Student-Athlete of the Week – Cannon Espinoza
The DCA Conquerors are on a new wave. They brought in a new head coach, have a lot of new talent. But they also have one senior in particular, Cannon Espinoza. Which they hope is the new standard of DCA football.
“He is the epitome of a student athlete, he’s a captain, he’s a senior, he’s a leader,” said head coach Anthony Linebaugh. “He leads by example. He is a rare young man who has personal goals but also has team goals as well that supersedes those. He has a strong family and has been a wonderful leader for our program.”
“It’s a very physical sport. Everyone can play it but not everyone can be good at it,” said Cannon Espinoza. “So if you really want to go out there you have to be ready to put your put your body on the line. That’s what I love so much about it.”
Espinoza’s role on this team is immense. He is the starting middle linebacker, full back, and plays special teams. He rarely comes off the field.
“If your team needs you to play all three sides then you have to play all three sides no matter how tired you are going to be. Once the game is over you can get as much rest as you want,” said Espinoza.
Espinoza comes from a family of athletes. His grandfather is hall of fame, legendary boxing coach Lee Espinoza.
“I tried out boxing for my Grandpa, and now for my senior year I went back to football,” said Espinoza.
Cannon choosing football this year was a true blessing for the Conquerors.
“It’s a rare combination when you have someone that is a good athlete but they want to be better they want to be coached,” said Linebaugh.
“It seems like every single week a new person comes in,” said Espinoza. “So a lot of people that we can teach to bring up so that when us and the other seniors are gone we are going to leave a very good trail for the Conquerors behind us.”
“He meant what he said about we want to leave a legacy we want to teach those who are going to come up after us what it is like to truly have pride in the program,” said Linebaugh.
There is only one way Cannon and the Conquerors are moving and that’s forward.
Nominate the next student-athlete of the week!
If you know a local senior in high school who fulfills the requirements, email nominations to bailey.arredondo@kesq.com or share@kesq.com.
The student-athlete of the week segment airs every Tuesday on KESQ News Channel 3.
