By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
Julio “J.C.” De La Garza faced an important decision near the end of his time in high school.
The Lopez athlete, who graduated in 2015, was a standout soccer player and also a solid kicker for the Lobos football team.
He was good enough to land an athletic scholarship to college in either sport, but which one would it be?
De La Garza chose football over soccer and didn’t look back.
Now, after three productive years at Texas A&M-Kingsville, he’ll soon begin his final season as kicker/punter for the Javelinas.
“For my senior season, my goal is to be perfect on everything,” De La Garza said of his kicking and punting. “I’d like to open some eyes (and get a chance to kick in the pros).”
The standout kicker hopes to duplicate or improve upon his statistics from his sophomore season in 2016 when he earned All-Lone Star Conference first-team honors by converting 11 of 14 field goals, including six of seven attempts within a two-game span. He nailed a season-best 47-yard field goal in 2016 and had 11 kickoffs go into the end zone for touchbacks.
Actually, De La Garza’s numbers have been fairly consistent throughout all three of his seasons.
As a freshman in 2015, he made 10 of 14 field goals with the longest from 49 yards to go with 38 extra points. The 49-yarder stands as his career best with the Javelinas thus far.
Last season as a junior, he made 11 of 15 field goals with a longest one of 44 yards. He also punted 36 times for a 38.4-yard average with 16 punts going for touchbacks. His longest punt of 2017 went 55 yards.
“My junior season was OK, but I know I can do better,” De La Garza said of last season’s totals.
This summer, to prepare for his senior season with the Javelinas, De La Garza has attended kicking camps in Florida and Wisconsin. He’s had an opportunity to work out alongside NFL kickers and observe their techniques.
He’s also trained with Sergio Castillo, a La Joya High product who has kicked in the CFL. Castillo has kicked and punted the past three seasons in the CFL (Winnipeg, Ottawa and Hamilton). He kicked in college for West Texas A&M.
There were indications that De La Garza had promise as a kicker even before he reached high school.
“I found out I had a strong leg in middle school,” said De La Garza, who took his middle school coach’s advice and switched from running back to kicker so he could concentrate on his specialty. “I really liked the technique and fundamentals (involved in kicking).”
While he felt an urge to focus on kicking, De La Garza always remained a vital part of the Lopez soccer team throughout high school. In soccer, he was named to the UIL all-tournament team as a defender at state in Georgetown his junior year in 2014 when the Lobos reached the Class 5A state semifinals.
De La Garza stays in touch with the soccer and football teams at Lopez as his younger brother Angel is a goalkeeper on the soccer team and also a member of the football squad.
The 2015 Lopez graduate’s mind is primarily focused on football right now as he prepares to make his last season of kicking for the Javelinas his best one yet. He’s a criminal justice major who would like nothing better than to extend his kicking career beyond college and into the pros if possible.
All in all, he said, it’s been quite a rewarding experience to attend college in Kingsville and play for the Javelinas.
“I’ve been blessed to be here,” De La Garza said. “It’s great to have family support and develop friendships that will last a lifetime.
“It doesn’t have to be a big (well-known) high school for you to be successful (as a college athlete) because hard work goes over talent,” he added. “I’m just praying for the best and letting God open doors for me.”