BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The 2024 season marks a new chapter for the Brownsville Veterans Memorial football program.

After a run to the state semifinals in Class 5A, the Chargers made the jump to Class 6A. For many programs, a move like that would raise a lot of questions. However, the decision does not phase this emerging powerhouse in the Rio Grande Valley.

“It didn’t change our expectations at all because we played San Benito, a 6A powerhouse,” Senior quarterback Storm Montoya said. “I think that got us ready and prepared for this moment.”

Montoya returns to lead the Chargers for his senior season. He’s fresh off a campaign that saw him rack up 1,756 total yards and 32 total TD’s.

Veterans lost major pieces on both sides of the ball, which included Montoya’s two biggest players on the outside, wide receivers Gilbert Trillo and Gerry Gomez. 

One piece that does return is senior athlete Sergio Sosa. Sosa has done everything asked of him as a member of the Brownsville Veterans program. 

Now his responsibilities include leading from the front line. 

When asked about him and the other seniors’ approach to leading the underclassmen, he said, “We’re trying to be tough on them. The guys last year were tough on us, trying to get us ready for what we’re gonna see, who we’re gonna see. This year, we’re really trying to push our guys. Show them good examples of ways to do it.”

Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin’s mantra, “the standard is the standard,” rings true for this Charger program.

Head Coach J.C. Ramirez is a major reason why. In his first season, Ramirez won 2023 5A Coach of the Year, presented by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. 

Ramirez is known as a guy with a smile always on his face, and his team radiates off his energy each and every day.

Senior safety Mickey Rodriguez said, “You can just really tell this matters to him, and when you see as a player that something matters to your coach, you wanna make it matter to you.”

Despite the success from a season ago, Ramirez knows 2024 signals a clean slate. It’s a new season with new challenges and new pieces to work with.

When asked about his team’s goals for the upcoming season, he said, “The goal of the 2024 Chargers is to meet our expectations, to continue to prove ourselves right and to make sure that we don’t miss any opportunities or take things for granted. That’s our goal.”
