La Crosse's Garcia finds motivation from father

11/13/2008

By CONOR NICHOLL

cnicholl@dailynews.net

Just before the La Crosse football team took the field at St. Francis on Saturday, senior quarterback Jeremy Garcia left the team huddle and jogged over to the sideline, about 15 yards from his teammates.

Garcia hugged his dad, Mario, and received a "good luck," a tradition for Jeremy since his freshman year with the Leopards.

"He is my motivation through my whole life," Garcia said. "He has been there for everything, all of the ups and downs, and I have always gone to him because he is the guy that I look up to every day."

The Garcias have formed a strong family bond around sports, ties that started in Miami and have continued in La Crosse.

Jeremy's older brother, Joey, was the Leopards' former quarterback and Shrine Bowl pick and earned all-conference honors at Dodge City Community College this season. Jeremy, two years younger, also has a sixth-grade brother Jack, and a third-grade sister, Emma.

"We are really into our sports and mainly our football," Jeremy said.

The family forms a base for Garcia, the Leopards' starting quarterback and linebacker. Garcia has helped La Crosse start 11-0 for the second time in three years and earn a No. 2 ranking in Class 2-1A in the statewide media poll.

They'll face Smith Center, 10-0 and on a 64-game winning streak, at home at 7 p.m. on Friday in a sectional contest.

Garcia, in his second year as the starter after he took over for his brother, has emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in his classification for a Leopards' squad that averages 50 points per game. He has completed 74 of 115 passes for 1,176 yards and 20 touchdowns against eight interceptions.

Garcia also has rushed for 459 yards and seven touchdowns. In the 38-30 win against St. Francis, Garcia had 199 total yards, including a season-high 119 on the ground.

"I tell the coaches all the time, if there was one kid that I wasn't worried about playing in the big game, it's him," La Crosse coach Ryan Cornelsen said. "He has proven to me in the last four years, the bigger the game the better he is going to play. His best game every year has always been the big ones."

Garcia is one of the top offensive threats on the Leopards' offense. Senior running back Marshall Musil, a University of Oklahoma signee, has 1,247 rushing yards, averages 12.7 yards per carry, has collected 458 receiving yards and has scored 27 touchdowns. Sophomore Marcus Moeder (924 rushing yards) and senior Corey Torrez (1,296 all purpose yards) also are threats.

"(Musil) is not the only one," Smith Center coach Roger Barta said. "The quarterback (Garcia) we think is good. The receiver (Torrez) we think is good and for a sophomore (Moeder) is pretty good and they have got a couple of linemen. It's a challenge."

Garcia, one of the team's four captains, has emerged as a focal point for La Crosse.

"Musil and Garcia are our leaders," freshman Tayler Stull said.

Garcia comes from a strong football background -- and was one of a few players not to be born in western Kansas. Mario Garcia was a linebacker at Miami Senior High before he earned a college football scholarship at St. Mary of the Plains College in Dodge City. Mario met his wife in Dodge City and the two moved back to Miami.

Joey and Jeremy were both born in south Florida and the Garcias lived there for several years before the family moved to La Crosse.

Jeremy grew up with football, especially cheering for the Miami Hurricanes and the Miami Dolphins. He remembers many of the great Cane players, including Clinton Portis, Ken Dorsey and Andre Johnson. The family would play football on Sunday afternoons.

"We have grown up with that," Jeremy said. "That is all I have known, really."

At La Crosse, Garcia started the pregame hug with his dad as a freshman. He also brings home his scouting report every Monday night and looks over it with Mario.

"I make sure he always sees it, so he knows what our scheme is going to be and what we are going to do," Jeremy said. "We really get into that."

Mario, who delivers coffee throughout southwest Kansas, normally gets back home around seven or eight at night. Jeremy will see his dad -- and Mario never misses a game.

"I always make sure I talk to him," Jeremy said.

On the field, Garcia is known for his style of play and demeanor. As a junior, Garcia rushed for 441 yards and six touchdowns in his first year after starting at receiver earlier in his career. He also passed for 727 yards and 13 TDs.

Helped by summer camps and the Leopards' all-around talent, Garcia has improved this season. The 3-1 touchdown/interception ratio ranks as one of the best in the state.

"He plays a lot faster than he actually is because he plays hard and he plays with a lot of desire," Cornelsen said. "He plays a lot faster than he really is because he plays hard and he plays with a lot of desire and he looks fast on the field. It's more desire than it is just pure speed."

That ability comes from his dad. During the game, Jeremy will occasionally look over to his dad on the sideline.

"I play with a lot of heart and it all comes from him, play with heart, play with pride and desire," Jeremy said. "He is just that one guy who keeps me going the whole game."

Against St. Francis, the Leopards were labeled "really, really undersized" by La Crosse center Logan Owens. Still, Garcia remembered his dad's comments concerning bigger teams.

"We knew they were big, but my dad was telling me size doesn't matter," Jeremy said. "He always tells me, I don't care how big they are. That's true. I knew we were big and just going to have to attack and be physical with them because I knew they were a physical team coming in."

Last Saturday, Jeremy had his father and his brother on the sidelines for the game. Joey has come back for several contests, including Meade in Week 9 and St. Francis. The two normally talk once a week during the football season.

"I really like having him there because it just gives me a little bit more confidence," Jeremy said. "Him watching me just helps me out a lot."

Garcia completed 6-of-9 passes and delivered 199 total yards, his second-highest output all year and most since Week 5.

On the way home, Garcia rode home with a friend, his grandfather, Joey and Mario. Garcia, who turned 18 on Saturday, received about 50 text messages as they discussed the win and the upcoming week -- another family tradition.

"We talked about the game and how exciting it is, No. 1 vs. No. 2 (this Friday)," Garcia said. "It was a fun atmosphere."