Burbank HS & South San HS Graduates Team-Up to Elevate Each Others' Preparation of Future Endeavors

Participating in collegiate sports is a distinct honor that offers the opportunity to continue your playing career, but most importantly an opportunity to lay the foundation for your profession. Inner-city challenges are critical elements that many adolescents navigate to strive for their goals. For Alex Araiza, Ysidro Dimas, Richard Lopez, and Matthew Salazar, they have positioned themselves nicely to begin their much-anticipated journey; but what are the challenges that await them at their new home? What have they overcome? These are essential questions that really engages perspective and appreciation for their journey and the other student-athletes with similar experiences.

Photo By Yvan Salazar

A look into Four Student-Athletes from the South

This fall, these four young men will have a home far from Burbank High School and South San High School neighborhoods they were raised in. Araiza and Salazar will be headed to Decatur, IL, reporting to fall camp for Millikin University. Lopez will be headed to Abilene Christian University this fall in Abilene, TX. For Dimas, he is proudly shipping out on August 9th to the United States Marine Corps to serve in the infantry division of the historically pristine branch of the US Military.

The strength and conditioning workouts at South San High School have been a mainstay for the four. All young men have ties to Coach Phil Barron, current Head Football Coach at South San High School. There is an appreciation of one another and respect factor that moves the needle to get better for these four.

“These guys are competitors; there's little jokes on the sides, but when it’s time to get down to it, we get down to it,” says Lopez.

One thing is clear, they all have an enormous sense of pride when reflecting on their communities. Lopez shares that he is grateful for the Bobcats’ fan-base and their undeniable support despite playing in a tough district (27-6A).

For Araiza and Salazar, their mothers respectively, are inspirational and define their foundation. Both share about their admiration of Santa Virginia Gonzales (Ariaza’s mother) and Ericka Elizondo (Salazar’s mother).

“My mom is really motivational to me; the fact that she can get things done when she is by herself really speaks to me,” shares Salazar.

Those that are raised by single mothers can identify with the miracles they work.

The Marine in waiting is used to the sacrifice. Dimas is one of Araiza’s closest friends and has made a commitment to working out with the group. No stranger to hard work and a team-first mentality, he capitalizes on the opportunity to support his friends while staying athletically fit to prepare for the legendary mental and physical grind that is the Marine Corps Bootcamp.

Roadblocks conquered

This road has been one that is less likely taken; start with the complexities that COVID-19 had in the education sector. Everything students did was without precedence. Student-athletes across the nation were tested with their perseverance and intrinsic motivation, which makes securing a recruitment of them remarkable. Furthermore, the recruitment of them was a challenge in general; according to the NCAA Research department, there were 1,006,013 registered high school football players in 2020; the NCAA reports that 7.3%, totaling 73,438 student-athletes will participate in football in 2020. Add to the growing complexities that are inner-city public school challenges, and another can-of-worms that USA Today reported on the perception of Hispanic or Latino Football players, and this early win these young men earned warrants a celebration.

Keep the Grind

Though a celebration is warranted once you get to the collegiate athlete distinction, acknowledging the challenges of being a student-athlete is going to be on a grander scale is vital to success. Being an athlete often comes with stipulations, sacrifices, and an acknowledgement that this is a battle of attrition. If you look at the Collegiate Parent website, you will find an article on why many students drop the hyphen athlete distinction.

A college athlete’s lifestyle is not easy. Embracing the school and everything it has to offer helps the journey, especially combatting homesickness. An article on the USA Today High School section list 4 detailed benefits of being a collegiate athlete. Beyond those benefits, high school students have much to look forward to; relationships, education, and personal fulfillment are just the tip-of-the-iceberg.

For the class of 2021 like Araiza, Dimas, Lopez, and Salazar, the next phase is going to be interesting. As the nation recedes the frontline restrictions of COVID-19, school will return to a semblance of normalcy. A bid farewell to the Class of 2021. Your capacity to endure and still make it to collegiate sports is a testament to your will, dedication, and intellect. This is a guarantee, for other athletes that fit the profile of these four, your coach will be clamoring for you to come back and serve the community as a coach. See you in four to five years!

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