Are you ready for a trip to Lopez Island? Okay, well maybe you’ve never heard of it before, but ask for directions and the Gryphons of Sickles High School will point you towards your destination. Meet Senior CB/WR Adrian Lopez. This 6’0″ 185lb leader of the defense possesses all of the necessary “swag” along with the ability to create turnovers earning the right to be declared as one of NW Hillsborough’s best-kept secrets.
I caught up with Lopez during one of the final lifting sessions before Spring Break begins. This young man may be soft-spoken in many regards, but does not lack for the mentality necessary to be all alone “on the island” as it’s referred to at the CB Position. Lopez tallied 4 interceptions as well as 27 tackles on the defense last season. His confidence and his favorite style of play can be attributed to the man that started it all for a generation back in the 80’s in the form of Deion Sanders.
“I love it that he could shut down a wide receiver for a whole game.” said Lopez. When asked if he had the same affinity for tackling like Sanders, Lopez hesitated for a second and answered, “I’ll lay the hit if I have to, but I’d rather be upright so that I can be in a position to take it to the house.” I guess he really IS influenced by the man simply known these days as “Primetime.”
That’s not the only lure of playing the position however; Lopez loves the basic premise behind the position the most. “It’s just me and the wide receiver doing our thing. It’s just a case of ‘who’s the better man?'” It’s also the reason why Math is his favorite subject. “It’s simple. There’s nothing “iffy” about it. The answers are in black and white. Kind of like playing the cornerback position, you either make the play or you fail.”
I also asked if Lopez knew what a Gryphon was before he started attending Sickles. To which he simply replied with a one-word answer and a laugh. “No.” It didn’t stop him from immediately finding out what one actually is though as he was quick to point out. “We can do it all (as it relates to an actual gryphon) we can be kings on land and a beast in the sky.”
The Gryphons will need to be that as they find themselves in a loaded district with some of the Bay Area’s best teams. They open up on the road at newly-minted rivals Steinbrenner, then see a stretch of games that include King, Brandon, Armwood, Hillsborough, and Jefferson in consecutive weeks. They will end their season at their established neighborhood rival Alonso. Regardless of the schedule and graduation, Lopez thinks their under the radar status will be just fine to them.”There’s been a lot of people doubting us already this year, but the defense is going to be good, and we’re going to be good. We’ll be ready to play.”
Looks like someone is ready for visitors to Lopez Island. Admission is free, but enter at your own risk. Oh yeah, and don’t feed the Gryphon.