Joseph Chen '22 Recruiting Profile

The defensive tackle lurched forward like an unstoppable rocket. I immediately blocked him, planting my feet and using 100% of my body-weight to stop him in his tracks. Six seconds left on the clock. As he tried and failed to get past me, our quarterback spiraled the ball into the endzone. In slow motion, the football sailed through the air, landing in my teammate’s waiting arms. TOUCHDOWN! Our team celebrated by running over to the coach and pouring an entire cooler of bright orange Gatorade onto his head. I took one final glance at the scoreboard: 27-13.

During the first half, our rivals demolished our defense. We tried in vain to come back from that disaster, but by halftime, our morale had plummeted. The score was 27-7, and my linemen were ready to call it quits. But as team captain, I wasn’t letting us go down without a fight. I gathered my squad together and gave them an “inspirational speech”, just like you see in the movies.

“Is this how you guys want our season to end? Is this how you want us to be remembered? Lock in, we have another half to play ball. It is now 0-0. Let's crush them and teach them to fear the name of the Valley Christian football team.” We put our heads together and brainstormed a plan to come back from the brink of defeat. With one final cheer, we exploded out onto the field.  

We destroyed our rivals during the second half of that game. The score no longer mattered; our pride was on the line. Win or lose, that experience defined me as a leader and drove me to be a competitive player on this year’s CCS champion varsity team. 

Football taught me that life isn’t about winning or losing. Your will and determination define you. The effort you put in, the choices you make, and the people you inspire shape your future and cement your legacy. I'll remember that when I step foot on the future turf.