By STEFAN MODRICH, Staff Writer
HARLINGEN — No matter the setting, Santa Rosa’s Adam Cavazos has always earned the respect of his peers through his leadership ability.
“I’m game-smart, which has helped my coaches,” Cavazos said. “We would do the blocking schemes and everything. The coaches are the ones who helped me with the mechanics of it and prepared me for the next level, watching film and everything.
“I talked to the JV players and helped them out during drills. I was vocal.”
In the fall, he will go on to play baseball and football for Graceland University, where he will major in computer science and minor in sports management and coaching, hoping to become a computer technician and also pursue a career in coaching.
Cavazos is an offensive tackle/defensive end and catcher. He was a unanimous selection at defensive end for the District 16-3A Division II first team, and he was a forward for the Santa Rosa basketball team.
Graceland is a small private Christian university located 80 miles south of Des Moines, Iowa. The Yellowjackets compete in the NAIA’s Heart of America Conference.
Santa Rosa defensive coordinator Pablo De Los Santos said Cavazos has a great work ethic and motor.
“He never got beat on the outside,” De Los Santos said. “He’s a quick kid that made plays, and you couldn’t get around him. He’s very vocal and one of the leaders on the team, and the kids will follow him. He’s very smart and a two-way player.”
Warriors baseball coach Tony Leal said Cavazos is a skilled hitter who can also play first base.
The senior is thrilled at the prospect of continuing his athletic journey alongside his friends and teammates that have played together since middle school.
“We talk in and out of school, we’ve been communicating with each other,” Cavazos said. “That’s how we have chemistry as a team.”