GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
EDINBURG — Edinburg High linebacker Edgar Guerrero is the youngest of four brothers to wear the Bobcats uniform. Before that, one of his uncles played football for EHS, too.
Perhaps better than anyone else on the roster, Guerrero understands one of the primary points coach J.J. Leija has been pushing in his first year as Edinburg High coach: Bobcats pride. Beyond increased discipline and the introduction of new offensive and defensive systems, Leija’s biggest focus during the offseason has been developing in his players a respect and appreciation for the Bobcats name.
“My family, they’re all Bobcats. And my team, they’re all Bobcats, getting coached by all Bobcats,” Guerrero said. “The tradition is real here.”
Coming to Edinburg High in December after two years as the defensive coordinator at La Joya Palmview, Leija wanted to build a staff of Edinburg High alumni. All but about three of his assistants were former Edinburg High students, and those who weren’t have history coaching in the program.
Offensive coordinator Oscar Campos played under Leija, and defensive coordinator Robert Valdez was one of Leija’s teammates. The staff is familiar with the community and its expectations, and the players are starting to gain the same understanding.
“They’ve bought into our program as we’ve talked about tradition and we’ve talked about pride,” Leija said. “Tradition and pride are in our DNA, being former Edinburg Bobcats.”
Leija said he and his assistants talk to the players about tradition and pride daily. Last week, former Edinburg High coach Joe Vasquez visited a practice to discuss the program’s history.
During Leija’s second week on the job, he dug out old photos of Bobcats players who went on to play at the college or pro level and posted them in the team’s trophy case. He remembers seeing those same photos and being motivated by the possibilities when he was a player.
“We’re bringing back our tradition,” defensive tackle Tony Hernandez said. “Our other coaches, they didn’t know about the Bobcat tradition. But our coaches bleed red and blue. They’re bringing that back to us.”
Edinburg High is hoping the infusion of tradition can help the team get back to its previous heights. The school will celebrate its 100th birthday next year, and the football program has been around since 1920, posting an all-time record of 485-431 that includes 11 seasons with 10 or more wins.
But the program has fallen on hard times of late, going just 8-32 on the gridiron in the four seasons since Edinburg Vela began siphoning off a large portion of the city’s talent prior to the 2012 season.
“From my perspective, we didn’t have commitment,” sophomore Irving Garcia said. “You have to work your butt off to be the best. These past years with the other coach, a lot of people didn’t want to work their butts off. The commitment was just down.”
Garcia said that commitment has started to develop under Leija, even if many of the players aren’t used to having to work as hard as they do now.
Leija said he’s pushed the players to their limits this offseason, including character classes, a military-style boot camp and finally getting on the field and learning some of the new tweaks on offense and defense.
The players have shown better discipline in terms of showing up to practice and class, and they’re starting to pick up the two-back spread offense and aggressive 4-2-5 multiple defense.
Leija said every player in the character class listed a district title as a goal. The Bobcats may not have the talent of some of the district’s other programs, but they are hoping their bond and eye towards tradition can lead to a successful run.
“We bond with our kids, and we have relationships with them,” Leija said. “That’s what coaching is all about. It’s about coaching the average kid. And what we have a lot of here is average kids. But we’re going to do what we can with these Edinburg Bobcats, and we’re going to lead them to great goals.”
RETURNING STARTER
After getting a crack at the quarterback job midway through last year, Nathan Marez will enter his senior year as the presumptive starter.
Marez said he faced a tough transition after playing primarily running back but knew he had a decent arm from his time as a baseball outfielder. He admits last year wasn’t a great one individually or as a team, but he saw signs of improvement.
“I just learned to stay calm and stay in the pocket,” Marez said. “You’re the leader of the team.”
INCREASED ATTENDANCE
Leija said the Bobcats have about 115 players in spring practice — approximately double last year’s figure — with another 80 set to enroll as freshmen in the fall. Many older players who had previously left the team have reentered the fold under a new coach.
“A bunch of these kids, once the change came, wanted to get back in,” Leija said.
EDINBURG HIGH
Returning starters (O/D): 4/4
Returning lettermen: 26
Key Players: QB Nathan Marez, DL Edgar Arevalo, DE Albert Segura, LB Edgar Guerrero, LB James Champion, C Marcelino Robledo
Biggest Question: Can a new staff with a focus on discipline and tradition get Edinburg High back to winning ways?
2015 Record: 1-9, 1-5