By LARRY GAGE
Special to the PRESS
Jaime “J.J.” Gonzalez is all set to play in this week’s Rio Grande Valley Coach’s Association East/West All Star Game in Weslaco. Fellow Port Isabel Tarpon Augustin Hernandez was also selected, but will not be able to play due to an injury.
“I think it’s great that he was picked,” head P.I. football coach Monty Stumbaugh told the Press this week. “It’s a great honor to be selected.”
Each Lower Rio Grande Valley high school coach can nominate as many as five players from his team. All senior players of all classes, 2A through 6A, are eligible. A complete list of players for the East and West squads are sent to the RGCA Board of Directors, and the head coaches for the two teams select their players from those lists.
Stumbaugh coached the East team for the 2003 and 2012 games and said the selection process was different then. “First time I did the game they said, ‘Here’s your team, Coach,’ You had four days to practice and the game was on Saturday.”
“We only have two weeks of practice,” Gonzalez said Monday. “It’s one last time to represent Port Isabel and just go out there and have fun.”
When asked if he believed that the offense would be simplified due to time constraints, Gonzalez said, “The plays are simple, but how the plays are called in is not.”
“He’s represented Port Isabel very well for four years,” Stumbaugh said of Gonzalez. “(I) would like to put his heart in every one of our kids. He played this game the way you’re supposed to play it. He played hard and he loved to play the game of football. You just can’t measure heart.”
The 2015 RGVCA East/West All Star Game will be played at Bobby Lackey Stadium in Weslaco this Saturday (May 16) night. The opening kick-off is set for 7 p.m.
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