Damon Robledo, senior, has received multiple DIII scholarships to play football for universities across the country, most notably in Nebraska, Arkansas, Washington and Iowa. Being a student in 2020 is hard enough for… obvious reasons, then keeping up healthy social relationships at the same time is even harder. Then there are student athletes who need to do all of that while also training, studying, and performing in their sport of choice. For Sahuaro Senior Damon Robledo, finding that balance is a focus of his this school year as he works his way towards a college education and the dream of playing Football at a higher level.

After years of working hard on and off the field, he is being rewarded for his efforts by going to college – free. He cites both of his parents for helping him throughout the years, saying, “My dad has taught me how to be a man and learn from my mistakes, and my mom makes sure I’m on top of things.” Damon takes his academics and sports seriously and will be pursuing them both at a higher level in college as he plans on studying Computer Science. He doesn’t just study hard for class though, as he prides himself on his knowledge of the rules of football that he says help him out a lot in game.

In football Damon is a multi-positional player, getting reps in as Wide Receiver, Defensive Back and Punter. He has been playing football since he was five and has had a lot of time to understand, refine, and improve his craft. Damon says his biggest influence in the world of football is Larry Fitzgerald on the Arizona Cardinals. “I think he’s a great guy, a great player and I get compared to him sometimes.” He realistically sees college as his last stop for playing football but does express the desire to make it to the pros, saying, “It would be a dream come true.” While football is his dream he still finds school very important and spends a good amount of time on studying to keep his grades up.

Finding that balance in our day-to-day life is something that is good for anyone to thrive for. It keeps us as humans from going insane, and can be very useful if you have a lot on your plate at any given time. Other student- athletes should look to find this balance, just like Damon is trying to. Only then could they unlock their true potential and start to get better in all aspects of not just their game, but their life as well.