By ANDREW CRUM, Staff Writer
After an unusually quick exit in the playoffs last season, Port Isabel fullback Ivan Gonzalez went to work.
He certainly didn’t enjoy the offseason sneaking up so suddenly.
“Last year, we only went to the first round (of the playoffs) and it wasn’t a really good season for us,” he said.
Gonzalez said. “I wanted to make sure that this year would turn out better than last year. I just worked to get better.”
Port Isabel coach Monty Stumbaugh said the loss motivated the senior to be.
“Ivan didn’t like the way the year ended last year. None of us did,” he said. “He’s a senior, and we ask them every year, ‘How do you want to be remembered? It’s your year.’ He put in a lot of hard work in the offseason, and that made him a good football player.”
Gonzalez continued to work after school on a daily basis. And when the summer came, it wasn’t any different. Gonzalez continued to work to get better for his final season, all of this without the help of the coaches.
“He was out there on his own running, running bleachers on his own, speed ropes on his own, pushing tires, flipping tires,” Stumbaugh said. “Doing all this stuff on his own to try and get better. He came into practice in good shape, stronger, quicker.”
This year, the hard work has paid off for Gonzalez. He has averaged between 60 and 70 yards per game rushing this season. He didn’t mix words about his constant motivation.
“It’s my last year, so I have to go all out,” he said. “I want to make something of it.”
Stumbaugh said experience has helped the fullback do everything the position requires: running the ball, blocking and catching the ball out of the backfield.
“Last year we put him there, and now he has a year under his belt,” the Tarpons’ coach said. “He understands what we want, he does a good job, he can do all those things for us. He’s a team player, he does whatever we ask him to do.”
Not only does Gonzalez play fullback, but he plays defensive end as well. But he will be moving to the linebacker corps. Gonzalez, like other backs for the Tarpons, play some snaps on defense to keep the unit fresh.
He gets tired being on the field for long periods of time, but he does it for his teammates.
“It’s tiring, but you have to keep pushing yourself to keep going,” Gonzalez said. “Mostly it’s mental, just telling myself to keep doing it and keep going.”
In his final season, the senior is making sure to motivate his teammates to push toward that possible playoff berth.
“We need to make sure we’re helping everyone to bust their butt and to work hard,” he said. “We’re trying to make their class better than our class, and so on.”
Andrew Crum covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him at (956) 982-6629 or via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @andrewmcrum.