Senior Jonathan Mendoza worked to get ready for the heat during summer football workouts.

The Cameron nose guard's day job was in the workshop at Royal Seating.

"If it was 80 degrees, it felt like 120 in there," said Mendoza. "I knew I was going to sweat and lose some weight, but I didn't miss one day of [summer] workouts."

The workload helped Mendoza trim from a high of 320 pounds at the end of the school year down to 280. He believes he's a better player because of it.

"I've been working on my speed, and I think I've gotten way better at that," said Mendoza.

"What impressed me the first time I met with the kids is that he was at the front of the pack paying attention," said Rick Rhoades, who took over as head coach of the Yoemen in the spring. "There is no doubt that he is the hardest-working kid on our football team."

"The varsity players are working so hard," said Mendoza. "We do plenty of conditioning. They give us plenty of water breaks, but the heat doesn't seem to get to me as much."

Mendoza has no gripes about the hot work he did at Royal Seating.

"I was at desk assembly," said the Cameron senior. "Sometimes I was in the paint line. It was good."

Now he's in line to contribute to the Yoemen's hopeful run back to postseason.

Mendoza experienced the playoffs as a freshman but saw his first real action as a sophomore. He was a backup at the noseguard spot last year behind Matthaus Lopez.

"Last year, he played a lot on defense, but he was not a starter," Rhoades said. "In the past, they had a two-platoon system, but I don't feel we have the kids that can do that. Jonathan will play on both sides of the ball."

"They told us we had to be in shape to play both ways," said Mendoza, who said there have been changes on defense. "Everything was kind of new alignmentwise. Our blocking schemes changed a little. The defense is ready to go, although the technique changed a little bit."

The tradition-rich Yoemen tied for second place in District 24-3A, but they failed to qualify for one of three playoff positions on a points tiebreaker. While recognizing the quality of his district, Mendoza believes that can't happen again.

"Last year, we were a second-half team," Mendoza said. "This year, we have to start at the first and be ready to go. That's last year. We want this season to be great for us."

"The thing we are trying to emphasize is that the district race will not be different from last year," Rhoades said. "At least one good team does not make the playoffs."

The new Cameron coach hopes to build success around players anxious to contribute, players who revel in the work like Mendoza.

"If I had 22 like him, I wouldn't need coaches," Rhoades said.