Switch of QBs at Thrall goes relatively well
Solis becomes star at wide receiver as step-brother Salazar calls signals.
How does one react when he loses his status as his high school’s starting quarterback? And what if the outgoing quarterback also just happens to share a bedroom with his replacement? Thrall senior Dawson Solis has the answers. “At first, I was a little salty … it was really hard for me to fathom that it was going to happen,” said Solis, a newfound wide receiver now catching passes from his step-brother, Nick Salazar. “Now, I love it. I feel very blessed that it happened because he’s throwing to me and making great things happen on Friday nights.”
Those great things include a 4-1 start for Thrall, which opens its District 13-2A, Division I schedule on Friday, when the Tigers will face visiting Riesel.
After dropping a 14-13 decision to Bruceville-Eddy in the first week, Thrall has outscored its past four opponents by a combined 76 points.
A Tigers offense now quarterbacked by Salazar, a sophomore, has averaged 33 points per game.
“We expected it ever since the season started,” he said. “We came in with the mentality that we’re going to win and nobody is going to stop us.”
Thrall has won 10 of its 16 games under second-year coach Jason Cole, as a Tigers program that won a total of six games from 2012-13 finished 6-5 in 2014, Cole’s debut season. Cole, who still wears the UIL state championship ring he won in 2008 as an assistant coach at Muleshoe, said the Tigers’ goal is to “go from good to great.” That process began with some position changes.
Cole estimated that seven players switched positions in the offseason, and he noted that defensive back Denton Meiske and linebacker Richie Reed moved to the line for a defense that has allowed 18 points per game. The most notable change, however, came on offense.
Solis was coming off a junior year in which he topped 1,500 yards passing and 1,500 yards rushing, earning him honorable-mention status on the Texas Associated Press Sports Editors Class 2A all-state team. Before this season, though, Cole chose Solis’ backup to run the Thrall offense.
Salazar is the younger brother of former Thrall quarterback Aaron Salazar, and his coach believes he has a stronger arm than Solis. Cole also was hesitant to use his starting quarterback
‘Ever since I got here, me and him have been talking about dreams that we wanted. State is our dream.’ Dawson Solis
Thrall senior wide receiver
on defense, so the move freed up Solis to be used in the secondary and on special teams.
“This allows us to have (Solis) on the field all the time,” Cole said.
Salazar is one of several sophomores on Thrall’s varsity roster, and he has thrown for 980 yards and 12 touchdowns this fall. Seniors Dylan McMurray and Daryn Gamez have both hauled in five touchdown passes while Solis leads the Tigers with 336 yards receiving and five touchdown runs. Solis also has completed each of his four pass attempts.
Solis boasts team highs in receptions (24) and times targeted (36), a statistic that is not surprising since he has been playing catch in the backyard with Thrall’s quarterback since Salazar’s father married Solis’ mother a decade ago.
Thrall last won a district title in 2010, and the Tigers’ last postseason win was recorded in 2011. Paired on a team that desires to go from good to great, Solis and Salazar share a dream that involves a season that stretches into December.
“Ever since I got here, me and him have been talking about dreams that we wanted,” Solis said. “State is our dream.”