The Monitor
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From left, Weslaco High’s Mishak Rivas (all-purpose player of the year), Edcouch-Elsa’s Jeremy Burnias (defensive player of the year), La Villa coach Joe Salinas (coach of the year), Harlingen High’s Robert Sanchez (offensive player of the year) and McAllen Memorial’s Bradley Stephens (most valuable player).
FOOTBALL TEAM
December 18,2005
Wade Baker
The Monitor
MVP Stephens runs rampant
McALLEN — Bradley Stephens seems to have it all.
The McAllen Memorial junior running back already has scholarship offers from Texas A&M, Iowa State and Houston, along with many other major college recruiters drooling at the chance of landing him. Stephens, coming off a record-breaking season for a Rio Grande Valley running back, also was voted to the Class 5A all-state first team on the 16th annual Associated Press Sports Editors team.
Stephens now can add another achievement for 2005, as he was named The Monitor’s All-Valley Most Valuable Player.
"At the beginning of the season, if you would have told me I’d put up numbers like that, I wouldn’t have believed it," said the 17-year-old Stephens, who rushed for a Valley-record 2,622 yards during the season and the playoffs. "My goal was 2,000 yards heading into the season, and once I saw all the stacked lines, I wondered if I would even get close to that.
"But 2,600 yards, I would have never expected that. To me, that’s unreal."
Stephens (6-foot, 190 pounds) is well on his way to becoming the best running back to ever grace a Valley football field.
The junior has broken almost every major single season record for a Valley running back, including regular season rushing yards (2,432). Stephens needed just 10 games to shatter the previous single season rushing mark of 2,524 yards (including the playoffs) set by Harlingen High’s Maurice Hunter in 13 games during 1994.
And when it comes to career rushing records, expect the book to be rewritten during Stephens’ senior season. Stephens currently has rushed for 5,257 yards for his career, needing just 279 yards to break former Brownsville Hanna back Tony Ellis’ mark of 5,535 yards (1993-95). Stephens already has broken the career touchdown record with 75. Ellis held the previous mark with 73.
"I’ve been in this business a long, long time and if you want my honest opinion, I think we’ll be watching Bradley Stephens play in the NFL one day," said Edinburg High coach Robert Vela, who witnessed Stephens rush for 345 yards and two TDs during the Mustangs’ 34-23 victory over his Bobcats in Week 4. "I truly believe that he has what it takes to get to that level. He has the size and speed.
"This isn’t an individual game, but he can flat out take over this game like very few can."
Whether District 30-5A competition, or non-district, no team stopped Stephens in 2005. He had seven straight 200-yard plus rushing games during the season, shattering the previous Valley record of four. Stephens also had four games over 300 yards rushing.
La Joya, which normally rises to the occasion for big time backs, allowed Stephens to rumble for 227 yards and four TDs. Even Brownsville Pace, which held Stephens to a season-low 167 yards and two TDs on the ground, failed in its efforts. With a stacked line, Memorial found other ways to utilize Stephens, as he hauled in four receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown, and capped the performance with an 88-yard kickoff return against the Vikings.
"I’ve been coaching for 30 years, and he’s one of the top three players I’ve ever been around," Memorial third-year coach Bill Littleton said. "And, in my opinion, he’s just as good as those guys — maybe better. The thing is, he’s just a junior. He’s developed so much during the last year, and you can only expect that to continue to happen next year.
"He’s getting bigger, he’s getting stronger and he’s getting faster. To me, that’s pretty scary to think about."
Stephens, being recruited heavily by schools such as Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas, Nebraska and Auburn, just to name a few of the national powerhouses, expects to announce his college plans by the beginning of next football season.
And, of course, that will allow him to concentrate on defending his Valley MVP award.
"I want to have all of that stuff out of the way," said Stephens on the recruiting process. "I’m sure (recruiters) will still call, but it should calm it down some. Right now, I’m thinking maybe around the beginning of August I’ll verbally commit. That way I can look forward to my senior season without any distractions, and hopefully we can not only make the playoffs, but go a few rounds.
"The awards are great, but my main goal, just like my teammates, is to go deep in the playoffs."
