A varsity athlete is a person who plays on the best sports team that their high school has to offer. Outside linebacker Hector Gonzalez is the only freshman on the Varsity team.

He is also one of the defensive captains of the varsity football team. Gonzalez has taken up this responsibility in his first year of high school, and in only his first year of playing football. 

“I wanted discipline and to learn what a real work ethic is,” Gonzalez said. “I definitely always planned to play football in high school, but I did not expect to move up so fast all of a sudden.”

After getting past tryouts, he attended summer practices. From being at every summer practice to playing with varsity level players, he proved himself worthy of being captain.

“I believe I put in the work and deserved it,” he said. “When my coaches told me I was on varsity I was ecstatic, but when I found out I was captain I was a bit confused. But I realized why I was made a captain. It was because I showed real commitment and leadership in my future.” 

When the season first started, he was nervous and did not feel ready to play with such high level players. He felt insecure playing with athletes older and stronger than him. At one point, he even thought about quitting. 

“The only time I truly wanted to quit was in the beginning,” he said. “The first two weeks were honestly hell because of how much I was trying to get better and catch up to my team.”

But as the season progressed, he got used to it and started to feel more assured.

“I didn’t feel like I was ready the first few games, but that didn’t stop me because my team needed me,” Gonzalez said. “I knew I was being trusted by my whole team. Now, I feel confident in my game because I know I’m a good player and I’m only getting better every single day.” 

Being a young captain can come with some difficulties with older and more experienced players. 

“It hasn’t been hard to earn respect, because everyone is easy to get along with,” he said. “Luckily my team welcomes me, but sometimes they won’t listen to me. I’m sure that will change as I progress as a player.” 

The season was going great until Gonzalez was faced with the worst thing that could possibly happen to an athlete: an injury. 

“The way I got injured was actually in practice,” he said. “I broke my finger and instead of fixing it, arrogantly I immediately kept playing and made the situation worse for myself. But I’ve learned from my mistakes.” 

Watching the first game of the season from the sidelines took a toll on him, but he pushed through it and helped his team as much as he could.

“It’s very unfortunate because I knew my team needed me,” Gonzalez said. “It was crushing, but only motivated me more to get back on the field. I’ve hated not being able to play and having to watch from the sideline. I try my best to make sure my team is in the correct mindset to win and whoever is in my position, to do their best.”

He plans to play football throughout his remaining years in high school and hopes to get a scholarship. Gonzalez is considering working towards a professional career in football.

The young captain is ready to close off the season with a good record and start training for next season.

The abridged version of this article appeared in the Fall 2023 print edition. This is an uncut version.