Onti Earns His Respect
October 27, 2011
Story by Staff Writer
Bishop Amat Senior Eric Ontiveros earned an undeniable amount of respect from his peers. “Onti” gained this respect by having heart, being funny, and never giving up.
Sophomore Eric Almeida, who has known Onti for five years through his older brother, said that everyone has always had a great amount of respect for “Onti.”
“Onti is a one of a kind,” Almeida said. “You cannot find someone like him because he is unique.”
During the middle of sophomore year, Onti suffered an ankle injury that prevented him from playing the rest of the football season. But that did not stop him from supporting his team. Onti came to every practice and game on the sidelines.
This year, Onti got the long-awaited doctor’s consent and was ready to play. He pushed through conditioning even when his ankle bothered him. He showed his team all his heart and commitment.
“Onti did not have a quitting mentality, no matter what he would not quit,” said Almeida.
In the fifth game of this season, all of Onti’s hard work and dedication finally paid off.
Onti played his first game in two years, and once the fans saw him run on the field, everyone throughout Kieffer Stadium were chanted, “Onti, Onti.”
The coaches put Onti in at tailback, even though he was not a tailback. That did not stop him from running the ball. Although he had a loss of three yards, the crowd still cheered his name.
Onti received a lot of recognition from his teammates as well as from his coaches.
“When Onti went in as tailback there was some miscommunication on the field,” said Coach Mike DiFiori. “He was supposed to go in as linemen, but it was still neat to watch him play as tailback.”
Mr. DiFiori explained that even when Onti was injured, his teammates still saw him as a part of the team.
“Even when he didn’t play, he showed up and did what was asked,” Coach DiFiori said.
“I get respect from my peers and even my teammates, and I have a lot of respect for my teammates as well,” Onti said.
Onti’s peers respect him so much that they nominated him as this year’s Homecoming king.
Onti has become the symbol of overcoming all obstacles and inspires his peers to be as dedicated.
