BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
Roma coach Max Habecker Jr. can hardly believe it. The 2017 season will mark his 11th at his alma mater. For a program that has come so far, the memories still flood back in Habecker’s mind.
“I remember my first day like it was yesterday,” Habecker said. “The grind that we’ve had to go through has been something special.”
“The grind” is how Habecker describes Roma football’s slow build toward respectability. From the school’s first year of existence in 1988 through 2006, Roma football did not once have a winning record. Habecker returned home in 2006 and went through four more losing seasons until 2011. Since then, Roma has finished no worse than a .500 regular season record each year, made two playoff appearances (2014 and 2015) and won a bi-district championship (2014).
Following a playoff appearance in 2015, the Gladiators appeared to be a wildcard candidate to capture the 31-5A district crown with the return of 16 starters to the 2016 team. But it didn’t happen. Roma (5-5) missed out on the postseason altogether.
“We lost three games by less than a touchdown,” Habecker said. “The difference was in the last two years, we were winning those games. I can’t put my finger on one exact thing that went wrong. The ball just didn’t bounce our way in critical situations.”
Habecker noticed his kids during spring practice are hungrier after not making the playoffs in 2016.
“They still have a sour taste in their mouths,” Habecker said. “Our standards 15 years ago was to not have a losing season. Now they’ve raised their own expectations. They don’t just want to not have a losing season. They want to make the playoffs every year.”
BATTLE UNDER CENTER
Habecker said two players are vying for the starting quarterback job for the 2017 team. One is current junior Jesus Villarreal, who primarily played as a linebacker last season while also serving as the team’s backup quarterback. The other is sophomore Marco Garcia, who was Roma’s starting quarterback on the junior varsity team in 2016.
“Either way, they’re both going to be on the field,” Habecker said. “They’re good athletes. They can run with the ball and throw on the run if they need to. Jesus and Marco have been playing quarterback since they were in the seventh grade in our system, so they understand what we’re doing.
“At the end of the day, it’s going to come down to how they do in our grading system. Who’s making fewer mistakes and who will have a higher quarterback rating in our practices.”
AN EFFECTIVE BACKFIELD
Roma returns a two-headed monster at the running back position with junior first team all-district performer Bryan Garcia and sophomore honorable mention Felix Gomez.
“Bryan was slated to be our starting slot receiver (last season),” Habecker said. “When we lost our starting tailback, we put Bryan there, and he rushed for 1,200 yards in eight games. His counterpart, Felix, rushed for 800 yards in six games. Together, those guys ended up forming a nice one-two punch for us.”
The tandem of Garcia and Gomez are exactly what Habecker has looked for in a dynamic rushing attack.
“We’ve rushed for over 300 yards a game over the last six years,” Habecker said. “So that’s something we definitely take pride in. We’ve had multiple all-state running backs and offensive linemen because of the system that we run.”
DEPTH ON DEFENSE
Despite the losses of inside linebacker and 31-5A Defensive MVP Gerardo Gonzalez and first team all-district cornerback J.J. Pena to graduation, the Gladiators return a stable of accomplished defensive players.
“Over the last three years, our defense has finished number one in our district,” Habecker said. “And we hope to continue that success.”
Coming back to Roma will be first team all-district defensive lineman Elder Manuel along with honorable mention safety Francisco Villarreal and linebacker David Rios.
“Our kids have been in our system for so long that we’re able to plug kids in, moving them up for JV to varsity, and they understand what we’re doing,” Habecker said. “Elder and Francisco have been starters since they were sophomores. David took over a starting spot as a sophomore last year. The kid is a beast. He’s a bookend outside linebacker.”
ROMA
Returning starters (O/D): 3/5
Returning lettermen: 20
Key players: RB Bryan Garcia, RB Felix Gomez, DL Elder Manuel, S Francisco Villarreal, LB David Rios, RT Jose Martin Garcia
Coach: Max Habecker Jr., 11th year at school
2016 record: 5-5