Game days were a good thing for Bryan Bejarano’s teammates at Monahans.
Not so good, however, for the Loboes’ opponent that night.
That’s because his teammates knew exactly what was going to happen once the football was in the air.
“Bryan developed into quite the leader on defense,” Monahans head coach Fred Staugh said. “You cannot argue with his work ethic; every rep in practice is like a playoff game.
“He’s someone that guys will follow. They have to bring their “A” game in practice or he’s going to let them know about it.”
Bejarano worked at inside linebacker for Monahans and was all over the field.
He also was a key weapon on offense in short-yardage situations early in the season, becoming increasingly more important to the point that he rarely came off the field.
It’s his defensive effort that makes him stand out, however, with 154 tackles, six passes defended, one interception, two tackles for a loss and six forced fumbles.
Bejarano also helped right the ship after three straight opening losses, with the Loboes reeling off seven consecutive victories to earn the District 1-4A Division II crown.
That momentum carried four rounds deep into the playoffs before Monahans saw its season end in the Region I championship game against Glen Rose.
For his efforts in leading the Loboes’ charge, Bejarano has been selected as the Odessa American’s 2022 Defensive Player of the Year.
“I feel like I was able to make tackles when they really mattered,” Bejarano said. “Flying to the football, doing my job.
“After the way the season started, the coach told us in a film session that ‘you either lay down or fight back’. Those first three games really set us up for the rest of the season.”
Monahans opened the season with loss to Shallowater, Andrews and Big Spring.
But there was a method to the madness in Staugh’s nondistrict schedule and he saw it take root during practice before the Loboes’ Week 4 game against Snyder.
“Week 1 against Shallowater, it’s basically a playoff game,” Staugh said. “Right out of the box and then two more games against good teams.
“But we talked about how the 0-3 start is not ideal, but it doesn’t take away from our preseason goals, which were to win the district title and made a run in the playoffs.
To do that, the Loboes were going to have to change some things and Bejarano was at the forefront of the metamorphosis.
Admitting that he hadn’t been serious enough during his junior season, he was determined to convey to the underclassmen just how important each day was on the field.
“From the beginning, we had a lot of confidence but we didn’t have a lot of team chemistry,” Bejarano said. “We just learned from those first three games.
“We had a lot of underclassmen and as soon as we got our chemistry, we became a family and that’s when things took off.”
Indeed … on both sides of the football.
In the final seven games of the regular season, Monahans averaged 52.5 points per contest, while allowing just 16.4 each game.
After a solid victory against Levelland in bi-district play, the Loboes met Ferris, with Bejarano producing one of his top moments of the season.
“It was tied, 7-7, and they were driving in our territory,” he said. “I was able to get a strip, force a fumble, and we got it back and scored 28 points in row to win.”
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2022 ALL-PERMIAN BASIN DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
BRYAN BEJARANO, LB
MONAHANS, 5-10, 170, SR.
Key stats: 154 tackles, two tackles for loss, six passes defended, one interception, six forced fumbles.
Coach Fred Staugh says: “Bryan developed into quite the leader on defense; you cannot argue with his work ethic. Every rep in practice was like a palyoff game. He’s someone that guys will follow.”
