By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — Harlingen High senior linebacker Ezvyn Zuniga prides himself on being more than an athlete.
In addition to being a three-year varsity football letterwinner, Zuniga is on the varsity track & field and soccer teams. He serves as the senior class president and is involved with the National Honor Society and an engineering club, working on robotics, rocketry, green-powered cars and a Harlingen CISD-wide project building “an unmanned boat.” And he balances all those extracurricular activities while being ranked in the top five percent of his 600-plus member senior class.
Zuniga’s success on and off the field earned him the honor of being named a Great American Rivalry Series Scholar Athlete on Thursday.
“At first I was kind of surprised. My dad sent me a text saying, ‘Congratulations, I’m proud of you,’ and I was excited and surprised,” Zuniga said. “To me, that’s what it’s all about, because not a lot of people play sports after high school. So academics have been my focus, because they’ll always be there. You learn things from football and sports, like perseverance and drive and all that, but the academic part will make you succeed in life.”
The Great American Rivalry Series was created in 2004 to celebrate longstanding rivalries in high school football and has highlighted the Battle of the Arroyo and the Bird Bowl. The GARS and its presenting partner, the United States Marines, have been recognizing seniors for 17 years “for their outstanding performance on the field and as students throughout their high school careers.”
Cardinals football coach Manny Gomez nominated Zuniga for the award, which comes with a $500 scholarship, and was not surprised to find out an athlete he calls “The Golden Child” was chosen to be recognized.
“It’s great news because he’s a great kid. He’s a genuine kid and just so well-rounded,” Gomez said. “I’m extremely proud of this kid, and I love this kid because of what he does and who he is and everything about him. There’s not one word to describe him, but if I had to use one word, I’d say he’s very loving. But you put him on the field, and he’s a different animal. He’s a great young man, and hopefully this is a legacy he’ll leave behind for the younger kids to uphold.”
On the football field, Zuniga has earned all-District 32-6A honors as the 2018 defensive newcomer of the year and a 2019 first-team linebacker and honorable mention defensive end. He’s a physical defender and describes himself as a blitzer who plays smart and aggressively.
After high school, Zuniga plans to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point to study mechanical engineering with a minor in robotics. He said he began the application last year, a process which includes sending out letters of recommendation written by people like Gomez. The coach sent letters to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, on behalf of Zuniga asking for their recommendations.
The Harlingen High and Rio Grande Valley communities can help Zuniga reach his goals thanks to a new addition to the award. Through a partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the series will be naming an inaugural GARS Scholar Athlete Hall of Fame team this year. The team “will be determined through a 30-day voting period where friends, family and community can show their support” for the student-athletes starting Nov. 16. From the 144 scholar athletes, the 25 honorees that receive the most votes will make the Hall of Fame team and receive an additional scholarship.
“If I get that support, I’d be really grateful,” Zuniga said. “I know that will put me up there and boost my resume for colleges and applications I do in the future. That support would greatly help my future accomplishments. I’m hoping to leave a mark and help future kids, future athletes (at Harlingen High) persevere, and make them want to play for the program, play at a higher level and be driven in school.”