Story by Damien Leyva
Staff Writer
When you think of Bishop Amat football legends, you think of guys like Pat Haden, Eric Bieniemy, Daylon McCutcheon, and Kory Minor. When you think of recent Amat stars, guys that come into mind are Sheldon Price, Daniel Kane, Davis Cazares, Jerry McClanahan, and Darien Johnson.
All of these Amat stars were big, fast, and clutch and were successful in continuing their football careers in the next levels.
But while all the big-named guys get the attention, Michael Juarez—a 5-foot-10 inch, 190 pound starting middle linebacker—continues to make plays game after game.
Although Juarez is very undersized and has played a supporting role for defenses stacked with Cazares, Kane, Johnson, and senior standout Julian Gener, thecaptain of the Lancers “D” earned Second Team All-League last year. His unnoticed play in games and his quiet leadership off the field has carried on into this season.
“Juarez keeps us in order on the field,” said teammate Nicky Casarez. “He makes sure we’re in the right coverages and places on the field to put us in our spots to make a play and help the team. He’s a beast.”
But his great play on the field doesn’t just happen because it’s Friday night and the referee’s whistle blows. It comes from his hard work on the practice field and the weight room.
“He never takes a second off,” said lineman Christian Orduño. “When we lift he always does each rep to the exact percentage, and in practice he goes all out from conditioning, to drills, special teams, and even scout team.”
If being the captain and team leader of the number one team in the San Gabriel Valley is not enough, he has also maintained a 3.5 GPA throughout his four years at Amat.
“Grades have always been very important to me,” says Juarez, who went to Epiphany in El Monte for junior high. “School is always my priority and hopefully my grades will attract scouts and good schools to continue my learning and football career.”
In the Lancers’ first eight games, he is averaging 4.8 tackles per game and has racked up 38 tackles and 2 sacks while leading Amat to an 8-0 record.
However, Juarez is not satisfied with his team’s 8-0 record or his 2009 Second Team All-League Linebacker award.
“We still have a long way to go before we achieve our goals,” said Juarez. “We have to continue working hard in the weight room and in practice so we can win another Serra League title and get another championship banner in the gym.”
