EDINBURG — PSJA North junior running back Isaac Gonzalez first burst onto the Rio Grande Valley’s football scene as a freshman, joining the varsity squad halfway through the season and pushing the Raiders to victories in five of their last seven games and into the postseason.
Since then, Gonzalez has developed into one of the RGV’s most talented rushers and most bruising backs, securing the Valley’s rushing title this season in dominant fashion.
As the catalyst for the Raiders’ young, balanced offense and the top rusher in 6A, Gonzalez has been selected as The Monitor’s All-Area Football Offensive Player of the Year after leading PSJA North back to the state playoffs.
“It feels great to be recognized and for people to know me for our accomplishments,” Gonzalez said. “When people are looking at you like that, you’ve got to handle your business on the field and off. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Gonzalez entered his third year and second full season on North’s varsity roster as the focal point of one of the youngest offenses in the Valley in 2020.
The Raiders returned one starter on the offensive line from last year’s squad and began a condensed preseason camp with a battle for the starting quarterback role.
With that youth surrounding him in the Raiders’ huddle, Gonzalez took on a leadership role in PSJA North’s offense and powered the team to one of its best seasons in recent memory, despite being at the top of every opponent’s defensive gameplan.
The Raiders’ junior back tallied an astounding 1,266 rushing yards on 178 carries in eight games, outrushing the next closest RGV running back in 6A by nearly 500 yards.
Gonzalez ran for nine touchdowns, tallied six 100-yard rushing games and averaged 158.3 yards per game and 7.1 yards per carry. He finished the year as the Valley’s only 1,000-yard rusher in Class 6A during the 2020 season.
“Every time we would go up against our defense in practices, I always went hard so when game day came around we would all be ready,” he said. “I’m always crashing the hole hard. Every time I touch the ball, I know I’ve got to get positive yards and I’ve got to get in the end zone for my team.”
His coaches and teammates, as well as some opponents, have frequently compared Gonzalez’s running style to a wrecking ball.
Built like a prototypical, old-school between-the-tackles rusher, Gonzalez does not shy away from contact and often initiates it against larger defenders, bouncing off and bowling over defenders as PSJA North’s bell-cow back.
“Every time you get that ball, you’ve got to be thinking positive,” he said. “Whether it’s 5 yards, 10 or 50, you’ve always got to be thinking about how to pick up positive yardage and think about getting further and further.”
Gonzalez’s production allowed freshman quarterback Ale Aparicio and incoming starters on the offensive line to find their grooves within the system and begin to thrive alongside one another by midseason.
He credits a lion’s share of his success to the growth, maturation and hard work of those offensive newcomers.
“My linemen are the reason why I’m able to keep getting positive yards. They’ve always helped me on and off the field. They’re leaders and they’re always pushing everyone during workouts, telling guys to go harder,” Gonzalez said.
“The younger ones knew they had to step up to the plate and play harder and be more physical on the field. … They knew exactly what they had to get done and they did it.”
Gonzalez duplicated his success as a freshman and helped push PSJA North back into the Class 6A state playoffs for the first time since 2019.
The Raiders ran into unbeaten District 32-6A co-champion Brownsville Hanna in the bi-district round. Gonzalez and his teammates, however, met the challenge head-on.
PSJA North overcame a 21-7 halftime deficit to score 22 unanswered points and walked away with their second bi-district playoff win in the last three seasons, thanks in large part to Gonzalez’s 170 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns during the second half to seal the comeback victory.
“It felt really, really good, honestly. It meant a lot to us,” Gonzalez said. “We really wanted to get back to the playoffs and we told all the younger guys that it would take all of us taking care of business. They did their part and everyone did enough in that game for us to come out victorious.”
The Raiders were dealt some devastating news on the eve of their area round game after learning their season was done due to COVID-19-related concerns and subsequent contact tracing within the program.
PSJA North was one of four teams across the state that won a bi-district game but was unable to continue playing into the area round.
“It was heartbreaking. We first saw it in the news and found out that someone had COVID,” Gonzalez said. “For a lot of players, it was really hard because there were some guys who were never going to see the field again and who are never going to play football again.”
But with a large group of returning varsity starters, Gonzalez and the Raiders are more motivated than ever to prove they have what it takes to battle beyond the area round next fall.
“We don’t just want to make the playoffs and get to Round 1 and Round 2, but we want to keep going. We want to face those teams like (Austin) Westlake and Lake Travis,” he said. “We’re pushing and working out hard right now for two or three hours a day every day. I feel like we’re going to have what it takes to get it done this year and be at our best.”
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Twitter: @ByAndyMcCulloch
