THE VALLEY MORNING STAR’S 2022 ALL-AREA FOOTBALL TEAMS AND SUPERLATIVE WINNERS
Player of the Year: Izaiah Bell, Harlingen High
Offensive Player of the Year: Fabian Garcia, San Benito
Defensive Player of the Year: Mariano Garcia, San Benito
Newcomer of the Year: Devon Robinson, San Benito
Lineman of the Year: Roy Reyna, Harlingen High
All-Purpose Player of the Year: Hunter Posas, Raymondville
Sub-5A Player of the Year: Osmar Martinez, Lyford
Coach of the Year: Manny Gomez, Harlingen High
All-Area First Team Offense:
Quarterback: Andruw Rivera, La Feria
Running back: Tony Barrientos, Rio Hondo; Esiah Gracia, Santa Maria
Fullback: Carlos Moss Boss, Harlingen South
Wide Receiver: Julian Torres, La Feria; Justin Rodriguez, La Feria; Aiden Sandoval, Harlingen High
Tight End: Chris Thraikill, San Benito
O-Line: Frank Medina, San Benito; Esteban Morales, Harlingen South; Lando Cantu, Raymondville; Carlos Martinez, Lyford; Scott Atkinson, Rio Hondo
Kicker: Leo Quezada, Rio Hondo
All-Area First Team Defense:
D-Line: Nova Bejaran, San Benito; Robert Trevino, San Benito; Karamyne Castilleja, San Benito; Jacob Ortiz, Harlingen High
Linebackers: Keyan Lopez, Rio Hondo; Caleb Anaya, Harlingen South; Danny Cavazos, San Benito
Defensive Backs: DeAnthony Mireles, San Benito; Mikey Gonzalez, Harlingen South; Albert Vasquez, Harlingen High; Chris Ibarra, Santa Maria
Punter: Obed Almeda, Raymondville
All-Area Second Team Offense:
Quarterback: Randy Morales, Harlingen High
Running back: Alex Rosas, Lyford; David Sanchez, Harlingen South
Fullback: Atticus De Leon, San Benito
Wide Receiver: Joaquin Trevino, La Feria; Bryen Robles, Raymondville; Paul Price, Harlingen High
Tight End: Adrian Zamora, Santa Rosa
O-Line: Anthony Johnson, Harlingen High; Jose Martinez, San Benito; Christian Gonzalez, Harlingen High; Jarrod Vega, Harlingen South; Andres Avila, Harlingen High
Kicker: Alex Martinez, Santa Maria
All-Area Second Team Defense:
D-Line: Alonzo Palacios, Harlingen South; Miguel Torres, Raymondville; Marcos Manzano, Rio Hondo, Remzi Memik, Harlingen High
Linebackers: Nicholas Morales, La Feria; Chris Guerrero, Raymondville; Matias Saldivar, Santa Maria
Defensive Backs: Homer Quiroz, San Benito; Joaquin Romero, Harlingen South; Eric Gonzalez, La Feria; Rodrigo Hernandez, Santa Rosa
Punter: Chris Ibarra, Santa Maria
Valley Morning Star Player of the Year: Izaiah Bell, RB, Harlingen High
Valley Morning Star Offensive Player of the Year: Fabian Garcia, RB, San Benito
San Benito running back Fabian Garcia broke on to the scene last season, tallying more than 1,204 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns during his debut campaign.
The junior nearly doubled his yardage total and tripled his trips to the end zone as an encore, leading San Benito to its first third-round appearance since 2018. He is the VMS All-Star Offensive Player of the Year.
“This year was a really fun season,” Garcia said. “Playing alongside friends, it just makes it more fun. I just go out there and play with all heart. That is really it. I want to represent. My brother came through San Benito, so it was always a dream to play here. Little me wanted it. Now that I’m here I have to do it big.”
Garcia wasted no time picking up where he left off last season, racking up 170 yards and two touchdowns during San Benito’s 17-3 win against Brownsville Veterans to start the year.
He followed it up with 11 straight contests with more than 100 yards and at least one score on the ground, including a pair of 300-yard performances.
Garcia seemed to elevate his play on the biggest stage. During San Benito’s second-round contest against San Antonio Taft, the junior workhorse powered his team to victory, racking up 313 yards and four touchdowns on 32 carries.
“That is just me. That is my atmosphere,” Garcia said. “I feel like I need to play at that big level. Those big-time games, that’s where I can show what I’m about.”
