When head coach Mark Soto and associate head coach Gilbert Rodriguez came from Judson to San Marcos in 2012, they wanted to find ways for their student-athletes to earn more recognition.
They came across the Greater Austin chapter of the National Football Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes the development of scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement through amateur football. The pair of coaches decided that each year, they would nominate one of their players to be inducted into the Foundation.
On May 19, senior safety Therrance Soto made the 36-mile journey north to the Frank Erwin Center in Austin to hear his name called at the chapter’s 27th annual awards dinner.
“It was crazy,” Therrance said. “They had it at the Frank Erwin Center and they had a lot of famous (University of Texas at Austin) people there. There was (Craig Way), who announces the games and he sounds just how he does at the games. He announced our bios and it was really cool.”
NFF states that its mission is to grow “the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, competitive zeal and the drive for academic excellence” through football. Rodriguez said the coaches chose Therrance for the honor because he fit the mold of what they expect out of each of their players.
“We nominated Soto because like I said, we look at somebody who can do it well and can do it right both on and off the field,” Rodriguez said. “Not just on the field, not just off the field. You need to be a full, complete student-athlete.”
Soto was a two-year letterman for the Rattlers, earning 14-6A Defensive Newcomer of the Year as a junior and All-District first team honors this season, leading the team with 112 total tackles. He holds a 3.8 GPA, ranks 61st in his class and was named to the academic All-State first team this year. He committed to Texas Lutheran University on National Signing Day February 6 and will join the Bulldogs in August.
The safety said he had never been a part of anything like the NFF and enjoyed the recognition he received.
“I had never heard about it before until Coach Soto and Coach (Rodriguez) talked to me about it (in February),” Therrance said. “It’s just kind of a way you get to represent your school as an athlete who is good at academics.”
Rodriguez couldn’t remember the exact number of San Marcos players that have been inducted to the Foundation since 2012 (“about four”) but said that Soto continuing the tradition shows they are doing things right.
“It just tells you that, here in San Marcos, they’re about as smart as they get, too,” Rodriguez said. “It doesn’t matter really where you are from. It just speaks volumes of what kind of student-athletes we have here in San Marcos.”
