McALLEN — The 2020 high school football season in the Rio Grande Valley was all about making the most of limited opportunities and for several of the area’s top seniors, their hard work on and away from the field during a shortened season paid off with another unique opportunity.

Seven of the RGV’s elite senior football players were rewarded with the chance to compete in the Blue-Grey Football High School All-American games at the home of the Dallas Cowboys, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, in December and January.

“It was a blessing especially knowing everyone who could’ve been chosen and knowing my hard work was finally paying off,” McAllen Rowe senior tight end Gustavo Cruz said. “It was truly amazing, seeing everyone from different states and hearing everyone’s story helped me not feel like such an outcast.”

Cruz was one of several senior standouts across the Rio Grande Valley who made the trip north to participate in the Blue-Grey All-American games, which have become a fixture in the college football recruiting scene since the event’s inception in 1989.

He was joined by Weslaco East senior offensive lineman Ezekiel Negrete on the West team during the second of two Blue-Grey All-American games at AT&T Stadium on Jan. 18. The West team ultimately fell to the East squad in that game, however, Cruz said he felt fortunate to have another opportunity to take to the football field amid the COVID-19 pandemic and meet high school football stars from every corner of America.

“It was an awesome experience, listening to some guys who didn’t even have a season and that was the only game they played all senior year. I realized how blessed I was to even have a season,” Cruz said. “And I definitely learned a lot from the game, every player has a different type of style of how they do things and so do the coaches. My mindset when going was just to learn as much as possible and grow as a player”

Rio Grande City senior wideout Ricky Falcon appeared in the first of the three Blue-Grey All-American games on Dec. 14 and made an immediate impact for the West team in his performance snagging a pass in tight coverage.

Falcon, however, wasn’t the only Rio Grande Valley receiver to make a name for himself at AT&T Stadium.

Mission Veterans senior receiver AJ Gonzaque led another contingent of Valley football stars represented in the final of three Blue-Grey All-American Games at AT&T Stadium on Saturday.

Gonzaque was joined by Lyford defensive end Louis Devries and a pair of fellow Mission football standouts — Mission High defensive tackle Dante Lopez and Sharyland Pioneer defensive end Aryn Solis — on the West team.

“Whenever I play in big games like that I try to make sure I represent the valley in the best possible way with sportsmanship and hustle and passion,” Gonzaque said. “The game itself was a good game for everyone. It was 16 minutes quarters so everyone got to play and show what they had. I felt that I was playing other players that wanted the same opportunity as me; it just came down to who was going to execute.”

For Gonzaque and Lopez especially, who played their high school football under the bright Friday night lights of Tom Landry Stadium in Mission, the opportunity to play at the home of the Dallas Cowboys — the franchise synonymous with the Hall of Fame coach who hailed from their hometown — was a surreal experience.

“It’s an amazing experience just walking into the stadium where Tom Landry coached at and him being from Mission just kinda honestly puts me in shock,” Gonzaque said. “It means a lot to play on the same field as my favorite players today.”

“From down on the field, just looking up into the stands in complete awe of how nice the stadium looks from down below is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Lopez said. “Not many people are fortunate enough to step inside AT&T Stadium let alone play inside of the stadium so it felt like a blessing to be given this opportunity.”

Gonzaque even scored a touchdown that helped propel the West team to victory.

“When the ball was in the air I came down with it and to score in that stadium is electric so it was very exciting,” he said.

All of the Rio Grande Valley players who participated said they relished their experience at the Blue-Grey All-American games and encouraged their younger teammates and future RGV high school football standouts to seize the opportunity as well.

“I definitely recommend any Valley players to go out and get as much exposure as possible,” Cruz said. “Any camp, combine, or showcase would already put them a step ahead of the game.”

“Any type of opportunity that you have to go showcase your talent elsewhere, especially upstate where there’s a lot of eyes, is definitely beneficial if you’re trying to go to the next level,” Gonzaque said.

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Twitter: @ByAndyMcCulloch

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