EDINBURG — Edinburg Vela defensive coordinator Joseph Cantu jumped into action during football practice earlier this week when a SaberCats player began choking on his mouthpiece.
Sophomore defensive lineman Angel Rios was running through defensive drills during practice when a piece of his mouthpiece tore off and became lodged in his throat. Rios said he has a habit of chewing his mouthpiece, which resulted in a piece breaking loose.
“My mind went completely blank and I couldn’t breathe. I remember looking at my teammates helplessly, pointing at my throat,” Rios said. “I could not breathe, I could not talk, for a second I really thought this was it. My teammates thought I needed to throw up and said to walk off the field to do so, but it didn’t take them long to realize the situation was a bit more serious. They yelled for Coach Cantu.”
“I remember seeing Angel get into his defensive stance and then suddenly standing up, interrupting the play,” Cantu said. “He looked at his teammates, and then they yelled for me with such fear. I knew something was wrong. When I saw Angel, he stood silent, terrified, but unable to express it. He just pointed to his throat in a panic, and that’s when I knew he was choking.”
Cantu proceeded to perform the Heimlich maneuver on Rios, a move learned through training with ECISD and athletic trainer Jaime Tovar.
“I arrived at the scene shortly after I heard the kids call for help. I saw Coach Cantu performing the Heimlich maneuver from a distance and knew that something terrible was happening,” Tovar said. “Thankfully, when I got there, Angel had spat up his mouthpiece.”
“It was such a relief. I really would like to thank God for Coach. If he hadn’t been there, I’m not sure what would have happened,” Rios said.
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“I’d personally like to thank ECISD for training us for situations like these and thank our athletic trainer Jaime Tovar for enforcing mandatory additional training twice a year,” Cantu said. “I’m grateful for those requirements, because it not only saved a life, but it allowed Angel to continue doing what he loves doing, playing football.”
Robert Vela High School principal Michele Peña is proud of the heroism displayed by her staff.
“When I received the call from Mr. Tovar, it was just a frightening situation, but the fact that the nearest coach did not hesitate to save a life makes me proud as a principal,” she said. “Our coaches are trained for situations such as these. You hope that they do not happen, but I take immense pride in knowing that our staff is ready for it when they are.”
