By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
The importance of athletes being motivated and disciplined enough to stay fit on their own from home has been stressed by many coaches in this extended time off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lopez football coach Armando Gutierrez doesn’t have to worry a bit about Isaias Lucio being ready. Lucio, who is a senior, used his summer to complete basic training with the Army National Guard at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga.
Lucio reported for the 12-week basic training June 1 and graduated Aug. 21. He wants to go to college to become an art teacher, and he felt the “split option” geared toward high school juniors that the National Guard offers gave him a leg up to do that and to get ready for his final football season.
“I was thinking how I’ll do it for college, because here with my family, we really don’t have much. I did it to help out my family,” Lucio said. “It was fun, I really enjoyed it. I met a lot of friends from all over the place.”
Basic training was Lucio’s first taste of being away from home for a long stretch of time. He said it was a challenging experience but a beneficial one. Along with getting physically stronger, Lucio said his mental toughness grew from powering through the difficult moments.
“It comes with a lot of pressure, being put at edge by the drill sergeants,” Lucio said. “We learned to trust in your equipment and have faith, do what you’re told and you’ll go from there. Mentally, yes, it definitely made me stronger, and physically as well. But that part killed me. I just kept telling myself to make it to another Sunday, because that was our free day.”
Lucio said basic training made him ready to be a leader for the Lobos when they return to the field for his third varsity season. Gutierrez said Lucio was a natural leader already and that the experience just sharpened his abilities. Gutierrez credited defensive coordinator Bruce Castro for shaping an athlete he said never backs down from a challenge.
“That kid is always on point. He’s a, ‘Yes sir, no sir,’ kid. If you tell him to go through a brick wall, he says, ‘How hard and how fast?’ he never says no,” Gutierrez said. “He commits to everything. He goes above and beyond for everything.”
Lucio plays defensive end for the Lobos, and Gutierrez said even though he’s smaller than the average defensive lineman, he tries hard every play and always tells his coaches, “I’ll do better, sir.” Gutierrez praised Lucio’s mentality and personality, and is glad to have the senior back for one more season to be a role model for the team.
“I think the experience opened his mind to more possibilities to how hard he can push himself,” Gutierrez said. “He said, ‘I’ll come back a better man,’ and I said, ‘You’re already a better man, they’re just going to make you a smarter man, a more focused man and a better-in-shape man.’ He personifies servant leadership and, no matter what, he practices what he preaches. He motivates the team like no other.”