KEVIN NARRO | Staff Writer
SAN BENTIO — Like many other kids, Senior Albert Mercado has grown up around San Benito football, hoping and dreaming of the day he gets to play football under the majestic Friday night lights.
Mercado, who is a three-year member of the varsity, has taken in his senior year and is making the most of it.
“I have been playing football since I was a kid,” Mercado said. “Once I was able to play, I joined and I played other sports, but I love football it is my sport.”
On the field, Mercado is a team captain and is one of the harder hitting outside linebackers in the area. Mercado is teamed up with fellow seniors AJ Garcia and Nick Perez as the anchors in the middle of the defense.
The defense this year has carried the torch from last year’s defense that included guys like Ryan Reza, Pedro Gomez and Payne Guajardo to name a few.
“I feel like we have carried on the tradition and we have great leaders on this team,” Mercado said. “I can’t exactly name one specific guy, because we all together do a great job as a unit. We have plenty of guys who can make plays and know where to line up. That has helped us a lot this season and our coaches do a great job on preparing us.”
Mercado is third on the team in tackles with 81 and has two tackles for loss, three pass breakups and one blocked field goal.
Along with the physicality of a linebacker, Mercado is a rare talent that can also drop back in coverage and even play safety when needed.
Off the field, Mercado has seen himself grow as a young man and it is a reflection of the Greyhound program with quotes like “Sharpen The Axe and Hold The Wall.”
Those quotes carry weight around the field house and are something the players, including Mercado, have bought into.
“I found that I can work hard through football,” said Mercado. “It shows how to build character and has helped me become the person I am today. Coach Gomez leads us and the rest of the coaching staff; they are all like fathers to us. Fortunately for me, I have a dad, but these coaches are like a second dad to me and they teach us not only about football, but about life. For those guys who don’t have a dad, these coaches serve as a father figure and that means a lot.”
Mercado and the Hounds will meet Converse Judson in the class 6A regional quarterfinals Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Bobby Morrow Stadium.