Football, a sport geared towards teamwork and brotherhood, will at times have one star that shines brighter than the rest.
Senior Tyler Tezeno, offensive lineman for the varsity team received the Houston Touchdown Club award after being nominated offensive player of the year during the pre season.
“It is always really humbling to receive an award,” Tezeno said. “I am reminded of how blessed I am to have gotten to this point in my life and to have accomplished what I have,” Tezeno said. “With honor comes responsibility and I know that I have to lead by example and act a certain way and have a certain demeanor because a lot of people are watching how I behave.”
Tezeno started to develop a passion for football at the age of eight. Since then, he said it has become more of a lifestyle than a game.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be naturally talented at this sport,” Tezeno said. “My father use to play football so it has always been second nature to me. These abilities that I have been blessed with are going to help pay for college and will ultimately pave the way to my future.
Varsity Football Coach James Scott does not doubt Tezeno’s abilities and said he sees a bright future for the soon-to-be college football player.
“I think if Tyler continues to work hard and keeps improving as an offensive lineman and stays healthy, he will have a great college career and hopefully a shot at the NFL,” Scott said. “More importantly, I think that Tyler will take care of his school work, get his college degree, and become a \successful in whatever profession he chooses to pursue. Nothing makes a coach prouder than to see a former athlete who is successful in life 10 years down the road.”
Though he acknowledges that his talent plays a major role in his accomplishments, Tezeno says he would not have gotten this far without his family.
“My family are by far my biggest fans and the greatest support team I could’ve asked for,” Tezeno said. “My dad will usually send me a text before each game with words of encouragement and the rest of my family is at every game. They’ve driven me to practice since I was little and they’ve been there through every step of the way and will not miss anything that will come in the future.”
Even though the support of his family kept Tezeno strong, he says that he wouldn’t have gotten far without his coaches and teammates.
“The coaches here molded me into what I am I today and without them I wouldn’t have got this far,” Tezeno said. “Receiving the Houston Touchdown Club award was a great honor but my greatest accomplishment was being voted offensive MVP at Klein Collins because my teammates voted for that award. To know that I meant that much to the team was an amazing feeling.”
Scott says that coaching Tezeno was a highlight of his career.
“I have been coaching for 21 years and Tyler is the best pulling guard I have ever coached, and I have been lucky to coach some pretty good offensive linemen,” Scott said. “Tyler has great footwork, speed, and size which all combine together to make a very good football player.”
An offensive lineman’s job is to move a grown man, against his will, somewhere he doesn’t want to go. Scott says that most people do not think of offensive linemen as being quick and athletic, but that is exactly what they have to be in order to play the position.
“Tyler has great leverage and power that allow him to finish blocks,” Scott said. “In our offense, Tyler was required to pull and go block a very athletic linebacker or defensive back in space. Because of Tyler’s speed, strength and body awareness, that individual usually ended up on their backside rather quickly. We call that a finish or pancake in the offensive line world.”
Filled with pride for everything that he has accomplished so far, Tezeno believes that his journey is just beginning.
“My next goal is to start as a freshmen football player at West Virginia University and to live up to all the expectations I have laid out before me,” Tezeno said. “I appreciate everyone on the team that’s been there through this journey with me the past four years.”