Garcia finished the season with 12 games of at least 100 yards, only failing to eclipse the mark during San Benito’s third-round game against Austin Westlake.
He finished with a Valley-best 2,230 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns, setting a new all-time single season rushing record at San Benito.
Valley Morning Star Defensive Player of the Year: Mariano Garcia, LB, San Benito
San Benito’s Mariano Garcia lived around the ball this season. When the Greyhounds needed a big play, Garcia could be found in the mix, coming up with a big tackle for loss or forcing a turnover.
With Garcia serving as the heart of the defense, San Benito finished among the top units in the Valley, allowing just 212 yards and 12 points per game. Garcia’s dominant season earns him the All-Star Defensive Player of the Year.
Garcia finished the season with a team-high 127 tackles (89 solo, 38 assisted), adding 26 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. The hard-nosed linebacker also was a turnover machine, forcing five fumbles and recovering two.
Weekly film sessions were the key to his success this season, Garcia said, allowing him to recognize plays before the ball was snapped.
“I watch a lot of film, so I think that helps a lot to know what is coming before it even happens,” he said. “Once you recognize the play it becomes about all-out effort to the ball. You just have to hustle.”
The dynamic playmaker delivered a signature performance during San Benito’s second-round matchup against San Antonio Taft, racking up 15 tackles and two tackles for loss.
No tackle was bigger than the one against Taft’s TJ Andrews during the first quarter, chasing down the speedy running back and punching the ball out to erase what would have been an 80-yard touchdown run. The fumble shifted the momentum in favor of the Greyhounds, leading to a 38-19 victory.
Garcia finishes his career with 205 total tackles, 44 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and five interceptions.
“It really meant a lot to play for the Greyhounds,” Garcia said. “It is kind of like a family tradition to play at San Benito. To be able to play there for three years and progress each year, it is a great feeling. This season was just a great season overall. We had that tough loss to Harlingen, but we were able to bounce back and make a deep run into the playoffs.”
Valley Morning Star Newcomer of the Year: Devon Robinson, LB, San Benito
San Benito’s Devon Robinson primarily played offense during his freshman year on the Greyhounds’ JV team. This season, Robinson traded in scoring touchdowns for chasing quarterbacks, making a permanent move to linebacker during his first varsity campaign.
Robinson’s transition came relatively easily, racking up two sacks during his first varsity appearance against Brownsville Veterans on Aug. 27.
The early season success sparked a breakout year for the sophomore linebacker, tallying 71 total tackles (57 solo, 14 assisted) and 12 tackles for loss in 13 appearances. He added a team-high nine sacks, earning him the All-Star Newcomer of the Year Award.
“To be honest, I have been wanting this award since I was a freshman,” Robinson said. “I knew I would be on varsity as a sophomore, so my goal was to get this award. Sadly, I didn’t get it for my district, but I got this one so I’m pretty happy about that.”
Robinson’s pass-rusher mentality helped him develop into a quarterback’s nightmare this season. Sacking the QB became his new touchdown, Robinson said, priding himself on living in the backfield.
The mentality was evident throughout the year, recording a sack during eight of San Benito’s 10 regular-season contests.
“I used to like getting touchdowns, but now I’m playing defense,” Robinson said. “Sacking the quarterback or an interception, those are the things I want to get now. Those are my new touchdowns. Looking at people in the NFL, seeing them get all hyped, I want to do all that.”
Valley Morning Star Lineman of the Year: Roy Reyna, OL, Harlingen High
It isn’t hard to spot Harlingen High offensive lineman Roy Reyna on the gridiron. The senior towers over most on the field, measuring in at 6-foot-2, 295 pounds.
If his size doesn’t catch observers’ attention, his dominance on the gridiron will. The massive road hog racked up pancakes like he worked at IHOP, plowing down defenders to open holes for the Cardinals’ dominant rushing attack.
While Reyna spent most of his time doing the dirty work in the trenches, the senior lineman got a taste of the end zone during the Cardinals 36-7 victory over Brownsville Rivera on Oct. 28.
Reyna is the VMS All-Star Lineman of the Year.
“There are a lot of good linemen down here in the RGV,” Reyna said. “I wouldn’t be able to do this without my team. Being a lineman is fun. I get to see my running back like Izaiah Bell or guys like Aiden Sandoval score. When they score, it is like I’m scoring. Those are our touchdowns.”
