with 329 yards and a touchdown on 5.5 yards per carry. Gomez has run for 295 yards and two scores.
“Our running backs have been running very hard. They’re very tough kids,” Rokovich said. “They’ve got great vision, and we’re really proud about that.”