A trio of Rio Grande Valley football stars continue to rise as Edinburg Vela’s Ronnie Garza, Mission Veterans’ AJ Gonzaque and Sharyland Pioneer’s Eddie Lee Marburger earned a spot in Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Rising Recruiting Guide, which highlights the top recruits across the state.
“Inside this book, you’ll find more than 400 prospects profiled and analyzed, giving you the inside edge on which players we think will be stars in the future,” writes DCTF managing editor Greg Tepper in the Rising Recruiting Guide.
Arguably the Rio Grande Valley’s top lineman, Edinburg Vela’s Garza has played a pivotal role in the Sabercats’ offense as he protects quarterback AJ Sotelo’s blindside as the left tackle.
Listed at 6-foot-6, Garza has cleared the way for Vela’s offense, which has piled up more than 1,300 yards through the air and north of 850 yards on the ground in six games this season.
Garza, a senior, committed to play college football at the University of Texas at San Antonio after graduating in 2021.
“Garza is an athletic offensive tackle prospect who developed into a Division I prospect due to hard work and effort in the weight room. The UTSA commit plays disciplined and under control. Garza is an efficient run and pass blocker,” the magazine describes the Edinburg Vela offensive lineman.
Mission Veterans’ No. 1 receiver has made highlight reel plays look routine, as Gonzaque has been the area’s top target over the last three years.
Gonzaque earned APSE All-State honors as a sophomore and junior. As a senior this year, he has hauled in 45 catches for 758 yards and 11 total touchdowns in six games for Mission Veterans.
“Gonzaque has lined up all over the field and has even spent time playing quarterback, but he has shown the most upside and college ability as a wide receiver. He can go up and get the ball and is like a running back after the catch,” the recruiting guide says about the Mission Veterans receiver.
Gonzaque finished his high school career with 149 receptions for 2,731 yards and 34 receiving touchdowns. Gonzaque also threw for 1,288 yards and 20 touchdowns and ran for 538 yards and seven touchdowns while filling in at quarterback during his junior season.
Gonzaque has received offers from Division I universities, such as Mercer and Morgan State, but has yet to sign. Gonzaque also recently received an invitation to the Pylon 7on7 Football All-American Game to compete against top recruits from across the country.
Marburger, the Sharyland Pioneer senior, has become one of the RGV’s greatest quarterbacks, running the show in the Diamondbacks’ Air Raid offense.
In six games this season, Marburger, who has also committed to UTSA, has thrown for 2,055 yards and 21 touchdowns while also running for 740 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns.
“The record-setting Rio Grande Valley gunslinger can make all the throws and plays with a high level of confidence in his ability to make the necessary plays in the air or on the ground. In 2019, he passed for over 4,500 yards and rushed for over 1,000 yards,” DCTF writes about the Pioneer quarterback.
Through his career, Marburger has thrown for 7,656 yards and 88 touchdowns and run for 1,944 yards and 34 touchdowns. The UTSA commit has also completed 63.6% of his 769 pass attempts with only 12 interceptions in 32 games.