Football: Esparzas continue family tradition in Crane

CRANE Naldo Esparza tries to keep the thought out of his mind.

Too many important things he has to think about before the game even starts.

Injuries happen to every player in football. Esparza’s sons have been no different.

Tyler, his older son, hurt his knee playing football for his dad at Crane. Last year, his younger son, Teague, sustained a knee injury, and this season he has had to battle ankle injuries.

But none of their varsity injuries have been as scary as the hit Teague took when he was a freshman. Playing at linebacker against Iraan, Teague moved into the hole to the fullback.

“He lowered his head,” Esparza said. “He tried to get up, then stumbled and went back down. By the time I got out there, he was sitting up, his eyes were sort of rolled back, and after a little bit, he came to.”

---

Esparza took over as Crane’s head football coach in 2006.

Ever since that promotion, one of Esparza’s sons has been an important skill position player for the Golden Cranes.

First came Tyler, a jack-of-all trades on offense and a hard-hitting free safety on defense.

Tyler Esparza graduated after the 2007 season.

And in his place, Teague Esparza has taken over as a receiver, part-time running back and safety in a new Golden Cranes offensive system that emphasizes the run ahead of the pass.

Coupled with the emergence of starting running back Cody Black, that means less touches for Teague, who has 470 receiving yards, 189 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns.

But Teague has adjusted well, learning to be one of the Golden Cranes’ best blockers in the open field.

“I’ve always liked blocking,” Teague said. “You just have to get used to the 1-on-1 type of blocking. At the beginning of the year, I sometimes wished we’d throw it more, but I like it now.”

Teague might be even more important to the Golden Cranes’ defense.

Through 12 games, Teague has 66 tackles, six interceptions, five pass break-ups and a fumble recovery.

As a freshman, Teague made a start at safety against Alpine, a team that wanted to throw the ball all over the field. He would like to forget that game.

“I’ve watched film of that game a lot,” Teague said. “And I was pretty soft.”

For a freshman starter, though, Teague had an advantage that most young players can’t boast. His older brother, Tyler.

So when he took back over at safety after Tyler left — Teague spent his sophomore season at linebacker — Teague had a blueprint for success.

“He just helped me get more comfortable on defense,” Teague said. “But the next year, I played linebacker, and Tyler was all over the field. He had more than 100 tackles.”

---

Ever since they were kids, the Esparza boys have had plenty of love for baseball.

And that love comes from watching their dad coach, even though Naldo Esparza never had a chance to play the game himself.

At Rankin, Esparza didn’t have the opportunity to play baseball.

But during his years as an assistant football coach in Seminole, Esparza played a lot of softball. So much that the Seminole athletic director asked Esparza to take over the baseball program.

And a dual-sport family was born.

“When we were in Seminole, those kids always had a knack for baseball,” Esparza said. “But then, when we moved to Iraan, the community there supports every sport so well that baseball took a backseat.”

The Braves don’t play baseball.

Moving to Crane put Tyler and Teague back on the diamond, in addition to their responsibilities on the football field.

Pulling double-duty has been no trouble for the Esparza boys. After all, their dad still coaches baseball, even though he’s the athletic director and head football coach in Crane.

“People come up to me all the time and ask ‘When are you going to give it up?’ ” Esparza said. “But I don’t want to. I like being out there, I like being with the kids.”

---

Playing for a dad can be a little nerve-wracking.

After all, he’s at every practice, every game, watching every move.

But Esparza has always tried to leave football and baseball on the field, rather than take it home. In turn, his sons have always responded by trying to set an example for the rest of the team.

And being a coach’s son has other benefits.

Like at receiver. Unlike most receivers his age, Teague already knows how to use his blocking early in the game to set up routes later in the game, and at free safety, he recognizes opponent’s formations instantly.

“Making checks and audibles kind of comes natural to me,” Teague said. “I know where we need to be to make the play.”

Like father, like son.