Vote for Pedro! Husky lineman merits Athlete of the Week honor
“Focused” is the one word that comes to my mind when contemplating this week’s Mammoth High School Athlete of the Week. Pedro Garcia is focused. When I asked MHS Coach Emeritus Tom Gault about Pedro, Gault responded, “I like Pedro because he’s not a big talker. He just gets his work done. We’ve struggled with a lack of numbers, especially lineman, but we played Pedro at line, and he is fine with that. He shows up, and does what needs to get done.”
I asked Pedro about his fourth year of football. “When I see myself improving, I want to improve even more the next week. Both in school and sports.” Pedro is focused, focused on both results and personal growth.
The four-year player, number 30, is assigned corner on defense and receiver on offense. This young man has wheels. I asked him about the 14 – 7 victory last week against Riverside Prep., and he told me that he also played middle linebacker. Blitzing the quarterback quickly became an assignment Pedro accepted and enjoyed. He told me it was great fun. On the gridiron, expect to find Pedro at any one of a number of positions. Along with football, Pedro will play his second year of soccer for the high school this upcoming season. He is assigned defense for soccer. The MHS Boys Soccer Team has advanced far beyond the regular season the last couple of years. Pedro is sure to help make that a part of the program this upcoming season as well.
Pedro credits a great deal of his success to his family. He spoke very highly of his father Jose Garcia. Jose tells his son, as Pedro put it, “Do not quit. Keep pushing yourself, no matter how hard it gets.” His mother, Marisol is also a key person in his life. Garcia says of his mom, “She keeps me moving ‘cause she gives so much love and emotions to me. She makes me work hard, like my dad does, too.” Pedro’s goal in academics is to be the first one in his family to go to college and eventually earn a college degree. Along with the unfaltering focus that Pedro has toward his own academic successes, he aspires to be a role model for his younger, 8th grade brother Danny. This is a solid family.
Garcia’s favorite school subject is English “because Mr. Cooper teaches it.” He spoke highly of MHS English Instructor Chris Cooper saying, “He’s a fun guy. Very funny.” Pedro had him last year for English, and again this year. Odds are good that Pedro will have him next year as a college student at Cerro Coso College. After this year, Pedro wishes to begin his college career at the local community college. He is interested in pursuing studies within the field of medicine. Pedro’s heart is calling. That is, he is becoming more and more interested in working within the medical field with a specialization in the cardiovascular system. He is aiming for strictly A’s and B’s in academics this year. I have Pedro as a student in Economics, and I am glad I do. He is bright. Like Gault said, not the most vocal kid, but definitely a presence amongst his peers, in all the right ways.
The San Francisco 49ers is Pedro’s favorite professional football team. He is a Niners’s fan because, “They are a physical team.” In the world of soccer, he cheers on Barcelona due to “a lot of talented players.” It is no surprise Pedro picks a couple of winning programs as his favorites in professional sports.
Pedro’s words of wisdom for you: “Never quit, no matter if you screw up. Flush it, and move on. You can’t dwell on the past. Keep moving forward.”
It’s a student-athlete like Pedro Garcia that really makes the scholastics and sports of Mammoth High School a unique and special place. Thank you, Pedro Garcia.
