Standing tall in pocket: Le Grand's Yanez overcame doubts

LE GRAND -- Tight spirals fill the air along the home sideline, disappearing and reappearing again from behind a constant collision of 22 bodies.

With each heave, the tosses get longer and longer, arcing higher and higher.

While head coach Rick Martinez tinkers with his special teams units, convinced they will be difference-makers Friday, Le Grand's best weapon might be on the sideline, slinging footballs 30 yards with a flick of his wrist.

And to think -- Abraham Yanez, the strong-armed starting quarterback, nearly walked away from all this.

The demons spawned by a four-game losing streak can be seductive, and they almost led Yanez astray.

Picked by many to reach this point in the season -- No. 2 Le Grand hosts No. 4 Highlands in the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoffs Friday -- Martinez's boys hardly inspired confidence in the first month.

Le Grand opened the season with four consecutive losses to Central Valley (44-8), Chowchilla (14-7), Livingston (27-14) and Summerville (18-7) -- all bigger schools in both enrollment size and stature.

Worse, the team nearly lost Yanez, too. Not to injury, but to self-doubt and frustration.

Yanez was slowly crumbling beneath the responsibility and expectation.

On the field, he was lost in thought, worried about interceptions and fumbles, touchdowns and three-and-outs, making the right read versus the wrong one.

Off the field, he wanted to quit.

"I had reached a point where I was so stressed out," said Yanez, who tossed six of his seven interceptions in the first four games. "Starting off the season, you're thinking about making the right reads, trying not to throw interceptions or turning the ball over and trying not to make mistakes. I struggled with it. It was a lot to take in.

"I thought about it (quitting). I thought about turning in my stuff, but I couldn't do that to my team. I couldn't stand to be in the stands, up there, watching these guys go on without me."

Le Grand had reached a crossroads, both in its season and with one of its senior leaders.

So after the loss to Summerville, a game in which Yanez lofted three interceptions, Martinez and offensive coordinator Raul Alvarez called a meeting with the QB.

"If this team is going to go, it's with you," Martinez told Yanez that afternoon in his classroom. "It's your team. Once you grasp that, we'll be that much better."

Said Alvarez: "If we were going to have any chance at winning this thing (the Southern League), he had to shake it off and play within himself."

Martinez and Alvarez held their breath, worried that their ultimatum, their call to action, might push Yanez further away.

Quite the contrary.

Yanez embraced the moment, refocused himself, and stopped thinking so much. He started to trust his instincts and his role on the team.

"That's when he began to understand his place, his limitations and his qualities," Alvarez said. "When we got into league, the team started to rally around him. He's taken the pressure off of (running back Tony Ortegon)."

Le Grand has won six straight games, the Southern League title and earned a first-round bye last week. It can clinch its first section championship appearance since 2004 with a win on Friday against Highlands, a team it should beat.

Highlands held off Denair last week in the first round, 24-21. Le Grand beat Denair 40-7 earlier in the season.

"Everybody stepped up. The whole team came together and changed it," Yanez said. "We didn't want to lose anymore.

"It wasn't just me."

Not so.

Le Grand's streak has coincided with Yanez's turnaround. He's thrown just one interception in the last six games.

For the season, Yanez has completed better than 60 percent of his throws for 1,134 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was even sharper in league, completing 37 of 55 passes for 649 yards with 12 touchdowns to one interception.

Le Grand still uses the run to set up the pass, and with all-star talent like Ortegon and Bob Perez in the backfield, the offense won't deviate from that plan Friday.

But with Yanez's arm and newfound confidence, teams can't stack the box with defenders, ignoring the 6-foot righty.

With a fake handoff, a high-arcing ball and capable receivers in Zach Moreno, Alex Martinez and Dannon Graham, Yanez is proving to be just as explosive as Ortegon, a preseason All-Area pick.

"We run a lot. We've got some good running backs, you know, and the line does a great job of making big holes," Yanez said. "Passing-wise, when we need it, it's there.

"It's a great thing to have."

Funny, the coaches say the same of Yanez, their embattled quarterback.

James Burns is sports editor of the Sun-Star. He can be reached at jburns@mercedsun-star.com.