LAKE WORTH – It did not take long for Gio Thomas to settle in at Park Vista.
Shortly after transferring from Washington (Washington Court House, Ohio), the quarterback earned the Cobras starting job. This came after Week 3’s 21-10 comeback win over Wellington, a breakout debut in which he piled up more than 180 total yards, most of which came on the ground.
“I transferred after the first game of the season,” Thomas said. “I came from Pickerington, Ohio. “If anything, it took me a week or two to get adjusted fully to the heat here in South Florida.”
As the season went on, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound quarterback got into a groove with his young teammates and led Park Vista to a 6-4 record. He finished his junior year with 800+ all-purpose yards and 16 total touchdowns.
Thomas said he loves the culture that head coach Brian Dodds and his staff have made possible at Park Vista.
“Well Coach Dodds and the coaching staff brought me in and made me earn every bit of playing time,” Thomas said. “They have made me a better football player throughout my short time here so far, and I would like to say even a better man. Coach Dodds puts his all into this team and it shows. I’m glad to have him and others as my coaches.”
At this very moment, Thomas does not have any college scholarship offers or interest that we know of. But over time, his situation should change.
“All i can say is I’m hungry and any school that gets me will get a competitor and leader,” the dual-threat quarterback said. “But as of right now, I’m just worried about my senior year and controlling what I can.”
This offseason has been a surreal one to say the least. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing everyone to do things differently, Thomas has found a way to keep himself in top shape.
“I love to jump rope,” Thomas said. “I do that more than anything, but honestly it’s just the same workouts I’ve been doing before quarantine. Since school was out, we have had team workouts. I just continued with the workouts.”
Thomas provided a brief rundown on how he and his Park Vista teammates have been staying in touch with their coaches.
“Well honestly there hasn’t been much with the team besides Zoom calls and meetings,” Thomas said. “We all just follow our workouts and guidelines for home, and if some teammates have home gyms, we have home workouts provided to do.”
Provided that there is a football season coming up this fall – we may get a decision from the FHSAA on July 20 – Thomas is optimistic about his senior year.
“I would say for us as a team, our goal is to build each and every week because we all know what we are capable of,” Thomas said. “We just have to act upon it. Our coaches and players know we have the potential to be special, and that’s what our goal is. But we will take it one day at a time hopefully.”
Park Vista assistant coach Thomas Marciante envisions a true breakout season for Thomas as the team’s quarterback.
“He is going to surprise the county this year once he has completed a full offseason with us to learn the playbook,” Marciante said. “Just watch.”
