BY NATE KOTISSO | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Nine months later, it is still a marvel that Sharyland High nursed a three-point lead in the third overtime of an area round game at Alice on the day after Thanksgiving. The Rattlers offense sputtered early, and the Coyotes jumped out to a 13-0 lead. The Rattlers rallied to tie the game, but Sharyland quarterback Edgar Longoria missed the fourth quarter and the rest of the game after suffering a hyperextended hamstring.
Alice answered Sharyland’s field goal in the overtime period with a rushing touchdown from quarterback Trey Jaramillo, and the Rattlers’ hopes for a trip north to San Antonio were thwarted, 42-39. The kids haven’t forgotten the score.
Coach Ron Adame remarked afterward that not many people “expected much from this group” and that they were “sleepers.”
The 2018 Rattlers return their starting quarterback, starting running back, two of their top wide receivers, most of their offensive line and all-district performers on their defense in a less congested, seven-team district in which they are no doubt the heavy favorite to repeat as district champions.
My, how times have changed.
“No, we’re not sleepers anymore, and our boys know that,” Sharyland High coach Ron Adame said. “That’s the way things were here before our high schools split. These boys know that teams are going to bring the A-game when we play them. The bull’s-eye is on us.”
Longoria had more than his share of sparkling moments against playoff-bound teams like Mission Veterans and rival Sharyland Pioneer in 2017, but several injuries wound up undercutting the start and end of his junior season.
“When I get together with my teammates, we would talk about that game (against Alice) a lot,” Longoria said. “The fact that we all prepared, played our best and came so close to winning still hurts. I was a little more heartbroken that I wasn’t healthy enough to be out there when my team needed me. But even when I was out, I knew Oscar (Valdez) was good enough to win us the game. It just didn’t happen.”
Longoria, now a senior, says his health is in good shape as the Rattlers are set to wrap up the preseason later this week. Good health is a good thing for a team that can ill afford to rest after the work they put into their nine-win 2017 season.
“This year’s team hasn’t done anything yet,” Adame said. “Of course, we’ll use last year as a teaching tool for this season, but it’s a whole different season now. Throughout the course of a season, it can take many turns. We’re just hoping that some of the momentum we had at the end of the year can carry over to this year.”
A LEANER FRONT
Sharyland High carried a much-maligned defense last season, despite having four of their top 11 make the all-district first and second teams.
The lone returning first-teamer is senior defensive end Brandon Mireles, who posted 34 tackles and three sacks while also recovering three fumbles and forcing two fumbles.
“When you’re going into your senior year, you have to take the things you do more seriously,” Mireles said. “My conditioning’s different. I’m in the weight room a lot longer. I’m watching more film now.
“Last year, I set a goal for myself to be first team all-district. Now, the goal is to be first team all-area.”
Players at this time of the year are usually bulking up for the start of the season, but Mireles’ summer worked out differently. Mireles was listed at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds on last year’s roster.
“Now, I weigh 200 pounds,” Mireles said. “I did track, and I ended up losing a lot of weight. I competed in the 200-meter run, the 4-by-200 relay and threw the discus. But I’m a lot stronger. I squat more and I bench more. I lost more water weight and gained more muscle.”
Not many defensive linemen are tasked with slinking past offensive linemen who are as much as 50 or 100 pounds heavier than they are.
“I’ve had to learn to be creative,” Mireles said. “I’m quick with the way I shift my body, and I can get by linemen with my hands or the natural speed I already have. I may look more like an outside linebacker, but the coaches need me to be a defensive end. I’ll go wherever they want me.”
Mireles’ slender frame and 4.7-second 40-yard dash time would appear to open up a recurring role at the wide receiver position.
“That’s yet to be seen,” Adame said. “He’s certainly someone that we think can utilize all of his different talents. I know he’s not one to tug on your sleeve and ask for the ball, but if the ball is put in his hands, he’s not going shy away from it.”
OSCAR OF ALL TRADES
When Longoria was injured late in the game against Alice, backup quarterback Oscar Valdez stepped in admirably with two touchdown runs.
Adame figured he’d have to find a way to keep the senior Valdez on the field this season. With the graduations of kicker Erwin Von Nacher and punter/running back/wide receiver Blake Klein, Adame filled in both gaps on the Rattlers’ special teams with Valdez.
“Erwin was someone who came out from soccer, was nearly automatic, and Blake was Blake,” Adame said. “We’re going to count on Oscar with all kicking duties, from punts to field goals to kickoffs. But he can still play quarterback and slot receiver if need be. He’s really a jack-of-all-trades.”
“Like coach says, we’ve all got to do what’s best for the team,” Valdez said. “If you’re given a role, you have to take it. And if there’s a scenario where we might need do something different on fourth down, I know the coaches and my teammates have the confidence to pull something off if need be.”
SHARYLAND HIGH’S KEYS TO THE SEASON
The Rattlers return the most experienced weapons of any team in the brand-new District 16-5A Division II. They are deeper and more flexible than last year on both sides of the ball. A district title should be a baseline expectation for the Rattlers with an outside shot at making the third round of the playoffs.
2017 record: 9-3
Returning starters (O/D): 8/6
COACH’S TENURE
Coach: Ron Adame
Year at school: 7th
Record: 58-16