Editor’s Note: The following is the second of a two-part interview with Avery Vikings quarterback Alex Villanueva wide receiver Andy Gonzalez. Part one highlighted the pair’s relationship with one another and influences growing up in Miami, Florida. This week’s piece deals with their take on the 2010 Vikings and the secrets to the group’s success.
Nothing brings people together like football. The sport of baseball may be known as “America’s National Pastime”, but football has surpassed baseball as America’s national passion.
From a young age, many young boys dream of being star football players and throwing or catching a game-winning pass to win a big game.
The duo of Avery Vikings senior wide receiver Andy Gonzalez and junior quarterback Alex Villanueva have combined on hundreds of completed passes throughout their lives. Some of those connections, such as a fourth down touchdown pass in the waning seconds of last season’s win over Mitchell, have been more well-known and pressure-packed than others.
What has separated Gonzalez and Villanueva from many other combinations has been the fact that they have embraced the pressures that come with success on the gridiron.
“You definitely feel the pressure on the field, but it’s a good kind of pressure,” Villanueva said in our exclusive interview with the pair during the team’s bye week and prior to the injury suffered by the Avery signal-caller. “It’s good because we grew up loving pressure. I think that our team this year is good with pressure. A lot of teams think the pressure will bother us, and they underestimate us. Coming into games this year I admit I get a little nervous, trying not to worry about throwing an interception, but it forces me to stay focused and pay attention because of how your teammates and other folks are counting on you. You don’t want to let anyone down on your team.”
“When I came into this season and heard that I had been named to an All-State team preseason, something kind of clicked in my brain that it might open up the eyes and attention of some college coaches, and that I needed to start working harder and dedicate myself to what I want to work for in football,” Gonzalez shared. “I dropped a couple of passes early in the season, and there might have been some pressure because of what was expected from me. The pressure is there, but as a team we play for the team, not for me or for any one person.”
This year’s Avery team shares a unique and close bond with one another. They stand side-by-side and have committed themselves to being the best they can be and to doing great things this season. The team has set goals, and the players hold themselves and one another accountable.
“We came into the season and we had our goals for each other, but we also have our team goals,” Gonzalez explained. “We want to go out and win a conference championship.”
“Believe it or not, we don’t spend a lot of time during the season or during the games talking about goals. It’s like we already know what each other’s goals are without asking. We know because we’ve been around one another so much, and we know how serious each of us is about achieving our goals as a team first, and hopefully the goals as individuals that come along with that,” Villanueva added. “Coach Brewer stresses to us the importance of playing for the team and playing for one another as a family. We have a bond with one another and don’t have groups or cliques. As a team we stay focused. We’ve called player-only meetings without coaches when needed to bring us closer together, and those have helped us a lot.”
The 2010 Vikings have progressed together as a unit, and winning four of its first five games has been no accident. The players sacrifice for each other and the team dynamic is what has helped the squad deal with the adversities they have faced.
“This year’s team has come along great. Looking at our team, we’re not the biggest, but we’ve been dedicated in the weight room, with extra conditioning, doing what we need to do,” Gonzalez said. “An example for us has been Lucas Lecka. He’s our best lineman at around 220 pounds, but he’s strong and had dedicated himself through his hard work to get to where he’s at. Our entire line has worked so hard and gives Alex more time than last season. The receivers have spent extra time catching balls from the machine and working over the summer with Alex, and it’s given Alex more confidence in going to them to make the big catches during the season.”
“Another great example has been Kenny Hicks, who played fullback last year. He gave us that spot, his favorite position, to play on the line because he wants to do whatever it takes to help the team,” Villanueva added. “Our team is flexible and will do whatever it takes to help each other out. Players are willing to give up their own glory for the good of teammates. This team makes sacrifices with each other and for each other. It has brought this team closer together. We might argue sometimes, but it’s only brought our group closer as a family.”
From a young age, many young boys dream of being star football players and throwing or catching a game-winning pass to win a big game.
The duo of Avery Vikings senior wide receiver Andy Gonzalez and junior quarterback Alex Villanueva have combined on hundreds of completed passes throughout their lives. Some of those connections, such as a fourth down touchdown pass in the waning seconds of last season’s win over Mitchell, have been more well-known and pressure-packed than others.
What has separated Gonzalez and Villanueva from many other combinations has been the fact that they have embraced the pressures that come with success on the gridiron.
“You definitely feel the pressure on the field, but it’s a good kind of pressure,” Villanueva said in our exclusive interview with the pair during the team’s bye week and prior to the injury suffered by the Avery signal-caller. “It’s good because we grew up loving pressure. I think that our team this year is good with pressure. A lot of teams think the pressure will bother us, and they underestimate us. Coming into games this year I admit I get a little nervous, trying not to worry about throwing an interception, but it forces me to stay focused and pay attention because of how your teammates and other folks are counting on you. You don’t want to let anyone down on your team.”
“When I came into this season and heard that I had been named to an All-State team preseason, something kind of clicked in my brain that it might open up the eyes and attention of some college coaches, and that I needed to start working harder and dedicate myself to what I want to work for in football,” Gonzalez shared. “I dropped a couple of passes early in the season, and there might have been some pressure because of what was expected from me. The pressure is there, but as a team we play for the team, not for me or for any one person.”
This year’s Avery team shares a unique and close bond with one another. They stand side-by-side and have committed themselves to being the best they can be and to doing great things this season. The team has set goals, and the players hold themselves and one another accountable.
“We came into the season and we had our goals for each other, but we also have our team goals,” Gonzalez explained. “We want to go out and win a conference championship.”
“Believe it or not, we don’t spend a lot of time during the season or during the games talking about goals. It’s like we already know what each other’s goals are without asking. We know because we’ve been around one another so much, and we know how serious each of us is about achieving our goals as a team first, and hopefully the goals as individuals that come along with that,” Villanueva added. “Coach Brewer stresses to us the importance of playing for the team and playing for one another as a family. We have a bond with one another and don’t have groups or cliques. As a team we stay focused. We’ve called player-only meetings without coaches when needed to bring us closer together, and those have helped us a lot.”
The 2010 Vikings have progressed together as a unit, and winning four of its first five games has been no accident. The players sacrifice for each other and the team dynamic is what has helped the squad deal with the adversities they have faced.
“This year’s team has come along great. Looking at our team, we’re not the biggest, but we’ve been dedicated in the weight room, with extra conditioning, doing what we need to do,” Gonzalez said. “An example for us has been Lucas Lecka. He’s our best lineman at around 220 pounds, but he’s strong and had dedicated himself through his hard work to get to where he’s at. Our entire line has worked so hard and gives Alex more time than last season. The receivers have spent extra time catching balls from the machine and working over the summer with Alex, and it’s given Alex more confidence in going to them to make the big catches during the season.”
“Another great example has been Kenny Hicks, who played fullback last year. He gave us that spot, his favorite position, to play on the line because he wants to do whatever it takes to help the team,” Villanueva added. “Our team is flexible and will do whatever it takes to help each other out. Players are willing to give up their own glory for the good of teammates. This team makes sacrifices with each other and for each other. It has brought this team closer together. We might argue sometimes, but it’s only brought our group closer as a family.”
