LA FERIA — When trying to make an impact, making a casually late appearance is the way to go, but that strategy probably won’t work so well when coming to the gridiron.
While it wasn’t a strategy La Feria Lions’ senior safety Ozzy Cisneros wanted, he is making the most of his first and only year of varsity football.
Football has been something the senior defensive back has wanted to pursue, but until last spring wasn’t where his attention was focused.
Cisneros wanted to focus on basketball and hadn’t played football since middle school.
“I always planned on playing football and I wanted to do it since my freshman year, but I wanted to concentrate on playing basketball,” Cisneros said. “I also didn’t think I was big enough to do it.”
On the basketball court, Cisneros is a small-frame guard and has been on the varsity team since his sophomore year.
However, coming into his senior year, Cisneros decided to take steps in moving to the gridiron.
Cisneros did the off-the-field homework and hit the weight room before the season to aid his efforts.
“I hit he weights and some of the other players helped me practice covering receivers,” Cisneros explained. “I also got a lot of help from 7-on-7 play. The transition was hard but we have great coaches who helped me learn and read the plays.”
It has paid off thus far.
Through seven games Cisneros has already had eight interceptions.
Cisneros also helps coach Oscar Salinas by creating depth
“He’s a real bright kid and he’s helped us out. Not only has he gotten those turnovers for us, but he lines up in the backfield for us and eliminates us from having to play both ways with our secondary and our receivers,” Salinas said.
“He’s a great athlete and has done well adapting to football. We expected him to play well at the end of the year, but after spring and scrimmages we knew we had a player who could really help us.”
As much success as Cisneros has had, he understands how crucial making plays on the defensive side can be and what goes in to making those plays happen beyond the secondary of the defense.
It’s what makes this Lions defensive back look at the sport a different way than before.
“I want our defense to be a smash mouth defense. I know we help the offense by getting the turnovers and helping win the field position battle,” Cisneros said. “Our defense as a whole also plays well and put pressure on opposing offenses. That’s what we want to accomplish; it really gives me a new appreciation and love for the game of football.”