By Ciana Ciulla

SAN JOSE, CALIF.—Silver Creek High School Senior, Mark Gonzalez, takes on offensive guard and roles on the defensive line on the varsity football team.

For the 2025 season, Gonzalez has a positive, courageous, and grateful outlook while fulfilling his duties as a lineman. “This is definitely the best year because I feel like we’re more connected as a team, where we actually work together a lot better. I feel like the communication and bonding went up this last year.” said Gonzalez.

As a captain, Gonzalez’s biggest worry is letting his teammates down. Despite this, he expresses that his fellow lineman and teammates are his greatest strength because of how they all help each other out. 

Gonzalez has practice Monday through Thursday for two and a half hours, then two hours on Saturday, with one hour dedicated to reviewing game play. 

“For me personally, an average game is I don’t go off the field. I used to have people being able to take me off and give me breathers, but now as a senior and a captain, especially for my position as a lineman, I’m just never off the field.” said Gonzalez. 

His high demanding role fuels his passion and drives him to keep working hard. Gonzalez encourages students to participate in football, saying “People should join the team for at least one year. Without a doubt, the people I’ve known since my first year playing football—half of them—I’m still talking to right now and consider them as my best friends. Even girls are on the team currently.” 

According to Gonzalez, having a girl on the junior varsity team this year can appeal to new audiences, providing more inclusivity to the stereotypically male-dominant sport. He emphasizes the importance of football being for everyone, and how everyone can benefit from the expansion of the community. 

Managing the weight of being a student-athlete has come as a challenge that Gonzalez has worked to overcome. Over time, he has figured out how to organize his daily activity to ensure he is producing his best work on the field and in class. Football has been a heartfelt highlight of Gonzalez’s high school years, and he plans on considering pursuing football in the future if he is granted a scholarship.