Football: 2008 All-Permian Basin Offensive players

DERRICK TEEGARDEN, QB

ODESSA HIGH, 5-10, 170, JR.

>> Key Stats: Completed 152 of 234 passes for 2,225 yards and 24 touchdowns, with 10 interceptions. Carried the ball 114 times for 743 yards and 10 touchdowns.

>> Lee says: Teegarden took his lumps last year, but those served him well this season. No longer was the speed of the varsity game a problem for him; instead it was his speed, along with his ability to hit receivers on the run, that put opposing defenses on their heels. Teegarden's impact on the Bronchos offense was magnified when he missed the final regular-season game against Midland Lee and OHS generated just three first downs through the first three quarters in a loss to the Rebels. 

SHERARD RAY, RB

PERMIAN, 5-11, 192, SR.

>> Key Stats: 242 carries for 2,224 yards and 19 touchdowns. District 2-5A Offensive MVP.

>> Joel A. says: Ray's defining characteristic wasn't strength, speed, or any of the other measurables normally associated with greatness. It was his determination. When the Panthers needed Ray to churn up yards, he simply refused to go down. Ray ran with more desire than any back in the district - and there were a few good ones - which is why he turned in the second-best single-season performance in Permian history. On any list of the Panthers' best backs, Ray now deserves mention. 

DARIUS MILLER, RB

MIDLAND HIGH, 5-9, 180, SR.

>> Key Stats: 1,725 rushing yards, 18 touchdowns; 46 catches, 499 yards, 8 touchdown catches.

>> Joel A. says: Easily the fastest player in District 2-5A. No player - not Derrick Teegarden, not Shaney Wilkinson, not Bradley Marquez - gave Permian as much trouble as Miller, who almost single-handedly willed Midland High to a piece of the District 2-5A title puzzle. Without Miller, the Bulldogs would have had to completely restructure their offense, because the senior running back routinely made the biggest play of Midland High's weekly game. 

FRANCISCO JAQUEZ, RB

FORT STOCKTON, 5-11, 180, SR.

>> Key Stats: 173 carries for 1,745 yards and 21 touchdowns.

>> Willie says: Look at Jaquez's stats. Now, imagine if he had played the entire season. Fort Stockton head coach Tom Howard put the time at 14 quarters in which Jaquez was on the sideline with an injured right shoulder. When he was healthy, the District 4-3A MVP was spectacular, the kind of running back you truly believed could score every time he touched the ball and could go all the way even if the play started on the Panthers' 1-yard line. He rushed for 254 yards and two touchdowns in Fort Stockton's 62-36 playoff loss to Seminole. 

RUBEN TALAMANTES, OL

ODESSA HIGH, 6-2, 250., SR.

>> Key Stats: 45 knockdown blocks, 15 pancakes, 0 sacks allowed, graded out at 95 percent; 30 solo tackles, 11 tackles for a loss and three sacks on defense.

>> Lee says: Quiet and unassuming until the ball is snapped, Talamantes then became a wrecking ball on the left side of the Bronchos' offensive line, opening holes for Teegarden, Marquez and Ronnie Marquez. Then, without many breathers, Talamates moved into a defensive tackle spot for OHS, helping to control the middle of the line of scrimmage. Like fellow ironman Dex Dennard, Talamantes was on the field for more than 1,000 plays this season. 

DILLON DEES, OL

IRAAN, 6-1, 230, JR.

>> Key Stats: 105 knockdowns, 68 pancakes and graded out at 85 percent.

>> Willie says: The Braves' first-team Associated Press Sports Editors Class 1A all-state selection, Dees anchored an offensive line that allowed several Iraan running backs to have big rushing seasons. Dees, a tackle, was also a first-team District 8-1A member and helped lead the Braves to the Class 1A Division II state quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. 

KEVIN COLDEWEY, OL

MONAHANS, 6-3, 215, JR.

>> Key Stats: 90 knockdowns and nine pancakes.

>> Willie says: Coldewey, a two-year starter, is a strong guard who greatly benefited from seeing so much time in his sophomore season. While interviewing him for a story this season, he talked about how this year for him was more about concentrating on the finer points of his position than just trying to keep up with the speed of the game like he was doing as a sophomore. 

JESSE VILLA, OL

GREENWOOD, 5-10, 300, SR.

>> Key Stats: 85 pancakes and graded out at 90.1 percent.

>> Willie says: For two consecutive years, Villa has earned first team all-District 3-3A honors. His talent on the line has helped the Rangers maintain its run-heavy philosophy and have success with it even with a revolving door of quarterbacks because of injuries. 

ROBERT MONTOYA, OL

MIDLAND HIGH, 6-3, 270, SR.

>> Key Stats: Graded 90.1 percent for one of District 2-5A's most explosive offenses.

>> Joel A. says: While he didn't garner as much attention as the Permian Basin's Offensive MVP, Montoya was rock-solid for a Midland High offense that ran roughshod over most District 2-5A defenses. Playing behind the blocking of Montoya, Bulldogs running back Darius Miller earned an honorable mention all-state nod, and Midland High's two-headed quarterback system of Blake Stewart and Jack Bolger combined to throw the most touchdown passes in the district. 

RYAN RUMBAUGH, WR

PERMIAN, 5-11, 175, SR.

>> Key Stats: 71 catches, 1,188 yards, 14 touchdown receptions, and a rushing touchdown.

>> Joel A. says: Despite his diminutive size, Rumbaugh found a way to torture opposing defenses all season long. Just ask Midland Lee. Playing against the district's best defense, Rumbaugh caught four passes for 170 yards and three touchdowns. And the rest of Rumbaugh's season put him in rare company. Only four Permian receivers - the other three are Greg Anderson, Lloyd Hill and Roy Williams - have gained more than 1,000 yards and caught 14 touchdown passes in a season. 

JOSEPH LIMON, WR

ODESSA HIGH, 5-6, 160, SR.

>> Key Stats: 43 receptions for 652 yards and 10 touchdowns.

>> Lee says: It was just a simple inside screen that Limon caught 3 yards downfield on the Bronchos' third play of the season against El Paso Montwood, but the burst of speed that Limon used to separate himself from the Rams' defenders was a precursor of things to come. Many times during the season, opposing defensive backs thought that they had Limon in their sights only to watch him race past them for extra yards in his record-setting season. 

JUSTIN CARRASCO, WR

CRANE, SR.

>> Key Stats: 51 receptions for 1,171 yards receiving and nine touchdowns, Co-District 4-2A MVP.

>> Notes: Carrasco was explosive offensively, a threat to go the distance every time he touched the ball. Among his standout performances was a 10-catch, 221-yard outing during a 63-41 loss to eventual Class 2A Division I state champ Muleshoe that was closer than the score appeared. The next week he had 11 catches for 266 yards and TD catches of 80 and 89 yards in a key comeback victory against Wall. The senior also was a standout defensive player.