BELLE GLADE – In exactly two weeks, it will be go time for Miguel Gonzalez at Glades Day.
The senior lineman anchors the trenches on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. With multiple years of experience as a Gator, he is counted on to be a team leader in more ways than one.
Gonzalez is quite capable of handling these responsibilities, as evidenced by his performance as a junior. For the 2019 season, the lineman had 6 pancakes on offense, while adding 16 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 1 sack in 9 games played.
The best game for Gonzalez was in Week 10 against Okeechobee, which turned out to be a 48-40 loss at home. He posted 2 pancakes and no sacks allowed on offense, while adding 5 tackles (2 tackles for loss) and 2 forced fumbles in the effort.
Glades Day finished last season with a 2-7 record.
“We went through a lot of adversity,” Gonzalez said. “We had a pretty young team and some inexperienced players, but still that shouldn’t have stopped us. Hopefully we can get our stuff together this season and keep the Glades Day tradition going.”
In the offseason, Gonzalez has earned 3 scholarship offers from the likes of Puget Sound, Trinity International, and Cobber. This has served as a breakthrough period for the 5-foot-7, 188-pound lineman.
“I don’t know really what to say,” Gonzalez said. “I’m just excited that my offers have finally come. God has truly blessed me and hopefully there’s more to come.”
With that said, the trajectory of Gonzalez’s senior year will hinge on what happens with the coronavirus pandemic we are in now. The first practice for Glades Day was Aug. 24, but the next one will not be until Sept. 8.
Glades Day’s season opener was scheduled to be at home against Boca Raton Christian on Sept. 11. But that game has been pushed back to Oct. 9.
The new season opener for Glades Day is at home against King’s Academy on Sept. 18 – for now at least.
“Hopefully it will start soon,” said Gonzalez, who is our No. 3-ranked Bubble player in Palm Beach County. “We have a new team this year, so let’s see what happens. All we can do now is just pray to God and hope for the best.”
