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LA VILLA, TX -- At La Villa,the Cardinals coaching staff kiddingly calls their field leader, A. J. Garza, “El Quarterback.”  But there’s no kidding when A. J. goes to work on the field.  Helping the Cardinals overcome a rocky 0-2 start, the 6-5, 205-pounder engineered an impressive 46-20 win over Brownsville St. Joseph Academy last week.  In a more typical Garza performance, A. J. hit on 21 of 41 passes for 323 yards and two TDs (20 and 42 yards) and added a rushing TD and four PATs.   Leading an offense with an inexperienced offensive line and wide outs has been a challenge.  But Garza, the Built Ford Tough 1-A Player of the Week in Week 2 last year, seems to be up to it.

The rangy Garza’s ability—and his 97.9% academic average—have piqued the interest of most of the Ivy League schools.  And why not?  He’s all-district in football, baseball, and basketball and throws the discus and runs the 400 for the track team.  He also happens to be the senior class president.

“He’s a natural leader,” says Coach Eugene Garza, no relation to his star player.  “He makes great decisions on and off the field.  Best of all, he’s a truly humble kid who prefers to pass all the attention on to his teammates.”