ALICE, Texas — The Alice Coyotes are coming off a dominant 40 - 14 district victory against Tuloso-Midway in week 7. Part of that success stems from their sophomore quarterback who had big shoes to fill, but so far, minus their matchup against Veterans Memorial, he's been a game changer.
Alice sophomore Lucian Cruz is getting comfortable is his starting quarterback role with help from his talented teammates.
"Those guys are amazing," Cruz said. "We got Justin Arrellano, Matt Carrillo, Landon Rodriguez and we got Grizz (also known as) RGIII (Roel Gonzalez) in the backfield, so that really helps."
Against district opponent Tuloso-Midway, Cruz delivered two touchdowns through the air while completing 18 of 25 passes for 235 yards.
"My favorite touchdown I was rolling out to the right and I kind of side-armed it over the middle to Justin and he went in for a touchdown," Cruz said. "Me and Justin, all of the receivers, after summer weights we'd go out and throw the ball, so he knows me and I know him."
Cruz also bulldozed behind his linemen for two rushing touchdowns.
"He's getting better each game," Alice senior center Diego Trevino said. "We just got to trust our quarterback and he trusts us, so it's that bond we have with the quarterback and the line that's helping him out."
Cruz has a special way of taking care of those who take care of him.
"Bring them out to my house and we feed them. We feed 'The Hogs'. I mean we feed them every Wednesday," Cruz said. "I love those guys. A lot of character in those guys too. Last week was burgers and hot dogs."
After five games the Coyotes are 4-1 with two district victories, but their real success is their unity.
"This team is family to me. I love these guys. We have team dinner. We hang out all the time," Cruz said. "We're not just a team that separates and stuff. We hang outside of school. Outside of football."
Up next, Alice hosts the Calallen Wildcats on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Alice Memorial Stadium. This game could decide the UIL District 16 4A-DI championship.
