T.F. United’s Miguel Gonzalez learned early in life he needed to change a few things.
The senior libero admitted he wasn’t exactly on the right path to success.
“I’m not going to lie, when I was a little kid, I was a mischievous kid,” he said. “I was rebellious.”
Gonzalez said his family came from Mexico and his parents arrived at a young age, went to work right away and did not have the luxury of going to school. Thus, as he got a little older, the mischief and rebellion started to disappear.
“I just realized I could put my work in and actually try to do something with my life,” he said.
Gonzalez set a standard when he became the first in his family to graduate from elementary school and will add to that when he graduates from T.F. North in a few months.
He is also on track to be the class valedictorian and received a Posse Foundation scholarship to Cornell in the Ivy League, where he hopes to start an education in medicine that will lead to him eventually becoming a surgeon.
Three rounds of Posse Foundation interviews in 2023 that he described as “really, really tough” resulted in a December phone call telling him he had earned the scholarship.
“I was almost like tearing up,” Gonzalez said. “This is a big opportunity. The competition I went up against was amazing.”
Outside of the classroom, Gonzalez is involved with several clubs. Growing up, he said he played seven different sports at one time or another.
He settled on volleyball during his high school years and has been a three-year varsity member of coach Mark Misch’s team.
“Volleyball gives me a time to take a break from school,” Gonzalez said. “Even though it’s competitive and I get mad at myself if I make mistakes, it brings peace to my mind that I’m not always focusing on school.”
The libero role is often thankless but it’s one the 5-foot-7 Gonzalez embraces.
“I’m helping others achieve their greatness,” he said. “Some others may outshine me and people might not notice my passes, but knowing my passes contribute to big kills brings happiness to me.”
St. Rita’s Aidan Peloquin gets ready to serve against Sandburg during a nonconference match in Chicago on Tuesday, March 26, 2024. (Jeff Vorva / Daily Southtown)
Last ride for Peloquin
St. Rita’s opponents might think four-year varsity hitter Aidan Peloquin has been around forever, but he thinks time has gone by pretty fast. He wants to make his final season memorable.
“I’m trying to take every day remembering everything,” he said. “I told the guys it’s a senior season for 90% of us. We have to make sure we work hard to make sure we make more memories.”
Loras and Erskine are on the top of his list for colleges, but he’s waiting to make a decision.
He’s hoping to bookend his career with appearances in the state finals. As a freshman in 2021, Peloquin helped St. Rita reach the Elite Eight before the Mustangs lost to Glenbard West in the quarterfinals.
Marist’s Jack Meador gets introduced against Lincoln-Way West before a nonconference match in Chicago on Wednesday, March 27, 2024. (Jeff Vorva / Daily Southtown)
Watching Caleb Williams
While Marist’s Jack Meador wrestles with his college decision, the senior middle hitter could go the club route at USC and join his sister, Kelsey, at the West Coast school.
In the past few years, Jack has been able to attend a few football games involving potential Chicago Bears quarterback draft pick Caleb Williams and has seen mixed results.
“I’ve seen him throw a couple of touchdown passes in a game two years ago at USC, but it was a change of tone against Notre Dame,” Meador said of Williams. “I’m a Notre Dame fan, and watching him throw three picks was a great sight to see.
“But I have to flip the coin and support him now if he gets drafted by the Bears.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
