Before Ronald Gallegos became the head coach of the McCurdy Charter School football team, the Bobcats had some seasons defined by struggle — like in 2014, when they went 2-8.
In the two years that he has been at McCurdy, he has brought the team closer to .500 every year.
Last season, the team went 6-6 and 3-1 in their district. They made it to the quarterfinals of the playoffs, before losing to the number one ranked Estancia High School.
“Now they’re buying into the program … I took over three years ago, and slowly but surely, I am rebuilding it back up,” Gallegos said.
This fall, the Bobcats are in perhaps the best position they have been in, since Gallegos took over. They have had to fill two primary positions that were held by graduating seniors and the rest of the young team has grown into more mature roles.
The two players that the team lost were two cruxes in both the McCurdy offense and defense.
Andres Martinez was the starting quarterback for the Bobcats last year and his fellow classmate and linebacker Lucas Samora held up the defense. Samora finished last season with 142 total tackles, leading the state, and he also had 15 sacks, averaging just over one sack per game.
The primary core of the Bobcats team this year is made up of the junior class, who have finally made it into the role of upperclassmen. Gallegos said they will carry the heaviest load for the team.
One of those juniors is Ernesto Martinez, who will be filling in the starting quarterback role.
As a sophomore, he primarily played wide receiver, and hopes to translate some of his natural speed to the position of quarterback.
Ernesto Martinez has clocked a 40-yard dash time of 4.4 seconds, and was on the 200-meter McCurdy relay team that won the state championship in May.
He will be primarily handing off the ball to Raul Arroyo, who is a senior. In addition to being a quick presence on the field, Arroyo has a kicking leg that is rare for a high schooler.
“I used to play soccer,” Arroyo said. “When I told them (the coaches) I used to play soccer, they tried me out as a kicker and I started practicing, and that’s how I got to where I am now.”
Arroyo has made field goals up to 55 yards and can consistently make them around the 50-yard-line. His goal is to take his kicking talent to the college level.
The excitement surrounding Gallegos’s Bobcat football program has landed the team with a number of new recruits and talent. On their practice, Aug. 14, they counted 25 total players, but Gallegos expects more to turn up as the start of the school year nears.
Luis Griego, who recently transferred from Mesa Vista High School, is new to the football program. The 330-pound sophomore is a rare site for a 3A football team, and he weighs more than even some linemen in the National Football League.
He was not able to play football last year, as Mesa Vista is too small to host a football team. Griego will play center and nose tackle for the Bobcats.
“I’ve always wanted to play football, I’ve just never had a team,” he said.
He has been enjoying the start of football practice and is slowly getting into game-ready fitness.
Griego is a part of a Bobcats line that has more mass than most other football teams that they will face.
Including Griego, McCurdy has at least three players that are above the 230-pound mark.
The Bobcats did have to deal with one challenge in their preparation for the season, in that their gym was undergoing renovations, which included the weight room.
Gallegos has had the team working with tires and has taken the opportunity to give them more interesting weight training opportunities than just lifting. They have been focusing on more anti-gravity exercises, using their own bodies as the weight with push-ups, sit-ups, etc.
“I’m not feeling bad at all,” Gallegos said. “It may have been a slow summer, but now that school starts, everybody is coming in. Some of them are going to be behind schedule, but we will catch up.”