———
Wade Baker covers District 30-5A for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4450.
http://www.themonitor.com/SiteProce...ates/Details.cfm&StoryID=10676&Section=Sports
<hr style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136);" size="1"> <!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->
From left, Weslaco High’s Mishak Rivas (all-purpose player of the year), Edcouch-Elsa’s Jeremy Burnias (defensive player of the year), La Villa coach Joe Salinas (coach of the year), Harlingen High’s Robert Sanchez (offensive player of the year) and McAllen Memorial’s Bradley Stephens (most valuable player).
FOOTBALL TEAM
December 18,2005
Wade Baker
The Monitor
MVP Stephens runs rampant
McALLEN — Bradley Stephens seems to have it all.
The McAllen Memorial junior running back already has scholarship offers from Texas A&M, Iowa State and Houston, along with many other major college recruiters drooling at the chance of landing him. Stephens, coming off a record-breaking season for a Rio Grande Valley running back, also was voted to the Class 5A all-state first team on the 16th annual Associated Press Sports Editors team.
Stephens now can add another achievement for 2005, as he was named The Monitor’s All-Valley Most Valuable Player.
"At the beginning of the season, if you would have told me I’d put up numbers like that, I wouldn’t have believed it," said the 17-year-old Stephens, who rushed for a Valley-record 2,622 yards during the season and the playoffs. "My goal was 2,000 yards heading into the season, and once I saw all the stacked lines, I wondered if I would even get close to that.
"But 2,600 yards, I would have never expected that. To me, that’s unreal."
Stephens (6-foot, 190 pounds) is well on his way to becoming the best running back to ever grace a Valley football field.
The junior has broken almost every major single season record for a Valley running back, including regular season rushing yards (2,432). Stephens needed just 10 games to shatter the previous single season rushing mark of 2,524 yards (including the playoffs) set by Harlingen High’s Maurice Hunter in 13 games during 1994.
And when it comes to career rushing records, expect the book to be rewritten during Stephens’ senior season. Stephens currently has rushed for 5,257 yards for his career, needing just 279 yards to break former Brownsville Hanna back Tony Ellis’ mark of 5,535 yards (1993-95). Stephens already has broken the career touchdown record with 75. Ellis held the previous mark with 73.
"I’ve been in this business a long, long time and if you want my honest opinion, I think we’ll be watching Bradley Stephens play in the NFL one day," said Edinburg High coach Robert Vela, who witnessed Stephens rush for 345 yards and two TDs during the Mustangs’ 34-23 victory over his Bobcats in Week 4. "I truly believe that he has what it takes to get to that level. He has the size and speed.
"This isn’t an individual game, but he can flat out take over this game like very few can."
Whether District 30-5A competition, or non-district, no team stopped Stephens in 2005. He had seven straight 200-yard plus rushing games during the season, shattering the previous Valley record of four. Stephens also had four games over 300 yards rushing.
La Joya, which normally rises to the occasion for big time backs, allowed Stephens to rumble for 227 yards and four TDs. Even Brownsville Pace, which held Stephens to a season-low 167 yards and two TDs on the ground, failed in its efforts. With a stacked line, Memorial found other ways to utilize Stephens, as he hauled in four receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown, and capped the performance with an 88-yard kickoff return against the Vikings.
"I’ve been coaching for 30 years, and he’s one of the top three players I’ve ever been around," Memorial third-year coach Bill Littleton said. "And, in my opinion, he’s just as good as those guys — maybe better. The thing is, he’s just a junior. He’s developed so much during the last year, and you can only expect that to continue to happen next year.
"He’s getting bigger, he’s getting stronger and he’s getting faster. To me, that’s pretty scary to think about."
Stephens, being recruited heavily by schools such as Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas, Nebraska and Auburn, just to name a few of the national powerhouses, expects to announce his college plans by the beginning of next football season.
And, of course, that will allow him to concentrate on defending his Valley MVP award.
"I want to have all of that stuff out of the way," said Stephens on the recruiting process. "I’m sure (recruiters) will still call, but it should calm it down some. Right now, I’m thinking maybe around the beginning of August I’ll verbally commit. That way I can look forward to my senior season without any distractions, and hopefully we can not only make the playoffs, but go a few rounds.
"The awards are great, but my main goal, just like my teammates, is to go deep in the playoffs."
———
Wade Baker covers District 30-5A for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4450.
http://www.themonitor.com/SiteProce...ates/Details.cfm&StoryID=10676&Section=Sports
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