WOLVERINES WEATHER STORM TO

EMERGE IN SECOND ROUND FIGHT

BY GREG SELBER

Just goes to show that unless you are in the inner circle, one is never really going to know the details about a football program.

As P-SJ-A Memorial prepares for its second-round playoff game Friday night in McAllen against McAllen Memorial (8-3), Coach Gus Cavazos notes that people have not gotten the entire scoop on the enormous amount of obstacles his 9-2 Wolverines have gotten past to get there.

“We had four defensive starters out against Pace, and we started four sophomores,” said the third-year mentor, whose bunch nonetheless clobbered the Vikings 31-16 in bi-district, holding them to 193 total yards. “We had the injury thing early in the season, then with Louie, and now this. It’s been tough, so when people say that we went through a lull there for awhile, that is the reason.”

With that in mind, the accomplishments of 2010 seem all the more impressive. The Wolves continue to Make History, the team motto, in their first Class 5A playoff adventure. The former 4A unit started the season like a locomotive, with an offense averaging over 500 yards per game, winning eight in a row until back-to-back losses against Edinburg and Harlingen, though they played well in the Cardinal game. After quarterback Louie Gonzalez went out with a shoulder injury against P-SJ-A Oct. 15, the Green Machine faltered but has been able to pick it back up in the postseason so far.

Right now, the Wolverines are still banged up, with safety Dwain Spears out for the year and others such as defensive stoppers Juan Cavazos and Adrian de la Fuente still hobbling. Outstanding deep threat Gilbert Gutierrez has not been healthy all season due to lingering hurts, but Memorial has soldiered on, which is a credit to the backups and the coaching staff.

“This a real humble group of kids and they have been able to get through this,” said Cavazos, the former Rio Hondo coach who has turned Memorial from a perennial almost-contender into one of the better Valley success stories of 2010. “We have a strong sophomore group and they have had to come in there and produce. As a whole, this team has never been here before, in the second round of the playoffs, so they’re enjoying the heck out of it. And so am I, I’m just glad to be a part of it.”

There are several reasons why the Wolves are here, besides the great play of Gonzalez, who throws one of the prettiest deep balls in the Valley and can run with it, too. Star linebacker Victor Beltran, one of a number of three-year starters who have trod the path with Cavazos, has 160 tackles.

“He had 22 against Pace, the guy is just everywhere for us,” said the coach, who also employs the steady Beltran as a punter and occasional pass receiver. “He gets a lot stops because we have Jose in the middle, getting double- and triple-teamed.”

“Jose” is Jose Guerrero the 310-pound defensive tackle called a “beast in the middle” by his appreciative coach. Cavazos praised the work ethic of the mountainous No. 66, another three-year vet who has been through the good times and the bad.

The Wolverines like their chances against the Mustangs because Gonzalez is healthy again, and because they have a great offensive line.

Rigo Marrufo is the leader up front, a rugged competitor who has also scored three touchdowns as a short-yardage back. Tackle Danny Villapando, at 265 pounds, is also a superb blocker.

“He handles the speed rushers and he is a legit lineman,” said Cavazos, whose hog unit also includes Danny Mireles, Marcos Cortez, and center Danny Gomez. “The line has played together for three seasons and they really know what they’re doing out there.”

Another factor in the team’s resilient rise this season has been running back Mike Fonseca, a 1,000-yarder who has a 278-yard game to his credit against Edinburg North and has become a dangerous pass receiver.

“He has saved us this season, because we lost the starter, Jonathan Gonzalez, before the season,” Cavazos explained. “Mike’s a real quiet and unassuming kid, but he’s tough. The fact that he has been able to do so well has really helped.”

BATTLE ON TAP

As for the upcoming game in McAllen, Cavazos will go to war with the kids he has, and says that some of the wounded warriors may be able to play. Promising junior DB D.J. Martinez injured an ankle recently but the coach says he has such a high pain threshold, and will surely be out there.

“We like the matchup, I think we are stronger physically but they have some real weapons to throw at us,” he noted, mentioning Memorial QB Matthew Kaufmann and speedy receiver Jake Garza. “I think it will be a good game, a close one for sure. The Mustangs are pretty basic, but they do it well. We have picked up some things from watching them on film, and I am sure they have done the same thing, so it will be a give and take in that regard. We’re just excited to have the chance at winning and going to the third round.”

To that end, Cavazos reported that the guys were a bit down when they heard that McAllen Memorial had defeated Eagle Pass in bi-district. But not because they have anything against the ‘Stangs, however.

“That game against Eagle Pass would have been in San Antonio,” he said. “These kids really want to get to the AlamoDome, that is one of their goals. So when they heard that, they were texting me, ‘Well, we just have to win one more game to get there.’”

At this stage of the hunt, despite all the injuries and the topsy-turvy nature of the season – not to mention the overall fatigue that sometimes sets in during November – the Wolverines are looking like a tough out. And Cavazos added an anecdote that illustrated this.

“One year in Rio Hondo we made the playoffs and won a game, then the next week at practice, I could tell the kids were just done, they were finished,” he recalled. “But this week we came out to practice and everyone was fired up, they want to keep playing, and that means a lot to what we are trying to accomplish.”

NEXT: MCALLEN MEMORIAL

Tags: Football, psja memorial wolverines