BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | THE MONITOR
GRULLA — Grulla junior quarterback Dillen Salinas has been a part of many firsts.
He was the first player Grulla coach Abel Gonzalez III ever brought up to varsity as a freshman.
“I brought him in midway through the season,” Gonzalez said. “He ran for a touchdown the very first time he touched the ball in a varsity game. I knew he was going to be special. The staff knew he was going to be special. He’s been special ever since he was in junior high.”
In the first game of his first season as the full-time starting quarterback on Friday, Salinas showed just how special he is. Against a tough Brownsville St. Joseph team, Salinas ran 20 times for 122 yards. He also completed 8 of 10 passes for 147 yards and three touchdowns.
“It was exciting,” Salinas said. “It was my first win as a quarterback. It was super exciting for me and the team. Going up against (St. Joseph quarterback) Kai Money, it’s like an honor to be up there with him.”
Salinas said he was amped up going into the game. He thrives off the energy of Friday nights. He said he loves football, even when it hurts. Salinas has never shied away from the physicality of the sport.
“I’ve taken plenty of hard hits,” Salinas said. “As a slot receiver, I had to go across the middle and guys look to hit you there. But I love the sport, and the hits are a part of the sport. They get the juices going. They wake me up.”
Salinas wears his marks of battle proudly. He has a prominent scar across his chin, and when he talks about the scar, his eyes close and he can see the game playing out in front of him.
“I was playing quarterback in eighth grade,” Salinas said. “We were going up against Rio. It was a district championship game. We were going at it. I threw the ball and (the defender) caught me right under the chin.”
As Salinas pulled himself up off the grass, he looked up to see that not only was the pass completed, but the receiver who caught it had scored on the play. Despite the pain, Salinas didn’t miss a snap.
Luckily for the Gators, Salinas isn’t taking many of those hits nowadays. In his first year starting under center, Salinas was gifted with some of the best things a quarterback could ask for: a stellar line in front of him and a shutdown defense to get him the ball back and protect the leads he builds.
That showed on Friday, as the Gators held the Bloodhounds scoreless in the first half. Meanwhile, Grulla ran for almost 200 yards behind a dominant line.
Still, Salinas shined bright in the game. Even matched up with Money, the Bloodhounds’ senior signal-caller, Salinas was a standout.
“On Friday, he led the team and played excellent,” Gonzalez said. “I thought he was the best quarterback on the field.”
As if the defense and O-line weren’t enough, Salinas also inherited a top-notch wideout in senior Miguel Flores. That connection was on full display on Friday, as Flores hauled in six passes for 125 yards and three touchdowns.
“(Flores) and myself have been waiting to (complete passes like that) since last season,” Salinas said. “When football finished, we started talking about how we were going to do it together, what it would be like to play with each other. He’s our biggest threat. I trust him so much.”
That trust didn’t happen overnight.
“Me and Dillen, we have been together since elementary,” Flores said. “We have been on a team together since peewee. We have had a bond since pre-K. We have been friends for a long time. Almost 12 years, we have been playing on the same team. We just have a good connection. “
The two grew up in Grulla. They remember a time before the high school was there. Salinas’ family went to Rio Grande City growing up. Once Grulla opened, in 2010, the two started dreaming of playing football for the Gators. Salinas remembers how far away it seemed at the time.
“I just recently was looking at a picture of us from when we were younger,” Salinas said. “We were so small. We were so skinny. It’s amazing that we are here together. How far we have come. It’s crazy.”
Salinas was always one of the smallest guys on the field growing up. He said he wasn’t sure if he could become a starter. But, he loved the sport, and he never stopped playing.
“I wasn’t good at football growing up,” Salinas said. “There were a lot of players that were better than me. It motivated me to play more and get better. I just stuck to football.”
That confidence has shown in his growth as a leader. When he first got to the varsity roster, he was quiet. His teammates said he sat in the back of the room, didn’t talk much and just soaked up knowledge. Now, in his role as quarterback, Salinas has become the vocal leader his teammates need him to be.
“He’s learned to do what a quarterback should do,” junior running back Ebenezer Cantu said. “Before the games, he pumps us up. In the huddle, he tells us we got this, and he makes us believe we can go get that touchdown.”
The game on Friday was just one game. But, it was against a formidable foe, and the result can set the tone for the entire season.
Now the firsts are out of the way, it’s time for the follow up.
With the skill around Salinas and the poise he has shown, it’s easy to see why the Gators are riding high into Week 2.
“He looked really comfortable out there on Friday,” Gonzalez said. “He protected the football. Being the field general out there, he has to put our offense in the best position to succeed, and he did that on Friday. … Eight out of 10, you cant beat that. We will take that any day of the week.”