Ben Gomez takes it one game at a time
Ben Gomez enjoying the fall festivities. (Photo Courtesy of Ben Gomez)
Sophomore Ben Gomez is engraving his accomplishments all over the Gaucho field, in his first season playing quarterback, in nine games he has accumulated 30 touchdowns in, games he has thrown for an average 333 yards, and he has had eight interceptions.
“The season is going really good,” Gomez said. “I just keep pushing myself to do good and it feels great to be playing.”
Not only do his statistics show he is a great quarterback, but so do school records. Gomez broke the Saddleback College record for passing 478 yards in a game, against Victor Valley College, and broke the school record for throwing 35 completions against Mt. Sac College.
It is Gomez’s third year with the Gauchos. In his first year he played second-team receiver for coach McElroy in which he got the opportunity to play three passes, all of which were completed with a touchdown.
“Coach I think I want to red shirt [next season],” Gomez told Coach McElroy at the end of his first season. Gomez said that while red shirting he wanted to learn to offense and compete for quarterback next year.
McElroy’s response to Gomez’s goal was positive.
“I am really proud that he followed his heart and he is competing at the position he wanted to play,” McElroy said. “He has a lot of determination, he could actually be the best quarterback I’ve ever coached because he has all the things your looking for in a quarterback, he really is very talented.”
Gomez is also taking other classes to add to the stress of football. He is enrolled in history, sociology and health but has not yet declared a major.
“The biggest challenge is just staying focused and keeping my head on school, football, and especially keeping in shape, but its perseverance and it pushes me,” Gomez said.
“I have complete and total confidence that Ben has given his best effort 100 percent of the time,” McElroy said. “He would love to go to a four year, and I’m confident that somebody is going to offer him an athletic scholarship to play.”
Gomez gets a lot of calls and texts from friends, but sometimes can’t fit it into his schedule.
“When I do get time I hang out and play games with friends. I find myself out to dinner with my girlfriend on the weekends or hanging out with my dog,” Gomez said. “I would love to hang out with them more often, but that’s just a challenge most people [my] age face.”
As for his goals, Gomez is eager to play in the championship game, “We just have to take it one game at a time.”