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07-15-2010, 08:45 PM
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West Brook's versatile star
07/15/2010
By Dan Tierney // Special to TexasFootball.com —Beaumont West Brook's Bruce Reyes has been all over the field.
For his entire sophomore year, Bruce Reyes played virtually every position but the one he had played since age 7.
Wide receiver. Punt returner. Kickoff returner. Taking handoffs in the backfield. With West Brook High returning a senior all-district quarterback in front of him, though, Reyes never took a snap or threw a ball for much of 2008.
“He was too good of an athlete to be standing next to me on the sidelines,” said head coach/quarterback coach Craig Stump. “We had to get him on the field.”
In 2009, with the position open for the taking, Reyes returned to his natural position. The result? An undefeated championship in District 21-5A play for West Brook, as well as first-team all-section and honorable mention all-Southeast Texas honors for Reyes.
Still, Reyes wants more for his senior year. He wants revenge on rival Katy, which roughed up West Brook 36-7 last year. He wants to lose the taste of a season-ending 49-26 playoff loss to Cinco Ranch. As a dual-threat quarterback, he wants to become more consistent and comfortable in the pocket.
Reyes already has an ideal mentor in Stump, who played in three consecutive Cotton Bowls during his time as quarterback at Texas A&M. Recently, he received even more expert tutelage in the form of the IMG Madden Football Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
For a week-and-a-half at the world-renowned IMG Academies,, Reyes personally worked with IMG Madden director, Chris Weinke, who won a Heisman Trophy and national championship at Florida State, and quarterbacking guru Terry Shea, who has worked with Sam Bradford, Josh Freeman, Brady Quinn and Matthew Stafford to name a few.
After predominantly working out of the shotgun formation last year, Reyes added some refinement to his repertoire with help from Weinke and Shea. After a few days, he already saw improvement in his mechanics and accuracy
“I’m just trying to be more consistent,” Reyes said. “Now, I’m starting to throw a better ball and become more accurate than I was before. From under center, I feel like my footwork has improved and I’m throwing a tighter spiral.”
Even his coach thought the experience would help the quarterback’s growth.
“The biggest thing is learning how to be more comfortable in the pocket, how to move around in the pocket and when to pull it down and take off,” Stump said.
Reyes may have found just as much off the field as he did on it to take back to Texas. He worked on X’s and O’s during classroom sessions. Sessions with IMG Performance Institute mental conditioning specialists helped reaffirm his confidence and focus. He even took part in communication classes with classically trained actors, who have worked with dozens of professional athletes, including No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks Eli Manning and Alex Smith.
“As a senior, I just want to take everything back and really get the whole team more involved,” Reyes said.
With less than two months until the season opener against Katy, the pressure is on Reyes to show if he can apply on the field all that he’s learned this offseason. Or maybe not?
“Last year, there was more pressure since I was replacing such a good quarterback, and it was my first year playing varsity,” Reyes said. “This year, all I have to do is play up to my ability.”
West Brook's versatile star
07/15/2010
By Dan Tierney // Special to TexasFootball.com —Beaumont West Brook's Bruce Reyes has been all over the field.
For his entire sophomore year, Bruce Reyes played virtually every position but the one he had played since age 7.
Wide receiver. Punt returner. Kickoff returner. Taking handoffs in the backfield. With West Brook High returning a senior all-district quarterback in front of him, though, Reyes never took a snap or threw a ball for much of 2008.
“He was too good of an athlete to be standing next to me on the sidelines,” said head coach/quarterback coach Craig Stump. “We had to get him on the field.”
In 2009, with the position open for the taking, Reyes returned to his natural position. The result? An undefeated championship in District 21-5A play for West Brook, as well as first-team all-section and honorable mention all-Southeast Texas honors for Reyes.
Still, Reyes wants more for his senior year. He wants revenge on rival Katy, which roughed up West Brook 36-7 last year. He wants to lose the taste of a season-ending 49-26 playoff loss to Cinco Ranch. As a dual-threat quarterback, he wants to become more consistent and comfortable in the pocket.
Reyes already has an ideal mentor in Stump, who played in three consecutive Cotton Bowls during his time as quarterback at Texas A&M. Recently, he received even more expert tutelage in the form of the IMG Madden Football Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
For a week-and-a-half at the world-renowned IMG Academies,, Reyes personally worked with IMG Madden director, Chris Weinke, who won a Heisman Trophy and national championship at Florida State, and quarterbacking guru Terry Shea, who has worked with Sam Bradford, Josh Freeman, Brady Quinn and Matthew Stafford to name a few.
After predominantly working out of the shotgun formation last year, Reyes added some refinement to his repertoire with help from Weinke and Shea. After a few days, he already saw improvement in his mechanics and accuracy
“I’m just trying to be more consistent,” Reyes said. “Now, I’m starting to throw a better ball and become more accurate than I was before. From under center, I feel like my footwork has improved and I’m throwing a tighter spiral.”
Even his coach thought the experience would help the quarterback’s growth.
“The biggest thing is learning how to be more comfortable in the pocket, how to move around in the pocket and when to pull it down and take off,” Stump said.
Reyes may have found just as much off the field as he did on it to take back to Texas. He worked on X’s and O’s during classroom sessions. Sessions with IMG Performance Institute mental conditioning specialists helped reaffirm his confidence and focus. He even took part in communication classes with classically trained actors, who have worked with dozens of professional athletes, including No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks Eli Manning and Alex Smith.
“As a senior, I just want to take everything back and really get the whole team more involved,” Reyes said.
With less than two months until the season opener against Katy, the pressure is on Reyes to show if he can apply on the field all that he’s learned this offseason. Or maybe not?
“Last year, there was more pressure since I was replacing such a good quarterback, and it was my first year playing varsity,” Reyes said. “This year, all I have to do is play up to my ability.”