DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Each of the previous two years, Sharyland Pioneer 7-on-7 coach Jordan Lee and incoming senior Alec Garcia talked about making the state tournament.
“We knew it’d be a big step as far as getting valuable experience going into the real season in the fall,” Lee said.
The first year in 2014 didn’t go so well. Last season, Pioneer fell short of reaching that goal, losing to Edcouch-Elsa in the semifinals of a state qualifying tournament. This season, however, history was made.
The Diamondbacks are headed to the state 7-on-7 tournament in College Station this weekend for the first time. Pioneer opens against Plano East at 1 p.m. Friday.
“We have a lot more experience now, but I also think our guys are just practicing harder and a lot more dedicated to this stuff,” said Garcia, a slot receiver. “That’s why we’re here. We’re putting in a lot more work. Once two-a-days get here, we’re going to be that much better.”
The Diamondbacks have a plethora of pure athletes: running back Brandon Casas, receivers Garcia, Bobby Acosta and Mike Madrigal, and sophomore quarterback Jacob Rosales. But a pivotal reason behind their summer success is a more modern philosophy, incorporated by new offensive coordinator Eddie Galindo, which has taken advantage of those weapons on the field.
These days, the Diamondbacks are playing faster and making more of an emphasis to use the whole field offensively.
“It’s a faster pace, much more spread out,” said the 6-foot-3 Madrigal. “It’s not as slow as it used to be. It’s simplifying things for us. We’re going to be going quicker and faster, but things won’t be as complicated.”
The new offense comes at a perfect time for Rosales, who has quickly impressed his teammates and coaches. The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder has drawn praise for his arm strength and ability to read coverages.
“He is a young guy, but he knows the game well,” said Lee, 22-year-old son of Pioneer athletic coordinator Tom Lee. “You can tell when he steps on the field that he will be seasoned and he’s going to be ready for the bright lights. He’s going to be one of the best quarterbacks no one’s ever heard of.”
While they certainly have the physical tools, players have changed their approach to summer training.
Madrigal said the team is more of a family this year and has shown greater commitment to everything, from strength and conditioning to running more routes after practices. The Diamondbacks’ summer workload is heavier as well.
Lee said the team has played 20 more games than it did during last summer’s 7-on-7 season, and that has paid off, particularly for players acclimating to a new offense.
During the fall last season, Pioneer won six games, twice the amount it won during its inaugural year of varsity ball in 2014. Now the Diamondbacks are talking playoffs and taking another big step in establishing a foundation.
“Just being able to make it to state 7-on-7 is going to help us so much,” Madrigal said. “We’re going to have to learn to play a complete game. It can’t be just the offense scoring and no defense, or the defense getting stops and no offense. It’s a big boost of confidence and the competition we’re going to see is going to be key for us.
“We want to prove a point to everybody that we’re a team that can’t be taken lightly.”
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Sharyland Pioneer
7-on-7 state appearances: 2016
Friday schedule
Pool E
1 p.m.: vs. Plano East
3 p.m.: vs. Dickinson
5 p.m.: vs. Harker Heights
Top two teams in each pool advance to championship bracket and play Saturday