Editor’s note: The Star is counting down the best high school football players in Southern Arizona, in no particular order.
Names: Anthony “Guero” Galvez and Andrew Gonzales
The rundown: The Sunnyside High School seniors are expected to be leaders on a youthful Blue Devils roster. Galvez is a 5-foot-10-inch wide receiver and Gonzales is a 5-10 linebacker.
Who they are: It's nearly impossible to choose between the two seniors.
Galvez, who goes by "Guero," is ready to play again after having the spring and summer wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It feels real now that we are out here,” Galvez said. “I’m ready for the seven games, eight games, however much they are going to give us.”
After playing primarily as a wide receiver in 2019, Galvez expects to also play safety this fall.
“I'm not really going to step off the field, I don’t think,” Galvez said.
Gonzales will play a role on both sides of the ball. He lined up as fullback on several occasions last season and he says he will help on the offensive line.
“I want to do whatever I can to help the team and be successful,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales is embracing the responsibility of being a senior.
“When things get tough or when we need someone to speak up, I want to be that person that steps in,” the linebacker said.
Gonzales knows that Sunnyside’s inexperience contributed to an uneven 2019 campaign and a 3-7 record that wasn’t indicative of the direction of the program. Five of the team’s top six tacklers a season ago were sophomores.
“We were all like little puppies last year,” he said. “Now we’re older and we’re stronger. We were in almost every game we played, and we expect more wins this year.”
Proof they’re good: Galvez has pure speed, a reason why he led the Blue Devils with 600 receiving yards and four touchdowns last fall. Three of his scores went for 70 yards or more.
“I just check out the defense before the snap and then later in the game we know where some broken coverages might be,” Galvez said. “Sometimes there's a corner where I know he can’t keep up with me and I’m just going to run, and Deion (Conde) is just going to throw the ball deep.”
Gonzales averaged 9.3 tackles per game last season. During the quarantine, he lifted weights and added more muscle to improve his tackling.
“I definitely got stronger and so did my teammates,” he said. “ I think we’re going to have a really good year.”
Sunnyside coach Glenn Posey said this week that he’s “super excited” about how the two can impact the Blue Devils this fall.
He said it: “As a receiver, I definitely know the tricks and so now playing more safety this year, I can try to cheat a little bit because I know what the other receivers are going to do.” — Galvez
