Ruben Rodriguez introduced as Eastlake’s new head football coach

Eastlake High School officially has a new head football coach, and the school didn’t have to look too far to find him.

Wednesday, the Socorro School District introduced Ruben Rodriguez as the next head football coach for the Eastlake Falcons.

Football players, cheerleaders and the Eastlake drum line gathered in the school’s cafeteria for an introduction ceremony.

Rodriguez is no stranger to the Eastlake program.

Since 2010, Rodriguez has served as the team’s offensive coordinator under former head coach JJ Calderon.

Calderon left Eastlake in early June after he was promoted to Athletic Director of SISD.

Rodriguez says he excited to get to work.

“I learned a whole lot from Coach Cal (JJ Calderon) and how to do things and how to do things the right way,” Rodriguez said. “And just to make sure people are representing the program well and representing the district well, and we’re going to utilize that to our advantage.”

Last season, the Eastlake Falcons finished the season with a 5-6 record and were eliminated in the first round of the state playoffs.

Rodriguez’s team was young a year ago, and now they have the experience he hopes will allow them to take that next step.

“We’re just going to be able to take advantage of the young kids that we utilized last year,” Rodriguez said. “They’re young and not to use it as an excuse, but now that those kids have a thousand snaps under their belt, we can look for a lot more confidence, a lot more energy and a will to get back on the winning track.”