LIKE WE WON THE SUPER BOWL

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1 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL LIKE WE WON THE SUPER BOWL Burbank, Memorial relish rare victories ADAM ZUVANICH High Schools 1/5

2 Marvin Pfeiffer / For the Express-News Coach Mark Perez and Burbank may have surprised even themselves when they upset Highlands, last year s district cochampion and the only 28-5A team to start this year with two wins. Esparza 2/5

3 Adam Zuvanich / San Antonio Express-News Memorial s Anthony Esparza (left) says of snapping a 21-game skid by beating Jefferson: It felt good to finally taste that victory. Football is therapeutic for many of the players at Memorial, including its senior quarterback. Anthony Esparza said both of his parents have battled drug addiction, leading him to battle depression and forcing him to fend for himself at times. He works in the kitchen at a local pizza chain on Saturdays and Sundays, the only two days of the week he does not spend at school and with the Minutemen. Esparza described time with his teammates as a getaway, moments he can be distracted from his home life and have fun. But football had been hard to enjoy for Memorial, which took a 21-game losing streak into Friday s District 28-5A opener against Jefferson. The Minutemen stopped that skid with a 23-17, triple-overtime win at Edgewood Veterans Stadium. It was their first win since Esparza s first varsity game as a sophomore in 2015 and also ended a 30-game losing streak in district play that began in It s amazing, man, Esparza said. It felt good to finally taste that victory. The players at Burbank, a San Antonio ISD school about eight miles away from Memorial, can relate. The Bulldogs only win during the past two seasons came against the Minutemen, and they also started this season with two losses. Just like Memorial, Burbank broke through with a districtopening win no one saw coming except for the players and coaches on its sideline. Even some of them were surprised by the win against Highlands, 3/5

4 Marvin Pfeiffer / For the Express-News Burbank football coach Mark Perez says only about half of the players who enter the program as freshmen stick with the Bulldogs through their senior year. last year s district co-champion and the only 28-5A team to start this year with two wins. It felt like we won the Super Bowl, said Burbank senior Isaac Cantu, a running back and linebacker. It was just crazy. It could be a wild race in 28-5A, since the two teams that finished at the bottom of the district standings last year are tied for first place after the first round of league games. At the very least, Friday s triumphs provided hope at schools where hope can be hard to come by. Giving up is an ever-present threat at Burbank, where head coach Mark Perez said only about half of the players who enter the program as freshmen stick with the Bulldogs through their senior year. Some stop playing because they have to work to help support their families. Some do not want to work during practice and the offseason. Cantu quit the team for the final two games of last season, even though he was a team captain. He said he is glad to be back with the Bulldogs, who were upbeat and focused at Monday s practice. We re working harder now than ever, Burbank lineman Tristin Zamora said. It s fun again. It s fun winning. Memorial coach Kemmie Lewis said learning how to win has been one of the chief challenges for his players, who were not sure how to react after beating Jefferson. He said the campus and community long 4/5

5 have been resigned to losing. Like Esparza, many of the Minutemen cope with off-the-field issues. Lewis says he has kids that are semihomeless, kids that barely have a meal besides meals at school, kids that are fathers. So the coach has gradually tried to build up his players by aiming for small daily victories such as making it to school on time or lining up correctly at practice. Now that the Minutemen have experienced a larger win, a Friday night game with playoff implications, they yearn for more. Because while football is an escape, winning makes it even more worthwhile. We ve got to make sure we stay humble and keep our heads straight and don t get too hard-headed with it, because that could easily take us right back down real quick, Memorial cornerback Xavier Banks said. And I don t want that at all. adam.zuvanich@express-news.net 5/5