With Reyna leading a veteran offensive line, the Cardinals averaged 248.1 yards per game on the ground during district play en route to the District 32-6A title.
He helped propel the Cardinals to the third round of the playoffs for the sixth time in program history, the most among Valley teams since 2007.
Valley Morning Star All-Purpose Player of the Year: Hunter Posas, ATH, Raymondville
Raymondville’s Hunter Posas hadn’t played quarterback since his freshman year heading into this season. When the team needed him to step into the role during Week 4, he did so without hesitation.
The senior athlete delivered during the game, throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for another, adding a team-high 16 total tackles and one sack.
The performance was just another day in the office for Posas, splitting time at running back, linebacker and sometimes quarterback this season, earning him the VMS All-Star All-Purpose Player of the Year.
“It was just a great season overall,” Posas said. “In the middle of the season I had to step up and play some quarterback. I think that was a huge step for me as a player. I had been used to playing defense and sometimes running the ball. I was able to adjust well and do good things for us.”
The hard-nosed linebacker lived around the football this year, racking up a team-leading 125 tackles. He also made a living terrorizing opponents’ backfields, recording a team-high 12 tackles for loss, six sacks and six QB pressures.
His physicality transferred over on offense, using a bulldozing style of running to rack up 499 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. He also added 200 yards and three touchdowns through the air in limited action at QB.
“That is one thing about me,” Posas said. “I see all these other guys doing all these other things, unnecessary stuff in my opinion. But I like to put my shoulder down and go right at you. Still, I prefer defense. I’ve been playing defense most of my life, and I like hitting people.”
Valley Morning Star Sub-5A Player of the Year: Osmar Martinez, QB, Lyford
It isn’t often you see a quarterback atop the rushing yard leaders at any level. Lyford’s Osmar Martinez isn’t like most quarterbacks, however.
As a freshman, Martinez was thrust into the fire after an injury to then-starting QB Cayleb Klostermann, spending the year as the team’s signal-caller. His sophomore year he moved to running back with Klostermann returning from injury, seeing the field from a different perspective.
The past two seasons, Martinez returned to his spot at QB, taking what he learned and developing into one of the Valley’s most lethal weapons. He put together his most dominant season this year, tallying more than 3,000 total yards and 29 total touchdowns. He is the VMS All-Star Sub-5A Player of the Year.
“Being a running back before, hits don’t really matter to me,” Martinez said. “Playing quarterback was a little different because I had to call plays and make reads and stuff. That changed the most for me. The experience of being out there since my freshman year and playing different positions, it opened up the field for me and how I saw everything.”
Though not asked to throw often, Martinez made defenses pay when he did, averaging 19.7 yards per attempt. He finished 15th in the Valley in passing yardage, completing 59-of-124 passes for 1,165 yards and 12 touchdowns.
He was even more electric on the ground, averaging 12.9 yards per carry, the most among players with at least 100 attempts. Martinez finished the regular season as the Valley’s rushing leader, racking up 1,852 yards and 16 touchdowns.
“Teams had to take care of me in both the run and pass,” Martinez said. “If they focused too much on one, the other would open up for me. I had good receivers and a good O-line that could block, so all the credit goes to them.”
Valley Morning Star Coach of the Year: Manny Gomez, Harlingen High
Harlingen High head coach Manny Gomez is no stranger to perfect regular seasons. Since taking over in 2007, Gomez has tallied four unbeaten regular seasons, including three straight from 2009-2011.
He added another to his resume this year, leading the Cardinals to a 10-0 regular-season record and 12-1 overall, his seventh 10-win season of his career. Gomez is the VMS All-Star Coach of the Year.
Gomez and the Cardinals delivered one the of best seasons in recent memory for Harlingen High, outscoring opponents 429-146 during the regular season.
They continued their dominance during the first two rounds of the postseason, taking down PSJA High 49-0 during the bi-district round, followed by a 39-21 victory over San Antonio Warren to secure a spot in the third round for the sixth time under Gomez.
The Cardinals’ season came to an end in the Region IV-6A quarterfinals, tied with San Benito for the furthest of any 6A team this year.
The 2022 campaign brings Gomez’s career record to 142-44-0, all during his tenure at Harlingen High. He is responsible for 20% of Harlingen High’s 710 wins since 1913 and 11 of the program’s 37 district titles, including this year’s 32-6A crown.
