One of the key aspects of football is the battle between the offensive and defensive lines and who can dominate the line of scrimmage in the trenches.
Success in the trenches can set the tone for an offense, and the Hays Rebel football team believes their offensive line could be one of their strengths. A mainstay on that unit is senior Brandon Garcia, a two-year starter looking to dominate in his final run as a Rebel.
“Having guys that are very intelligent on the offensive line helps us make adjustments during the course of the game and helps set the tone for the offense. It’s not just the player or a play, it’s the adjustments.”
–Aaron Postert, offensive line coach
“He is one of the few offensive starters coming back and he had a great year last year,” said Hays assistant football coach Travis Finch. “The expectation is for him to bring some of our younger guys along with him.”
Garcia finished his junior season as a selection to both the First Team All-District team, and the Academic All District team, putting both his football skills and academic prowess on full display.
His presence at center has been a pivotal part of the Rebel offense since he made varsity in his sophomore year. The 6-foot, 2-inch, 285-pound center is an exceptional athlete, as he boasts an impressive 5.10 40-yard dash time and dominated as a rebounding specialist for the Hays basketball team. He uses that athleticism and combines it with his leadership ability to be a truly special football player.
“Brandon has really stepped into a leadership role. Him being the center in a new offense, his leadership is going to be critical to our success,” said first year offensive line coach Aaron Postert. “We’re not just looking to him to be a great player, but we need him to be a great leader as well.”
As a team, the Rebels totaled 4,613 yards of offense last season. The run game tallied 2,535 yards on the ground, and the Rebels passed for 2,078 yards. Postert is quick to give a lot of credit to Garcia and the rest of his offensive linemen for that offensive success in 2017.
“Having guys that are very intelligent on the offensive line helps us make adjustments during the course of the game and helps set the tone for the offense,” Postert said. “It’s not just the player or a play, it’s the adjustments.”
The Rebels finished last season at 4-7 and made an appearance in the playoffs. The tough 26-25 loss to Reagan High in the bidistrict round left the team motivated to achieve more in 2018.
“We are going to do some pretty special things this year,” Garcia said. “We want to make it back to the playoffs and bring home something.”
As far as the where Garcia is mindset wise going into 2018, he is motivated and ready to put on a show in his final year as a Hays Rebel.
“Give it all,” Garcia said. “Show up to show out.”
The Hays Rebels kicked off fall camp Aug. 6 as they prepare for their week one matchup with San Marcos.
