TJ GARCIA | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
McAllen Memorial all-everything quarterback Matthew Kaufmann’s last game in a Mustangs’ football uniform was on Nov. 26, 2011, at Veterans Memorial Stadium in McAllen.
That sunny day, Kaufmann’s 12-0 Mustangs dropped a 35-28 third-round heartbreaker to San Antonio Reagan, quarterbacked by Trevor Knight of Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Kaufman scored three touchdowns in the game, which marked Memorial’s second straight trip to the third round of the playoffs. Memorial lost to perennial power Cibolo Steele the year before, 48-31.
Before Trevor Speights made a name for himself, Kaufmann was the face of the Mustangs. He was a four-year starter (2008-11) and picked up just about every postseason Rio Grande Valley football award imaginable. He was also the son of PSJA North head coach and former McAllen Memorial assistant Marcus Kaufmann.
In his senior year, Matthew Kaufmann rushed for more than 2,100 yards and scored 30 touchdowns.
Fast forward five years, and Kaufmann was just part of Army’s best season in years, including a win against rival Navy and a Heart of Dallas Bowl victory over North Texas. With football over, Kaufmann is now set to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY., after which he will be commissioned a second lieutenant and sent to Army infantry, ranger and airborne schools.
At Army, his football career never really took off. Kaufmann hardly got on the field, but he played an integral role playing scout quarterback, defense and special teams. In a few months, he’s set to earn his degree from one of the finest institutions of higher learning in the world and become an U.S. Army officer.
Kaufmann looks back on his years in McAllen fondly, and said Memorial was a great place for him to grow up not just because of his father, but because of the school’s teachers, principals and counselors that were helpful in his development.
“The fan base and what I like to call Mustang Nation was with us every step of the way in giving us the best football experience they possibly could. I thank them so much for that,” he said. “I believe the Memorial family is what made my four years special. The parents of players, including my father and teammates. We were close like a family, and the brotherhood produced results.”
Kaufmann said West Point has been very challenging and demanding. He’s been happy to rep his family and the RGV while he’s been there, but hardly has a free minute between classes, athletics and military duties. This year, however, has been a little more fun because of the football team’s success (8-5, first winning season since 2010). Plus, graduation is near.
“The bowl experience was a dream come true. As a team, we had not done well in the past, and as a senior class we decided to draw a line in the sand and say enough is enough,” he said of the Black Knights. “We came together as a team and made history. It’s a blessing to see all our ideas and goals come to fruition on my senior season, and I could not have asked for anything better. I cannot wait for my bowl ring to come in the mail.”
VALLEY UTSA PLAYERS AT NEW MEXICO BOWL
The University of Texas-San Antonio went 6-6 in the regular season and made its first bowl-game appearance. The Roadrunners lost to New Mexico 23-20 in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 17 in Albuquerque, and there were handful of Valley football players on UTSA’s roster.
Former Edinburg North lineman David Anzaldua (6-5, 345) was listed as offensive guard. Former Harlingen quarterback Brandon Garza (transfer from University of Houston) and former Edinburg Vela defensive back Ronnie Benavidez (walk-on from Presentation College) were also on the roster.
LOS FRESNOS’ COLON PLAYS WELL AT NAVY
The U.S. Naval Academy Midshipmen and former Los Fresnos Falcons receiver Brandon Colon played in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth on Dec. 23, losing to Louisiana Tech 48-45. Navy, which typically has great seasons, finished the year a disappointing 9-5.
Colon, a 6-foot-4, 223-pound junior wide receiver, was targeted just once in the bowl game and caught that pass for 10 yards. For the season, he appeared in all 14 games, catching six passes for 149 yards. In Navy’s extremely run-heavy offense, Colon averaged an astronomical 24 yards per catch.
KRISTOV MARTINEZ DOES EDINBURG HIGH PROUD
Former Edinburg Bobcat Kristov Martinez has worked his way into one of the better Division II kickers in the country. The sophomore has started every one of his 24 career college games, and while he was not in a bowl game, the Texas A&M-Commerce Lions, of the Lone Star Conference, did make it to the second round of the Division II playoffs.
In 2016, the 5-foot-6 Martinez made 18 of 24 field goals, with his longest being a 46-yarder. He also made kicks of 44, 43 and 41, and was pure on 55 of 58 extra points. He even recorded one tackle. For a season highlight, Martinez hit four of five field-goal tries against LSC foe Midwestern State.
Know an RGV athlete doing well at the collegiate level in any sport? Send us a tip at [email protected].