Aiden Jorgenson has loved football β and the Arizona Cardinals β all his life. So when Jorgenson joined the Catalina Foothills football team this season, he picked No. 11. It is, after all, the same jersey number as his favorite player, Larry Fitzgerald.
His love of the Cardinalsβ wide receiver is so strong, Jorgensonβs own teammates and classmates have taken to calling him Fitz.
It, well, fits.
βI just have a big heart for it β a big passion,β said Jorgenson, a sophomore. βEver since I started playing football, I never wanted to stop. I just wanted to keep playing and keep playing.β
Jorgenson was diagnosed with autism at age 6, but he doesnβt quite fit that mold anymore. For one, doctors no longer use pervasive developmental disorder as a means to diagnose autism. Jorgenson doesnβt meet some of the other markers that indicate autism, either. Still, his mother, Erin, said autism is usually the simplest way to describe her sonβs condition.
βWe know he fits some of that diagnosis, but not all of it,β Erin Jorgenson said. βItβs closely related to whatever his challenges are.β
On the field, Jorgenson β who is listed as a defensive back and wide receiver β is working his way into game action. Coach Jeff Scurran has used him on kickoffs; heβs also caught a pass and made a start. Foothills (4-4) will take on Salpointe Catholic on Friday at 7 p.m.
On the sidelines, Jorgensonβs love for football can brighten his teammatesβ days. Defensive captain Bobby Heizinger said thereβs moments when the team is having an off day β maybe itβs raining, or just a blah Monday β but Jorgenson helps get everyone in the right mood.
βThereβs a lot of people who come out or theyβll sit out or take a play off, and he doesnβt,β Heizinger said. βHeβs constantly out here, heβs constantly working, heβs constantly got the right football mindset and heβs constantly showing up on time. We really canβt ask for anything else from him.β
Jorgenson said he loves being part of the team .
βAll my teammates love me and encourage me and support me all the time and I support them and try to return the favor because thatβs just what teammates are for,β Jorgenson said.
Erin Jorgenson was concerned when Aiden wanted to try out for football in high school. He played a year of Pop Warner football as a boy and a year of flag football in middle school.
βObviously, I was concerned because of some of the things I hear about injuries and concussions, but theyβre so careful now,β Erin Jorgenson said. βWe just thought βAidenβs got to make his own choiceβ and it was his passion.
βI just figured he loved it so much, I would never dare stand in the way of it. Itβs the one thing heβs really passionate about. Yeah, obviously, concerned like any mom would be, but Iβve got to let him choose his path.β
Now, Jorgenson has a couple of goals heβd like to accomplish: Attend a Cardinals game and find a football future past high school.
β(Iβm) definitely trying to be the best football player that I can possibly be, give it my best effort and hopefully play college football,β he said.
