Dynamite Dylan

WESLACO — All Dylan De Leon needed was a chance.

The Weslaco quarterback got exactly that before the start of last season and boy, has he done the most with it.

Weslaco head coach Tony Villarreal handed De Leon the reins to his offense in 2006 and the signal caller has never looked back.

Neither have the Weslaco Panthers.

The talented junior quarterback leads the high-flying Panthers (6-0 District 32-5A, 8-1 overall) into Leo Aguilar Memorial Stadium Friday to take on Los Fresnos (6-0, 7-2) in the Valley Morning Star’s Co-Game of the Week.

But perhaps more importantly, the winner of the titanic clash will be crowned the District 32-5A champion, as both are unbeaten in league play.

As the QB for one of the area’s most high-powered offenses, De Leon says he feels fortunate to be in the position he’s in.

“I think it’s an honor to play for the Weslaco Panthers,” De Leon said. “Coach Tony gave me a legit shot here and I tried to make the best of it. It’s a pretty good thing.”

On a team that features amazing running back Mishak Rivas, De Leon has not so quietly made a name for himself this season.

Through nine games, De Leon has thrown for 776 yards and 13 touchdowns for a Panthers team that has rushed for almost 4,000 yards as a unit.

Weslaco’s offense averages a Valley’s best 506.4 yards per game through nine contests.

While De Leon usually won’t have a sore arm after games, when he does throw the ball, he’s as efficient as anyone.

Take last week’s game against Porter. De Leon only completed 4-of-8 passes. But all four went for touchdowns and he racked up 153 yards through the air.

Villarreal said De Leon was even Joe Montana-esque in the way he was poised and cool in the pocket.

And then there’s the added bonus of having Rivas in the backfield.

“To play with him, it’s great,” De Leon said of Rivas, who has 2,225 rushing yards coming in. “He’s one of the best backs in Texas. He has a lot of character, leadership and he’s real determined. And a lot of us join in on that.”

Naturally with such a dangerous weapon as Rivas along side him, De Leon recognizes that others will get their opportunities as well.

“Our coaches spread the ball around a lot,” De Leon said. “We know we’re gonna get our yards and he (Rivas) is gonna open it up for us,” he said. “And our linemen are doing a good job.”

But for De Leon, it’s been a heck of a journey to get to this point.

A quarterback since his peewee days at the age of 6, De Leon initially entered high school at Mercedes.

Then a decision was made that would change the teen’s life forever: De Leon transferred to Weslaco High.

Faced with the task of learning a highly intricate offense (Villarreal’s famous Slot-T) before the ’06 season, the then-sophomore met the challenge head on.

And when he strapped on the pads for his first varsity game, De Leon knew he was in the big leagues.

“It was a game of the week,” he recalled. “It was a welcome-to-varsity-5A-football experience. It was a playoff atmosphere.”

That E-E game set the tone for what became a sensational sophomore campaign. De Leon raised plenty of eyebrows by passing for 1,169 yards and 17 touchdowns in Weslaco’s running offense in ’06.

He was so good, so young that he became the first 1,200-yard passer to return for another season under Villarreal.

Big-game experience is not an issue with him either.

After beginning his career against the ’Jackets, DeLeon has faced off in big games against Donna, San Benito and Los Fresnos the past two seasons.

He’s also playoff tested, thanks to last year’s playoff games for the Panthers.

“I just take it as another game,” he said of big games. “I’m just glad that I’m playing another game healthy.”

It’ll be another big game Friday against the Falcons. And De Leon has a pregame ritual that has worked for him.

“Before the games, I like to listen to country music. It helps me stay calm,” De Leon said, noting Toby Keith is one of his favorite artists. “But we’re gonna have to play real solid ball for all four quarters (against Los Fresnos).”