By Brian Argabright
Wayland Baptist University’s defense just got a little more Del Rioan.
Del Rio High School senior Andrew Garza, a two-time all-district linebacker for the Rams, recently announced he has signed a letter of intent to play football for the Pioneers, an NAIA school located in Plainview, Texas.
Garza becomes the second Rams player to join Wayland Baptist. He follows 2017 Del Rio High graduate Manny Arguijo, who should be a starter in the Pioneers’ linebacking corps in
2021.
“Whenever I visited Manny wasn’t there,” Garza said. “I’m looking forward to meeting him and learning about his experiences and his helping me with the defense.”
Garza, 18, was the solid foundation that the Rams’ vaunted Blue Shield defense was built around. An all-district second-team linebacker as a junior, Garza stepped his game up even more as a senior, posting four-and-a-half sacks and recovering two fumbles en route to being named a unanimous all-district first-team selection.
It was a fitting way to cap his high school football career. Now he takes his game to the next level.
“I love football. Just everything about the game – tackling people, the way it just feels, how it excites me when I’m on the field. Not only has it helped me stay in shape, but mentally it’s helped me a lot as well. The same mentality I have on the field I take off the field, like in my grades and all the other things I take on. It’s shown me not to give up, not to fail and to be the best I can be in everything I do,” Garza said.
Garza has been playing football since he was eight years old. He began his football journey as a member of the Lions in the Del Rio Youth Football League. He also played baseball until his sophomore year, turning his full attention to football.
That focus helped him become a two-year varsity linebacker and solidified his place as one of the leaders on the team. It also helped him lead the Rams back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
“I always approached the game like I was there to do to a job, and that job was to help the team get better. To me, that’s what’s important. There’s nothing special about what I did,” Garza said. “I’m going to miss the fans, especially the student section, in Del Rio. Everyone knows everyone in Del Rio, so people were always congratulating me wherever I went. I know it’s going to be different playing in college. I was born here, I know the coaches, I know everyone. That’ll be something to get used to in college.”
Rams Head Football Coach Rod Taylor lauded Garza’s character and said he looks forward to what the future has in store for him.
“Andrew Garza is what any high school coach would hope a player would be. He is a great student, exceptional person of high character and represented the school district and his family in a manner that anyone would be proud of. The coaching staff looks forward to watching his success in college,” Taylor said.
Garza said he chose Wayland Baptist because of its proximity to Del Rio and because of its size. According to Wikipedia, Wayland Baptist’s enrollment is about 5,000 students.
“I like the program they are running over there. It’s simple and small. We can go and get our business done and I can focus on getting a degree,” Garza, who plans on majoring in criminal justice with an eye on one day becoming a Texas Ranger, said.
The decision to attend Wayland Baptist was a family one for Garza. He said he made the visit with his parents, Vanessa and Agustin Garza. He said seeing his parents fall in love with the school was a very important factor in his decision.
“When they took me over there to visit they were excited about the school and the program. My dad was really excited about how it was run,” Garza said.
The elder Garza echoed his son’s sentiments.
“Andrew goes to Wayland with very high expectations under head coach Butch Henderson and linebackers coach Marcos Hinojos Jr. We all were welcomed as family by the school. The university made us feel comfortable enough to trust them with Andrew and seems to be a place where he can grow and mature into a responsible man,” Agustin Garza said.
Garza has only a few months left before he graduates from Del Rio High and then departs to begin his collegiate career at Wayland Baptist. He credits his family and coaches for getting him to this point and said his message for next season’s Rams team is simple – keep working hard.
“I want to thank my dad, Agustin. He’s always pushed me to do my best every since I was small. He tried his best to get me into bigger schools, spending hours trying to get me recruited, emailing and texting coaches to try and get scholarships to make it easier for our family. My mom, Vanessa, has always been on my butt about my grades. She knew I could do it and never accepted anything less. Nothing below a B,” Garza said. “I also want to thank my coaches, because they pushed me through everything and taught me not to give up. I especially want to thank coach (Nick) Mendez because he helped me grow into the player I’ve become. He believed in me since I was small and he gave me a chance to show what I could do my junior year and kept me as a starter ever since.”
“To next year’s Rams team, keep up what you’re doing. A lot of them are coming back, especially on defense. They have to keep working hard, even through the pandemic. And pay attention in the classroom as well. Good grades will help you get into a good college,” Garza added.
