CLOSER LOOK: Hillcrest’s Reyez Ortiz
Take a closer look at Hillcrest senior Reyez Ortiz and you’ll see an individual unwilling to sit on last season’s success.
One of the Inland area’s top running backs this season, Ortiz pounded the rock as the Trojans (2-0 overall, 0-0 Sunbelt League) kept the good early-season vibes going with a big victory over Vista del Lago on Thursday, Aug. 20.
The 5-foot-9, 210-pound wrecking ball had 19 carries for 173 yard and one touchdown in the win. An enormous presence in the locker room, Ortiz helped lead Hillcrest to the CIF-Southern Section Division 10 title last season.
The Trojans were one of last year’s most unlikely section champions. Ortiz is driven to prove it wasn’t a fluke.
We caught up with Ortiz walking off the field after Hillcrest’s 34-20 win over VdL. We already know he likes to talk.
InlandFieldhouse.com: What did you make of the team’s level of execution on offense?
Reyez Ortiz: “We always want to come out and punch a guy in the mouth. We want to run our basic offense and if they’re given us problems then we adjust throughout the game. That’s just how it is but usually with our five up front, our receivers out wide and our quarterback right next to me, I like our odds against anyone coming out of a half. And that’s thanks to our defense because they were able to give us the ball back without letting (VdL QB Josiah Dupree-Boyd) score on that first possession. It was a momentum shift.”
IF: What does having a CIF-SS in your back pocket do for this group?
RO: “It means nothing. Every day we try to wake-up and we try to get another one. I hate that people keep bringing it up because it’s last year’s success. It has nothing to do with this year’s success. Yes, we played a lot of football last year but playing a lot of football last year led into the big offseason we had over the summer, guys showing up and working every day. The CIF title was fun to celebrate but after we won that it was like, ‘Let’s go get a state (champion)ship, so it’s always a next-week mentality for us.”
IF: What are you seeing in Alexander Villasenor’s progression at quarterback?
RO: “He’s stepping up. He’s seeing what he’s doing wrong and he’s fixing it. I’m able to be back there with him, talking with him and he sees things and I see things and we communicate. He’s going to be our QB1 and he’s going to be our CIF title-winning guy because I believe in my heart that he’s going to take us all the way.”
INLAND FIELDHOUSE 