GREG LUCA | STAFF WRITER
ALAMO — A three-year starter at quarterback and a major factor on the baseball field for PSJA Memorial, Michael Gonzalez needed two and a half years to realize how he might be able to punch his ticket to college athletics.
While the other positions may have been more glamorous, Gonzalez’s success as a thrower with the Wolverines’ track and field team far outpaced his achievements in the mainstream sports. So, as his career went on, Gonzalez shifted his spring emphasis away from the baseball diamond and toward the discus ring.
“It took focus toward the midseason of my junior year, knowing I had the talent and skills,” Gonzalez said. “I let (my coaches) teach me my skills, and it brought me to the table. Here I am, signing.”
Gonzalez’s increased focus on the discus paid off this season not just with a Region IV title and a trip to state, but also with a partial scholarship to throw at UTRGV. He signed his letter of intent during a ceremony on Thursday in PSJA Memorial’s library.
“He never really scratched his potential until this year,” Wolverines throwing coach Marc Evans said. “He realized his potential because he put a lot more time into it. He was a multi-sport athlete, and this year he realized where his career is going to be made — in track — and he put a lot more time into it.”
Starting up on throwing practice right after Christmas — the earliest point during his four years of competition — Gonzalez put a greater emphasis on using his legs. The change produced a personal best throw of 178 feet this season and helped him claim district and regional titles before a seventh-place finish at the state meet.
Gonzalez improved on last year’s personal best of 161 feet, 5 inches by nearly 17 feet.
“What I liked about Michael is he was improving every week,” Gonzalez’s father, Luis, said. “I saw a lot of improvement, and that he really wanted to throw at a higher level, so he did really good this year.”
Michael will be the fourth of his siblings to attend college and hopes to continue the family’s strong history with athletics.
His sister, Klarissa, also threw at UTRGV, finishing third in last season’s WAC Outdoor Championships. Michael said Klarissa helped him with his decision by giving him a positive review of the coaches and campus. She also played a major role in him learning and improving in the sport.
“Usually, we’re at home watching videos,” Michael said. “We look at different techniques: the German or the Spaniard style. We put it together and see what we can work on to make me a better thrower.”
In the lead up to his debut at UTRGV, Michael wants to continue to add mass and work on his technique. During practice this season, Michael showed potential to hit 180 feet or more, but struggled to stay in the ring on his longer throws. Evans projected Michael as a potential four-event thrower in college, depending on what direction the UTRGV coaches wish to take him.
“The biggest factor was when he stepped in the ring, he never freaked out and panicked,” Evans said. “He was always prepared and knew what he had to go do.”
Michael said he is planning to major in education with a minor in kinesiology. He sees himself as a coach down the road, like his father, and said he is willing to work with any sport at any level, although he’d like to somehow give back to PSJA.
“Hopefully it motivates me so I can get my degree, come back and teach the kids what the coaches taught to me,” Michael said.