Narrowing the newcomer of the year candidates was no easy task in 2023, with several players putting together breakout campaigns.
In the end, three names stood a head above the rest.
Brownsville Veterans’ Alvin Trevillion, Harlingen High’s Noah Huerta and San Benito’s Patrell Reddick are The Brownsville Herald/Valley Morning Star Tri-Newcomers of the Year.
Trevillion played a key role in helping the Chargers secure the outright District 16-5A DI title, rushing for 924 yards and eight touchdowns on 128 carries in 10 gamesf played.
He ramped up his play during the postseason, toting the rock 93 times for 572 yards and two scores in five contests. Among those were three straight 100-plus-yard rushing performances to start the playoffs, including a 25-carry, 154-yard performance against Corpus Christi Veterans in the 5A DI area round.
Trevillion finished the year with 221 carries for 1,497 yards and 10 touchdowns, helping the Chargers reach a Class 5A DI state semifinal for the first time in program history.
Huerta didn’t expect to see as big a role as he did during his sophomore campaign, but an injury to starting running back Samuel Montejano quickly changed that.
The sophomore running back quickly found his groove, however, exploding for 139 yards and six touchdowns during just his third career varsity game. He continued to display flashes of his potential throughout the year, surpassing the 100-yard mark during four of his six regular-season appearances.
In the postseason, Huerta demonstrated that he isn’t afraid of the big moment, rushing for 166 yards and three touchdowns during a 42-0 bi-district win over Edinburg High.
Huerta finished the season with 143 carries for 942 yards and 18 touchdowns in 12 games played.
Reddick stepped into one of the Valley’s most dominant defenses almost seamlessly as a sophomore, quickly earning a spot on San Benito’s starting defensive line.
The 6-foot-1, 219-pound defensive end looked like anything but a first-year starter this season, terrorizing opponents’ backfields all year long.
Reddick finished the year with 51 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss and nine sacks during his inaugural varsity season.
The sophomore defensive lineman also helped the Greyhounds continue their tradition of dominant defenses, allowing just 210.7 yards and 11.7 points per game during the regular season.
