BY TJ GARCIA | SPECIAL TO THE MONITOR
McALLEN – If you want to know what kind of man Texas A&M-Kingsville center Ralph Rubalcaba is, look no further than his Twitter handle: @Hwy77.
U.S. Highway 77 is exactly what the 6-foot-1, 300-pound Raymondville product is. The long blacktop ribbon runs from Brownsville, through Rubalcaba’s hometown, and then to Kingsville before heading north through a slew of small one-light towns, ending in Waco.
Rubalcaba’s world the last nine football years has been small-town Texas, but he’s also played some big-time football as the starting center for the Texas A&M-Kingsville Javalinas. And now the self-described grinder is looking for a shot at the next level to keep his pro-football dream alive.
“I was never the most talented in the group ever since peewee football. I had to earn everything that I got,” the 22-year-old graduate student said. “I was constantly lifting, running, studying, etc. It was what I had to do to have the advantage on anyone I went against.”
That extra work paid off for him at Kingsville, where he started at the very bottom. He redshirted his first year on campus, in 2013. The next year, as a redshirt freshman, he playing in just one game. The next season, Rubalcaba played in three games.
He worked his way into the starting lineup at center during his last two seasons and played 21 games in 2016 and 2017. Rubalcaba said leading the Javelinas’ offensive line was a big challenge for him.
“Coming in as freshman, it was all thrown at you to make all these calls, especially being a center, you have a hard time understanding what situations to call them in since in high school we really didn’t have any calls to be made,” said Rubalcaba, who graduated in May with a marketing degree. “As years went on, your knowledge for the game grows more, and you pick things up quicker as you continue to mature in your role as a player.”
He was not heavily recruited out of Raymondville, but former Javelinas coach Jaime Martinez, a small-town lineman himself (Beeville), saw something and offered him a scholarship. Rubalcaba’s father Rafael attended Texas A&I — Kingsville’s old identity —and now both have blue and gold running through their veins.
“I met some of the greatest people playing the sport I love here,” said Ralph, who also refers to his school as A&I. “The tradition is also a big part of it. People love football season here. A lot of alumni come down to watch the games, and they even travel to our away games. We were ranked near the top in DII attendance (No. 6 nationally for DII in 2016). It’s one of the best atmospheres you can have.”
While still working on his master’s degree, Rubalcaba will play in the 2018 Dream Bowl in January. The game is for collegiate seniors looking to get the attention of NFL, Canadian Football League and indoor league scouts.
Should he make it big somewhere, there’s no doubt Rubalcaba will not forget where’s he’s from. Just take US Highway 77 south.
HANNA’S DELGADO RRAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The Red River Athletic Conference (NAIA) named Our Lady of the Lake University forward Adrian Delgado men’s Offensive Player of the Year after the junior tied the OLLU record for goals in a season with 14 while leading the RRAC in goals and points with 32. The Brownsville Hanna graduate averaged 1.9 points per game.
Delgado, an accounting major, has garnered notice before. He was named RRAC Player of the Week in early October.
Delgado played in 17 games for the Saints (9-7-2), picked up four assists and took 32 shots, 26 of which were on goal.
He was not alone in the conference postseason awards for OLLU. Rio Grande Valley teammates AJ Gonzalez (senior defender, Harlingen High) and Jorge Cavazos (junior goalkeeper, Mission Veterans) were also named to the conference’s first team. Cavazos is now OLLU’s all-time leader in saves with 175. Gonzalez had six goals this year.
MEMORIAL’S BANKS NAMED ALL-CONFERENCE
Draik Banks, a former McAllen Memorial Mustangs star playing volleyball for DI Niagara University in New York, was named to the All-MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) first team. The 6-foot-1 Banks has put up career-best numbers in every category this season.
Banks, a sophomore middle blocker, leads the team and is second in the conference in hitting percentage (.301). She led the conference with 103 total blocks, including 93 block assists — the sixth-best total in program history. She played in 104 of Niagara’s 105 sets this season and had 178 kills in helping lead the Purple Eagles to an 18-10 overall record.
RIVERA’S BRISENO PICKED AS TOP LINEMAN
Brownsville Rivera football product Alejandro Briseño, a senior guard at Texas Lutheran University, was named to the American Southwest Conference (NCAA Division III) first-team offense. He led a Bulldogs offense that finished the regular season ranked 15th nationally in total offense (486.1 yards per game), 22nd in rushing offense (244.2 yards per game), 81st in passing offense (241.9 yards per game) and 44th in scoring (35.7 points per game) according to TLU.
Briseño, 6-foot-0 and 290 pounds, was also recognized by the conference earlier in the season for his outstanding blocking with a Team of the Week award honoring him and the entire TLU offensive line. Coming off a 2-8 season, TLU was picked to finish last in the conference. Instead, the Bulldogs notched a 6-4 overall record, including a 6-3 conference mark.
Know an RGV athlete doing well at the collegiate level in any sport? Send us a tip at gluca@ themonitor. com.