By MARK MOLINA | The Brownsville Herald
You can say Hanna senior free safety Andres Sustaeta has been in football mode since attending the Blue-Grey Houston Regional Combine held at the Fort Bend Christian Academy in May.
It was there where he made quite an impression on scouts, recruits and NFL veterans, leading to an invite to the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl on Dec.17 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
While the invite back was an honor, all Sustaeta can think about is his teammates and a successful senior season.
“The combine is an experience; I’m not going to lie,” the senior defensive back said. “Eventually, we’re all a team. I learned a couple of new techniques, tricks and I showed my defense a couple of things, also.”
Hanna head coach Mark Guess said the combine has made Sustaeta, who is one of the more experienced players on the defensive side of the ball, more confident.
That pairs well with the knowledge Sustaeta has gained as a starter for the Hanna Eagles.
“I just think (the combine) really kicked up his level of confidence,” Guess said. “He’s a three-year starter now. He has been on the field quite a bit — he’s got 23 games now under his belt. Last year really built his confidence, because he had a good season. He doesn’t say many words, but he’s here every day and he does the extra things to try and get better. He’s just a solid free safety and I can’t say any other thing about him.”
Sustaeta had breakout junior season in which he tallied 76 total tackles (37 solo, three for loss), two interceptions and a fumble recovery on his way to an All-District 32-6A honorable mention.
That was after being moved from cornerback to safety.
It was a transition Guess said was seamless with a good coordinator in J.C. Ramirez and a smart player like Sustaeta.
“Coach (Jose) Ramirez is a great teacher and he does an outstanding job making sure these kids know their job,” he said. “These players are intelligent young men. Going from corner to free (safety), for (Sustaeta), was an easy transition. You go from being primarily a man-to-man guy, to being a guy that’s able to run free and able to help people over the top. That just helps his confidence level. These guys know every position that they have to play and Andres knows them all, too.”
Sustaeta has continued to show out on the field this season as he has recorded 18 total tackles, a sack and a recovered fumble in two games.
Still, don’t expect the senior defenseman to let anyone know as he does not consider himself a standout performer, nor does he even think about it.
The only goal is to continue to grow as one.
“I don’t say much, but we have chemistry, basically,” he said. “I don’t think of myself as one, I think of myself as part of a team. That’s all 11 guys from the defensive line, linebackers and secondary. We all work together and play hard. I think we’re comfortable, but we can definitely get better.”