Senior receivers Julian Galindo and Tyrone Caufield have been through plenty of battles together:

— Both were sophomores when Danny Servance arrived in 2016 to take over the Odessa High football program.

— Both have seen time at defensive back for the team.

— Both are looking to help the Bronchos get back to the postseason for the first time since 2013. 

“Julian and Tyrone are two of the most athletic kids that we have on the team,” Danny Servance said of the two receivers. “They have an impact on both sides of the ball and we see it over and over again.”

Galindo broke out in a big way Friday against Lubbock Coronado, catching six passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns. He also saw time at defensive back thanks to a reshuffled secondary.

“It’s all about the work we put into practice,” Galindo said. “Our coaches have helped put us in the right spot to succeed.”

As for Caufield, he finished with four catches for 44 yards and caught his first touchdown pass of the season in the Bronchos’ 63-7 win against Buckeye Union (Ariz.) on Sept. 7. He also saw time at defensive back against Lubbock Coronado, finishing with two tackles.

His goal remains the same: help the team win.

“I don’t care what we do as far as the offense is concerned,” Caufield said. “I just want to win. Our coaches just tell us to stay focused on our 1-11 so that’s just what we have to do.”

Up until last Friday’s game, the Bronchos’ passing game didn’t have as much of a chance to get off the ground. For a good reason, as the Bronchos ran for 670 yards during the first two games of the year.

Against the Mustangs, more chances came about as Lubbock Coronado focused its efforts on stopping the run. That presented more opportunities for quarterback Trey Smith to get the ball to two of his playmakers at receiver. Smith finished with 200 yards passing and three touchdowns against Coronado.

“Our passing game is coming together,” Smith said. “We want to get guys like Tyrone and Julian involved and just knowing where they are on the field really helps us trust wise.”

“We just try to take what the defense gives us,” Servance said. “When you’re running the ball well, the defense will put more guys in the box and that opens up the pass. They work hand in hand with each other.”

That trust is mutual for the receivers as well.

“It helps us a lot to have those guys,” Caufield said. “We just know that the leadership is strong throughout the team.”

 There’s also a constant push to improve and get better, something that Servance has preached to his team since he first arrived. In the case of both Galindo and Caufield, they see that growth on the other side of the ball at cornerback.

“Playing DB helps me out because I get to see what the defense is doing,” Galindo said. “It helps me figure out what to do as a receiver.”

“It helps me to see what the coverages are,” Caufield said. “I know where the zones and windows are and it makes it easier to read that defense.”

Even with the improvement in the passing game, the Bronchos fell short to Lubbock Coronado by a 30-27 margin.

Now, the team faces a quick turnaround as El Paso Montwood comes to town in a matchup of 2-1 teams at 7 tonight at Ratliff Stadium.

Both Galindo and Caufield are ready to go out and put that close loss behind them.

“We just have to clean up the mistakes we made last week,” Galindo said. “I think that will really help us.”

“We’re really excited to get out there after a loss,” Caufield said. “I think that shorter week helps us.”

The Bronchos see an opportunity to do two things: bounce back and keep working on that offensive balance.

“I see a team that has coverages similar to what we see,” Caufield said. “I think that we’ll have an opportunity to do well.”

“It’s a typical Montwood team,” Servance said. “They’re hard-nosed and very physical.”

“We’re familiar with them since we scrimmaged them the last couple of years. We know that Montwood will be coming in Thursday ready to go.”
