MISSION — Mission Veterans senior AJ Gonzaque received his first taste of the big stage at 11 years old.
Gonzaque and the Mission Mustangs, a Texas Youth Football Association (TYFA) team based in the Rio Grande Valley, reached the 2014 TYFA Juniors Division I state championship game. A camera crew followed along on their journey to capture every moment to air on the Esquire Network. The popular reality television series documenting youth football in Texas then found a home on Netflix.
The Mustangs eventually lost the state championship game 18-16. The deciding play shaped Gonzaque’s mentality since.
Gonzaque’s team trailed by two with under 20 seconds to play with the ball 11 yards away from the end zone. The fourth-down play was drawn up to go his way.
“Jeremy (Duran) threw the ball, it hit my hands, two guys hit me from the back and I dropped the ball. Ever since that ball that I dropped, my mentality changed to where I wasn’t going to drop a single ball after that,” Gonzaque said. “Any ball that went in the air, I was going to make sure that I got it, whether I was double-covered, triple-covered, singled up, that ball was going to be mine. I think it was a big blessing in disguise because it took my mentality to a different level.”
Since then, Gonzaque has done everything on the football field, and done it at a high-level. This season, he lined up at receiver, quarterback and cornerback on his way to earning the title of The Monitor’s All-Area Football All-Purpose Player of the Year.
“Whenever I line up, I want to make sure I’m the best player on the field. Not just at the wide receiver position, but at every position and every aspect of the game,” he said.
Gonzaque finished his career with 2,731 receiving yards, 1,288 passing yards, 538 rushing yards and 61 total touchdowns. He also delivered a loaded reel of highlight plays, even though he was routinely double-covered and sometimes triple-covered by defenses.
“I see more people for my highlight film,” Gonzaque said.
His one-handed snag for a touchdown against Mission High, his Hail Mary touchdown catch in triple coverage against Sharyland Pioneer, and his three-touchdown day against Edcouch-Elsa stand out as memorable moments for Gonzaque this season.
“None of those plays are able to happen without a great offensive line and without a great quarterback to let that ball go for me to make those catches. When the ball is in the air, I’m not letting a single soul lock me up,” he said. “I just want it a lot more than anyone else. I got to find a way to make the catch. That’s my mentality going into every ball.”
What drives him the most, however, is the memory of his late grandfather, Ernesto Cano.
“When I was 6 years old, I remember watching the Dallas Cowboys versus the Philadelphia Eagles and my grandpa was in his recliner. Growing up, I didn’t have a dad; my family is super small,” Gonzaque said. “At the time, it was just my grandpa, my grandma, my mom and my aunt and uncle. We all lived in a little house too.”
After Dallas Cowboys receiver Miles Austin, No. 19, scored a touchdown against the Eagles, Gonzaque’s grandfather, sitting in his recliner, turned to his grandson.
“You see that? You’re going to be playing in that stadium one day. It might be for the Cowboys or it might be someone else, but I’m going to be there when you’re playing in that stadium,” Cano said.
“When he passed, it just stuck with me. There’s times I’ll talk to him,” said Gonzaque, who has a tattoo of his grandfather on his right arm.
In January, Gonzaque was presented the opportunity to play at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, twice.
The first was part of the Pylon 7-on-7 All-American Game, featuring the top 42 high school football prospects in the nation. Then, he was chosen to play in the Blue-Grey High School All-American Game. Gonzaque scored touchdowns in both games.
“When I went to the Pylon 7-on-7, or the Blue-Grey All-American game, I’ll take a step back and I’ll think about it and have my talk with him and just say that, ‘I’m one step closer. I’m a couple steps closer. It’s going to happen.’ When I scored a touchdown, I patted right on my tattoo that I have of him and I said, ‘I had him,’” Gonzaque said. “It’s something that’s deeper than football. It’s deeper than catching a ball and scoring a touchdown. That’s great, and I’m blessed to have the accomplishments that I have. For someone to look at me in the eyes, when I’m not even their son, to tell me I’m going to be great and I’m going to be special like my grandpa did, that stuck with me more than anything. That’s who I play for.”
Although his high school football career may be over, Gonzaque’s story is far from it. Next year, he’ll be suiting up for the University of Texas at San Antonio as a receiver. Tonight, he’ll make it official by signing his national letter of intent.
“It’s never over. Joining UTSA, that’s just a step closer to my dream of getting to the NFL,” Gonzaque said. “Once I get to the NFL, that’s going to be the start of something else. I’m trying to get that gold jacket. When you think of GOATs (Greatest Of All Time), you think of Terrell Owens, Jerry Rice, other guys that have come before, so I think about what I have to do to be different. That’s what I live by every day.”
