Mario Gonzalez, starting quarterback for Central Valley High School’s football team, is feared to have suffered a season-ending injury for the second year in a row.
He had an MRI on his right knee this past week.
“I’m still waiting for the results,” the 5-foot-8 155-pound senior said. “If it’s an ACL tear, I’m going to have to have surgery.”
“I feel terrible for him,” head coach Derrick Goblirsch said. “Mario was our leader on the field. Offensively, we leaned on him. He was our field general. He’s still a big part of our team even though he’s not playing.”
Gonzalez injured his knee in the third quarter of Central Valley’s 42-20 win over Modesto High on Sept. 8.
He threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns, both career-high totals, and rushed for 45 yards and one TD before exiting the game.
“I was running and I got tackled,” he said. “My knee got swollen really fast. I can’t put weight on it.”
Gonzalez broke his left collarbone in Central Valley’s 21-20 loss to crosstown-rival Ceres High during the third week of the 2022 campaign.
“It’s hard to believe,” Gonzalez said while talking about being bitten by the injury bug for the second consecutive season. “I processed it the best I could. I got great family and great friends. They support me really well.”
“I still want to play,” he added. “But I can’t. It sucks. I’m going to miss playing with my teammates and seeing all the fans cheer. It was really fun.”
Gonzalez completed 32 of 64 passes for 553 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions through Central Valley’s first four games of the 2023 season.
He rushed for 119 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries.
“Watching the team play without me is tough,” Gonzalez said.
“I still think the team is going to do great,” he added. “I hope they make the playoffs.”
Gonzalez donned a right leg brace while walking up and down the sidelines during Central Valley’s 10-0 homecoming win over El Capitan on Sept. 15 at CUSD Stadium.
“I have to stay positive for my teammates,” he said. “I’ll be going to practices and games. I’ll help the team the best I can. I’ll share my experiences.”
Marcus Nichols, Edgar Peralta, Isaac Garcia and Amir Drakeford logged playing time at quarterback in place of Darrius Jackson during Friday’s 47-40 win at Buhach Colony.
Jackson, Central Valley’s backup QB, sustained a shoulder injury against El Capitan.
“Our plan was to use one quarterback,” Goblirsch said. “But we had multiple guys ready. We rotated them in as needed.”
“We’re hopeful Darrius can come back at some point this season,” he added.
Central Valley will travel to Merced this Friday to face Central California Conference-rival Golden Valley (4-2, 1-1). Kickoff slated for 7 p.m.
