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THE PLAYER’S COACH: Mendoza brings new life to Waller Football
The future of Waller football is in good hands.
After struggling in Year One, coach Marcus Mendoza is ready to prove the doubters wrong this upcoming Fall.
What makes Mendoza such a unique figure is the fact that he was recruited out of Spring Woods High -- a relatively unknown as a recruiting hub -- and ultimately rose to play at the Big-10 school Nebraska (2008-2011).
He’s shown by example that hard work can pay dividends, no matter where you play, which is exactly what he stresses to his players.
“Right now, kids are seeing other athletes at the big schools in Texas getting more attention and they think that’s what they need to do in order to get those offers," he said. "But, I remind them how I went to a smaller school. I bought into what my coaches were saying, and I was focused on what I needed to do. That’s what I promote to them. I tell them ‘If you have the talent, and we keep building on this program, you will get found’.”
Mendoza (34-years-old) was an assistant coach at Aldine Davis and Cypress Ranch before becoming the offensive coordinator at Waller. He's a whiz in the film room, but has always considered himself an educator first.
After starting the school’s EcoFair program and being named the 2020-21 Waller ISD Teacher of the Year for his performance as an economics teacher, he earned the position of the Bulldogs' head football coach last May.
“Something that I’ve been told is the fact that some of the best coaches are equally great teachers in the school building,” Mendoza said. “So, in the classroom, I just learned those qualities of what it takes to be a great teacher and ended up just falling in love with the classroom as well. That has helped me with my management and football coaching skills.”
And what is Mendoza’s coaching philosophy?
“I’m definitely an offensive-minded guy,” he said. “Offense is my baby, that’s what I love doing. I love breaking down film and implementing new ways to manipulate or outsmart a defense depending on fronts, coverages and things like that. A big part of what I do is delegation, specifically with my assistant head coach Johnny Golden and my OC Ryland Bailey.”
In addition to his football experience and his accolades as an educator, Mendoza has a unique ability to connect with his team.
“I’ve learned from the coaches who I've worked for and my high school coach, who were all super old-school," he said. “They helped me to understand the discipline that needs to be implemented into a program. But then I also think being at this age (34) right now, really allows me to communicate well with the kids and understand the dynamic of what they’re going through and what they hope to achieve.”
VYPE Class 5A Helmet Stickers powered by Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine: Week 9 (Nov. 19-21)
Welcome to a new VYPE feature for the 2020 football season - VYPE Helmet Stickers powered by Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine! Every week, VYPE will scour the stat sheets of the previous week and find the top performers.
Class 5A teams went into Week 9 and wow there were some amazing performances! See who earned VYPE Helmet Stickers this week. Here are the selections.
PREVIOUS HELMET STICKER SELECTIONS
- Week 1 (Sept. 24-27)
- Week 2 (Oct. 1-3)
- Week 3 (Oct. 8-10)
- Week 4 (Oct. 15-17)
- Week 5 (Oct. 22-24)
- Week 6 (Oct. 29-31)
- Week 7 (Nov. 3-5
- Week 8 (Nov. 12-14)
Jairo Garcia - Waller Football
🚨PLAYERS OF THE WEEK🚨#WeAreWaller pic.twitter.com/SF3BbbRtUT
— Waller Football (@waller_football) November 22, 2020
In last week's 43-22 victory over New Caney there were a few outstanding performances. But we will go on the defensive side of the ball for this one. Jairo Garcia gets the nod here. Garcia finished with eight total tackles, four of those for loss and two sacks. What a performance by him. With the win, Waller improves to 3-5 on the year, an improvement from their 0-10 mark in 2019. Good win for the Bulldogs.
Luke Grden (@LukeGrden) - Friendswood
Galveston Ball - 383yrds, 6 TDs: https://t.co/2jgfs3Ma1r@ihss_houston@RobertKoopmann@FwoodFootball@Coach_BenMoran@coach_needer@HamiltonESPN@LincolnRiley@OU_CoachGundy@OU_CoachHill@BobWeltonBamaFB@Lgauthier_@Stumpf_Brian@PettiboneJerry
— Luke Grden (@LukeGrden) November 22, 2020
It was a thrilling 63-60 victory over Galveston Ball last week for Friendswood. The player of the game was no doubt Luke Grden, who finished 25 of 47 for 383 yards and six touchdowns. Grden was hurt earlier this season but seems to be back to full strength leading the Mustangs' offense.
Sultan Bakare (@SultanBakare0) - Katy Paetow
Paetow defeats Angleton tonight. Great game for the Panthers! pic.twitter.com/l7DIq3LKup
— Katy ISD Athletics (@KatyISDAthletic) November 21, 2020
It was a big win for Katy Paetow last week as the Panthers improved to 6-1 on the year and clinched a playoff berth. A big player in the win was Sultan Bakare on the defensive side of the ball. Bakare finished with an amazing 16 tackles. It was a breakout game for the junior. His previous game-high for total tackles was nine earlier this year.
Rocky Ketchum (@Rocky_Ketchum) - Clear Creek
Hats off to Terry! Great game tonight! @CreekWildcats pic.twitter.com/iqsbVeq1cs
— Mike Norman (@coach_norman66) November 20, 2020
A nice win for Clear Creek a week ago as the Wildcats defeated BF Terry 36-34. A big factor in the win was the play of running back Rocky Ketchum. First off, how about that name for a running back! Awesome! Ketchum rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries for the Wildcats in the win. Clear Creek is 5-3 on the year and 3-2 in district play after the win.
Amarion Kelly - Galena Park
Great night for @GPHS_Athletics
— GPHS Boys Basketball (@TheRealGPHoops) November 21, 2020
Varsity Football BIG Homecoming Win over Sharpstown ✔
Girls Basketball gets the W over Santa Fe ✔@TheRealGPHoops picks up a 🧹 over Northbrook ✔
Enjoy the weekend, stay safe and be ready to get back to work next week. #UnfinishedBusiness
Last week was a big week for Galena Park. The Yellowjackets defeated Sharpstown 64-0 to improve their record to 6-2 on the year and 5-1 in district and have clinched a playoff berth. Wait ... Galena Park is heading to the playoffs!! That's right the Yellowjackets for the first time since 2010 are playoff bound. A big player in the win over Sharpstown was running back Amarion Kelly. In the win, Kelly rushed for 141 yards and three scores on just 14 carries. He averaged 10.1 yards per tote and has rushed for 723 yards and nine scores this season. What a big week for Galena Park football.
Reggie Branch (@reggie1branch) - Crosby
first 4 games - https://t.co/58Lqgpy7kz
— Reggie Branch ll (@reggie1branch) November 1, 2020
Crosby is absolutely rolling right now and a big reason why is the play of Reggie Branch at quarterback. In fact, in his most recent outing - a 54-14 win over Port Neches-Groves - he put up well video game numbers. Branch finished 19 of 35 for 319 yards and four touchdowns passing. He also rushed for another 110 yards. The senior finished with 429 total yards of offense and improved Crosby to 5-0 in district play.
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