Port Isabel’s Nuñez adds award to list

Tarpon running back Nolan Nuñez literally ran all over the competition on the gridiron in 2007.

His 274 yards on 11 carries in the Tarpons’ 36-7 win over Zapata on Oct. 5 earned him the Built Ford Tough/Dallas Cowboys Texas High School Football Player of the Week award for Week 5. Nuñez also recently received Class 3A All-State honorable mention.

“I was kind of surprised winning that (Build Ford Tough/Dallas Cowboys H.S. Player of the Week) award,” Nuñez said. “I never expected to win that against the whole state of Texas.”

For football coach Monty Stumbaugh, Nuñez is more than just an exceptional running back, though. He praises him as a fine young man who led the team by example. In fact, Stumbaugh was often told that Nuñez was “the real deal” from other coaches.

“He led by his work ethic,” Stumbaugh said. “He would always pat his linemen on the back; linemen don’t get pats on the back that much. (He’s) always encouraging them, always positive with them.”

Nuñez exceled on the field, gaining 1,841 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns (11.4 ypc average) on the season and rushing for at least 100 yards in nine consecutive games from Sept. 7 to Nov. 19. He also helped the Tarpons to a 7-4 overall record and a playoff spot.

All things considered, Nuñez was an easy pick for The Brownsville Herald’s District 32-3A Offensive Player of the Year.

Even though he had an award winning game against Zapata, Nuñez credits the contest against La Feria on Oct. 12 as the best performance of the season.

“(It was and) exciting game for the whole team,” he said. “As a team, we never gave up.”

In that contest, the Tarpons trailed for most of the night but managed to overcome a 13 point deficit. It’s easy to see why it’s Nuñez favorite memory— he scored the TD that sent the game into overtime and the game-winning score.

“He was an integral part of the team,” Staumbaugh stated. “He was one of the reasons we were able to have the season (that) we did.”

And Nuñez is proud of himself for the contributions he made to his team with good reason.

“It doesn’t get any better than that,” he said.