Eric Briseno made the most of his opportunities with the Rochelle Township High School varsity football team this past season. While he was only a sophomore, Briseno stepped up for the Hubs when multiple starters in the offensive backfield were sidelined with injuries.

Briseno’s breakout performance came midway through the 2019 season, when he took seven carries for 57 yards and the first rushing touchdown of his varsity career against Sandwich. Briseno finished the season ranking fourth on the Hubs with 39 carries and 188 rushing yards. Now a junior, Briseno said his goals for next year are to add muscle and play with confidence.

“I’m looking forward to having more confidence and putting more muscle on so I can become a better athlete,” Briseno said. “My goals are to gain weight, be more confident, be faster and be a better teammate. As a team, we need to be a family and trust one another. I felt that I performed alright this past year, but I definitely need to play with more confidence.”

Briseno grew stronger as the season progressed this past year. He totaled nine carries for 58 yards against Plano before adding a season-high 12 carries for 40 yards in Rochelle’s double-overtime win over Ottawa. Briseno also chipped in one catch for 6 yards in 2019.

After averaging nearly 5 yards per carry, Briseno will compete for a starting role in the backfield when the Hubs eventually take the field this coming season. Briseno, who first took up football in seventh grade, says he enjoys the energy the game brings him.

“My role last year as an underclassman was to give the upperclassmen everything I had, especially the seniors who were in their last seasons,” Briseno said. “This season, my role is to be a good teammate and do as much as I can to help our team dominate and get the win. I enjoy the thrill of the game and I think the game benefits me in a lot of ways.”