'We feel like we have the potential do great things': No. 29 San Elizario eyes improvement
Editor's Note: The El Paso Times continues its high school football countdown with No. 29 San Elizario. High school football practice begins July 31 for teams which did not have spring practice and Aug. 7 for teams which conducted spring practice.
Outlook for 2023 season
San Elizario looks to find improvement under coach Robert Herrera, whose program had a solid junior varsity season in 2022. The Eagles weren't far away from winning 2-3 more games a season ago and if the team can find improvement from its new varsity players, the Eagles can move up in the District 1-4A Division I standings.
A look back at 2022
The Eagles went 2-8 overall and 0-4 in District 1-4A Division I and had wins against Tornillo and Fabens. The team also had close losses to Anthony, Cathedral and Irvin.
How the offense rates
San Elizario will rely heavily on playmakers Diego Flores at quarterback and Kevin Gonzalez at slot. Up front Gerardo Velarde and Dominic Rios will help lead the way.
How the defense rates
Linebacker Zamar Vargas is a playmaker for the Eagles and had 85 tackles a season ago. He'll have support from fellow defensive backs Brayan Rodriguez and JR Garcia and linebackers Abraham Vega, Martin Juarez and Andrew Cedillo and defensive lineman Angel Garcia.
What the coach is saying
"I feel we have a chance to be improved this season," Eagles coach Robert Herrera. "We've had great participation this offseason in our workouts. Our freshman and JV teams had strong years last season and we are excited for some of the newcomers on varsity. We feel like we can compete with everyone on our schedule. We have a great district, a tough district and we'll give it our best shot."
What the players are saying
"We feel like we have the potential to do great things," said Flores, who has been on varsity since his freshman season. "Our running attack is very good. We feel we made progress as a team throughout the offseason and making the playoffs is our goal."
Added Rios: "Our offense is a strength for us and we have several players who can make big plays. We'll have to cut down on mistakes and turnovers this season, but I really believe we have a great opportunity to make the playoffs. We've come a long way in the past few years."
More: EP recruiting news Recruiting El Paso: Local high school football players on Division I radars
Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: No. 29 San Elizario football eyes improved play in 2023
