In new era, Diamond Hill-Jarvis football embraces Texas’ longest losing streak
In Texas high school football, Fort Worth Diamond Hill-Jarvis holds the state’s longest losing streak.
The Eagles have lost 47 consecutive games, and it’s been more than 2,000 days since the program recorded a win. In the past five seasons, the Eagles have been outscored by 2,119 points.
But as the 2025 season approaches, change is in the air at “The Hill.”
In May, the Eagles hired first-year head coach Irwin Garcia, who was previously a defensive coordinator at Fort Worth North Side, where he spent 11 seasons.
As Garcia took the reins, he didn’t back away from discussing the infamous losing streak with the team. He fully embraces it, but also recognizes that it doesn’t define the program.
“The past is the past, the present is the present and the future is the future,” Garcia said. “We are not going to shy away from the fact that we are 0-46. We are not going to hide from it. We’re going to learn from it and we’re going to move on from it.”
Diamond Hill-Jarvis has a long history of football woes. In 2018, the program ended a 77-game losing streak that lasted nearly eight seasons. For the Eagles, their football success comes on the soccer field, where they’ve won five consecutive district titles. DHJ arguably has the premier boys’ soccer program in the Fort Worth area.
Revitalizing DHJ’s program is a difficult task, but it’s a challenge Irwin and his newly-hired staff are ready to embrace. Garcia has experience with turnarounds, as he was part of the staff that helped turn North Side into a playoff contender.
“There is only one way to go, and its up,” Garcia said.
Garcia’s journey to ‘The Hill’
For most Texas high school football coaches, becoming a head coach is the dream. For most of his life, Garcia has been following that dream, which came to him relatively fast.
Garcia’s mother immigrated to the United States when he was 6 months old. She crossed his family through the Rio Grande and sought out a better life for them, according to Garcia.
Garcia and his siblings were put in a position to seize opportunities and didn’t take them for granted. Garcia thrived as a player at North Side, but an injury derailed his recruitment. He then had a brief walk-on stint at TCU, where he was able to learn under Gary Patterson and defensive coordinator Dick Bumpas.
At 20 years old, he was hired as an assistant coach at North Side.
Joseph Turner, a former North Side head coach and the current head coach at Fort Worth Southwest, saw potential in him. At 26 years old, Garcia was promoted to be his alma mater’s defensive coordinator and assistant head coach.
Now, as a head coach, he can make a sizable impact. He wants his athletes to win on and off the field and become men of high character who thrive anywhere they go in life.
“We want to be competitive with everything we do,” Garcia said. “We want to show these boys that football is a life journey. This season, and what we’re doing now, is a process. We want to be process-oriented and fall in love with that process. It will be one day at a time. … When we stack up small victories, big victories will happen.”
A complete overhaul: Building DHJ football
After the coaching change, the Eagles’ morale was down. Players were attached to the old staff and were reluctant to handle the change.
During this time, Garcia and upper administration had to fill the assistant coaching staff in a month. But after weeks of establishing personal connections and caring for the athletes on and off the field, the new staff gained respect.
“Change is hard,” senior defensive end Dominic Davis said. “But if you accept it, then it’ll be for the better.”
The program’s overhaul includes the addition of a brand new turf field with cooling technology that is customized with the Eagle logo. They also have new, much-needed equipment.
“It’s something that these kids deserve on this side of town,” Garcia said. “We’re excited that they’ll be able to use it.”
Garcia said he hopes the upgrades will bring energy to the program. He also has a meeting set with DHJ’s new mariachi program, which he is hoping will complement the school band during football games in Fort Worth; it will bring a unique and authentic vibe to Eagle football.
“I’m hopeful we can have band and mariachi out there,” Garcia said. “That is something that is special for our community and our kids — to showcase the talent we have at Diamond Hill-Jarvis. The mariachi music is a staple in the Mexican and Hispanic community. We want to be able to showcase that as much as we can, especially under Friday night lights.”
Creating a competitor
As the season approaches, Irwin has found himself surrounded by upperclassmen who are hungry to break the streak. He mentioned linemen Lamon Ingram, Adam Nunez, and Cristian Chavez, and inside linebacker Juan Sanchez as some players to watch.
At quarterback, DHJ has senior Elijah Hernandez who is a well-rounded multi-sport athlete.
“(Hernandez) is an athletic kid,” Garcia said. “He has a lot to work on, just like we all do, but he can make every throw and every run. We’re really excited about him.”
Hernandez’s main weapon is senior wide receiver and defensive back Aaron “El Chavo” Chavez, who also serves as one of DHJ soccer’s goalkeepers. Chavez, a kindhearted athlete who sports a big smile, has picked up offers from McPherson and Kansas Wesleyan.
“(Chavez) is one of the better athletes I’ve been around in my 12-year career,” Garcia said. “He can play multiple sports, and he is good at all of them. Those skills translate easily; he can track a deep ball with anybody in the state.”
Chavez, who has found brothers through football, has been on varsity since his freshman year. Without a win in his high school career, he chooses to focus on the present moment and believes success will come to DHJ.
“I have my faith in God, because I believe that we can change Diamond Hill as a team,” Chavez said. “It has been hard, but I knew that coming here, God was going to be by our side. It’s just a matter of looking forward, having faith and putting in the work.”
Another player to watch is athlete Isaiah Lewis, one of DHJ’s standouts, who is due for an offer. The last couple of years on varsity haven’t been easy, but he continues to find solace in two things: Hard work and trusting the process.
“We just continue to put in work,” Lewis said. “You can’t worry about whatever everyone else is saying. We want to come out and break the losing streak and prove that Diamond Hill can play football with everyone else.”
One of the leaders on the defensive side is Davis, a first-team all-district selection that Garcia called the best DE in the district.
Davis didn’t mince words when discussing the losing streak, saying the team must win a game. He emphaszied that the history of losses is the “fuel that helps us burn.”
“We need to get the community behind us and have everyone have our back,” Davis said. “ ... We work so hard for it. We’ve done this since we were kids. We’ve always dreamt of going to playoffs even. That comes with winning a singular game. If we win one game, its going to open the floodgates.”
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