By KEVIN NARRO | Valley Morning Star
HARLINGEN — It is not often a sophomore makes the jump from the subvarsity level to the varsity and make an instant impact.
Harlingen South’s sophomore David Cortez defied those odds and was the only sophomore listed on the Hawks’ 2018 varsity roster.
Cortez was just built for the Friday night lights. He spent his sophomore season running sideline to sideline at the linebacker/safety position wreaking havoc against opposing offenses. The young gun led the Hawks’ defense in tackles with 62 and in total tackles with 95. Cortez averaged 9.5 tackles per game.
With his breakout season, Cortez was named the Valley Morning Star’s 2018 Football All-STAR Newcomer of the Year.
“It is a blessing to receive this award,” Cortez said. “My dad texted me and told me I won, and that I had to come down to the fieldhouse. Now I just have to keep preparing for next year; with this strong year comes a lot of pressure. I have to come back next year with the same attitude and effort, but having a year like this helps because it is something I can build on.”
Cortez spent time at the freshman and junior varsity levels as a freshman. He attended Cano, the freshman campus, and did not spend a full offseason with the varsity last year. Now Cortez will have a full offseason with the varsity, which will serve as a plus as he works through the offseason.
“Towards the end of last year, my mindset was, I was going to play at the varsity level. It was a good mindset for me to have,” Cortez said. “As a freshman I wasn’t able to work with the guys here, so now that I’m here, I’m excited to get to work and I’ll be able to get closer to the guys and build more chemistry.”
Cortez thanked the former Hawks who helped pave the way, guys like Brandon Bennett, Sky Tatum, Isaac Moreno and Kaleb Solis, and, of course, big brother Cristian Cortez. All helped mold Cortez early in his career.
“All those guys were there for me and helped me along the way,” Cortez said. “Seeing them play and how good they were made me want to be like them and to have a work ethic like them. Having my brother and dad here was a blessing. Football has always been a part of my life, so being here and playing on the varsity, it just feels right.”