Torrez and Rodriguez: The Journey to UTEP

day .. utep head coach sean kugler has stressed the importance of keeping local talent in el paso… he’s done a pretty good job of that… especially with two of the city’s best.. they were one of the greatest quarterback-wide receiver tandems in the state… mark torrez and richie rodriguez were an unstoppable scoring machine all season… torrez, accounting for 56 total touchdowns… rodriguez for 23.. they proved they could play with anyone in the state… winning 9 games and playing well in their second round game against arlington lamar… now… they’ll be playing college football together… both signing with utep … rodriguez: “i rember just throwing the football in the street with a couple of my friends like it was yesterday and imitating certain players in college and now being able to play in college is just unreal.” it’s hard to explain how the two became so dominant… perhaps it was practice… perhaps it was coaching together in freshman 7 on 7 football… or maybe … it’s because of the chemistry they spent building over the years… a run together that began in seventh grade… torrez: i think it helped playing with the same person for six, or seven years, really. it really helps in developing our relationship which has stayed the same throughout middle school and high school .. it’s very rare to see two athletes of their calbier stay together … the fact that utep landed them both means they can write the next chapter to an already stellar story together… and the admiration they have for one another is clear… rodriguez: they’re getting a great quarterback. he’s a hard working athlete and if there’s a test, he’s going to rise up to that test and be the best he can be. torrez: he’s a very hard worker. he’s gonna try to do his best to whatever the team needs him to do and he’s a leader… before long… utep will be home to one of the greatest tandems in the city… and if high school was a preview of things to come… the future couldn’t be brighter … utep landed 4 of the top 5 players in the city… at least that’s how i see it… we’ll have full coverage of national signing day tomorrow …