Refugio running back Draigon Silvas pushes off an Industrial defender in a game last year. Silvas will be a key part of Refugio's team this year.
Refugio running back continues family tradition
Originally published September 2, 2010 at 11:21 a.m., updated September 2, 2010 at 2:50 p.m.
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Advocate File Photo
Draigon Silvas stands with another Refugio player after he scores a touchdown in a game last season.
Advocate file photo
Refugio running back Draigon Silvas pushes off an Industrial defender in a game last year.
NEW YEAR, NEW NUMBERRefugio running back Draigon Silvas wore No. 40 as a freshman, but will wear No. 6 as a sophomore.
Silvas wore No. 40 to honor his father, Manuel, who played fullback on the Bobcats' 1987 Class 2A state final team.
Silvas will wear No. 6 to honor his cousin Charlie Henderson, who played linebacker on last year's team.
Willie Mack Garza, Silvas' uncle, wore No. 19 at Refugio.
REFUGIO - Draigon Silvas asked Refugio coach Jason Herring if he could address the team after its semifinal loss to Daingerfield last season.
"He apologized to all the seniors for letting them down," said Silvas' father, Manuel, who had to console his son after the game.
The younger Silvas didn't care that he had amassed 183 all-purpose yards against the team that would go on to win the state championship.
He found no consolation in finishing his freshman season with 1,158 all-purpose yards and 19 touchdowns that would lead to his selection as Newcomer of the Year on the Advocate's all-area team.
All that mattered to Silvas was Refugio lost and its season had come to an end.
"Draigon's probably his hardest critic," Herring said. "He wants to be perfect and he wants everybody around him to be perfect. He wants everybody to work and Draigon is not an excuse maker.
"He played like a little warrior last year. He played like a soldier. We basically turned it over to him against Daingerfield and gave him the ball 30 times."
Silvas did not not shirk from a responsibility seemingly destined to come his way.
He was named after martial arts film star Bruce Lee. Manuel added the i at the insistence of Ouida Garza, who would not allow her son to be named Dragon.
Manuel Silvas played fullback for the Bobcats' 1987 team that advanced to the Class 2A state final. He was known as "the wedge buster" for his fearlessness.
Manuel Silvas blocked for Draigon's uncle, Willie Mack Garza, an all-state running back and defensive back for the Bobcats, who scored 56 rushing touchdowns in 1987, and went on to start in the secondary at the University of Texas.
Garza is currently an assistant coach at Southern Cal.
"Draigon's a natural-born running back," Herring said. "If not the best, for sure he's one of the best I've ever coached."
Silvas is too young to have seen his uncle play, but he's heard stories and he's watched videotape of Garza from the 1987 season.
"My dad was a hitter and Mack was a runner," Silvas said. "They say I've got a mixture of them."
Ouida Garza could tell her son would follow in her brother's footsteps from the time he was able to walk.
"He has the heart and he wanted to play football," Garza said of her son, who is thicker but not as tall as her brother. "He's got those quick moves. From the time he was little, he wanted to be outside. He'd be out running until he had to come in to go to bed."
Manuel Silvas has also noticed similarities between his son and Garza.
"He's determined, he's focused and he has a lot of energy," the elder Silvas said. "He can deal with the pressure put on him. He's so determined on the field that it's like watching Mack."
Herring had no hesitation about moving Silvas to the varsity as a freshman.
"There was no question in our minds that Draigon was ready," Herring said. "In seventh and eighth grade, he was a man among boys. I knew physically what he could do in the weight room and I knew he wouldn't be injured.
"The bottom line is Draigon's a football player. A football player regardless of their age can get it done. We never considered putting him anywhere else."
Herring was also impressed with Silvas' maturity, which Manuel Silvas attributes to the guidance his son received from close family friends Todd and Terri Whetsel.
"Draigon for his age is very, very mature, and very, very down to earth, and very, very unselfish," Herring said. "Some games Draigon would have five TDs and 20 carries and some games he'd have one carry for 3 yards and you'd never get a word out of him. He'd be just as happy as long as we win."
Silvas' teammates appreciate his competitive nature.
"It's a privilege to block for someone," said lineman Taylor Henning, "that you know is going to try and get every inch that he can."
Silvas is determined to do whatever it takes to get Refugio its first state championship since 1982.
"We're going to have to work hard because everybody is expecting us to win state," Silvas said. "Everybody is going to have to put in and do everything right. I'm going to work hard either way it goes."
Silvas' approach comes as no surprise to long-time Refugio fans, who know it runs in the family.
"He's a lot like Mack," Manuel Silvas said. "A loss is like the end of the world to them."
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