Due to the unique season which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s the first time a high school football team from the Rio Grande Valley has practiced and will play during Christmas week. After a year filled with hurdles, the Diamondbacks (7-0, 4-0) are simply grateful to have earned the opportunity.
“It’s something these kids will be able to remember forever. … It’s been a rollercoaster, but it’s also been a fun ride,” Pioneer head coach Tom Lee said.
For one group of senior Diamondbacks in particular, the chance to keep playing the game they love alongside each other is a different, yet perfect Christmas gift.
The Pioneer defense features four senior starters in its secondary — Ryan Bulthuis, Gabriel Kelley, Marco Oviedo and Alejandro Vasquez — all of whom have played significant roles since their sophomore seasons.
The four started playing ball together dating back to junior high and freshman year. But suiting up and going to battle next to each other on the gridiron the past three years at the varsity level has created an unbreakable bond amongst the group.
“It’s something I really take pride in and I’m really going to remember because I’ve been with these guys for so long. Playing with them, our last ride, it’s something I’m really going to cherish my whole life, so I want to keep it going and keep playing until it ends,” Bulthuis said.
What gives each game even more meaning is the Diamondbacks saw how easily it could all be taken away earlier this season.
Sharyland Pioneer was set to host McAllen Memorial in a non-district game Oct. 23. The teams had arrived at Richard Thompson Stadium in Mission and were less than an hour away from kickoff.
But a COVID-19 test result caused the game to be canceled about 30 minutes before the scheduled start time as the Diamondbacks were then forced to quarantine before returning to play the following week.
“It just made us appreciate every second more. It’s like when we were going to play McAllen Memorial, 30 minutes before the game, it was taken away from us,” Vasquez said. “That kind of put everything into perspective of how easy everything could just get taken away. It just made us more grateful for all the time that we do have together in our senior year.”
The varsity journey for the Diamondbacks’ secondary began Week 1 of their 2018-19 season, when Pioneer faced traditional RGV powerhouse Harlingen High. Then sophomores, all four were thrust into the starting lineup with a tough task as the final score ended with the Cardinals rolling to a 64-17 blowout victory.
“We threw all four of them into the fire their sophomore year in that first game against Harlingen. What a way to open it up, and they took it to us,” Lee said. “Those guys took things to heart and worked hard. They knew that they were very talented, and we’ve always felt they were very talented, and they’ve brought such stability to our program the last three years.”
Oviedo, a cornerback, said that experience shaped the Diamondbacks’ secondary to be the fearless group they are now as seniors.
“They threw us into the fire and we’ve taken the flames and grown with it. We have to have the mentality that it’s us against the world,” Oviedo said. “I think that really helps us a lot, gives us a chip on our shoulder and helps us play great.”
Their experience as the last line of defense for Pioneer has proven to be a strength for the Diamondbacks. The group has shown the ability to play coverage and step up to stop the run, just as the Diamondbacks did in their area-round playoff win last week over Marble Falls.
But the secondary knows they can’t do their job without the Pioneer front-seven, spearheaded by the Diamondbacks’ three down-linemen.
“Those hogs up front, Trevor (Huddleston), Aryn (Solis) and Danny (Roman), they give the quarterback a living nightmare back there and he has to throw the ball quick and it makes your job easy,” Oviedo said.
Now, Sharyland Pioneer and its secondary find themselves back in familiar territory — the third round of the playoffs for the second consecutive year and second time in program history. It’s also the same round last season ended for the Diamondbacks as they lost to Boerne-Champion 45-38 in overtime after a thrilling battle in San Antonio’s Alamodome.
“We told ourselves right after that game that we’d be back in the third round, and here we are now. We just need to finish the fight this year, come back at it and keep chopping wood,” Kelley said. “Being here the second time in a row is a great opportunity. I couldn’t ask for a better quarterback, a better coaching staff, a better defense, or bette... Click here to read full article
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