What makes an athlete? Devotion. Passion. Determination. Such traits thrive in linebacker Zariah Gonzales.

She is a sophomore on the junior varsity football team. Her determination and dedication is what got her into her position. Each time Gonzales steps onto the football field, she feels “a real rush.”

“I wanted to play this sport ever since I was little,” she said. “But my grandma wouldn’t let me because she thought I’d get hurt. When I got my opportunity last year, I took it.”  

When Gonzales first joined the team, she felt out of place. “During conditioning, I felt stupid because I wasn’t as fast as the guys.” But instead of stopping her, she said it caused her to work twice as hard.  “If I found something hard, I wouldn’t do it,” she said. “Football has proven to me that I can do it.”

Despite the fact that Gonzales is the only female on the team, her teammates do not treat her differently. “They often pick on me, but it’s more of a brotherly love,” she said. “We are really close now, and some are like my best friends.”

Sophomore Donald Ping, lineman on the JV football team, said that he sees Gonzales as a sister. “The team is like a house of boys and one girl,” Ping said. “We teach her how to fight for herself and to not give up.” As the year progressed, Gonzales said that they’ve grown to love each other. She treats the team as her second family.

Being the shortest one in the lineup with her long flowing hair, Gonzales makes up for it in her personality. Even though she doesn’t get much playing time, Gonzales is always encouraging to her teammates. During a game, she claps and cheers on the sidelines. Every time a player comes back, she pats them on the back and chats with them for a moment.

Her dedication to this sport has moved coach Norton. “She works just as hard as the guys, sometimes even harder.” Gonzales also takes Norton’s weight training class where he said that she has a great attitude and work ethic.

But Gonzales wasn’t the only one who thought she was tough enough to hang with the guys. At the beginning of her freshman year, she was accompanied by three other girls.

“Before we joined, we promised we wouldn’t let anything get in the way; that we wouldn’t start drama.” They all dropped due to various reasons. Once they left, Gonzales became even more devoted to football because she wasn’t a quitter.

Gonzales is a an athlete with a drive for success. She is passionate and strong and doesn’t let anything get in her way. “Football is tough, and at times I don’t want to do it, but you don’t give up on something you love.”