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Crimson Pride

Contributed Photo by David Silverman

Avon Park alumnus Josue Ortiz 48 makes a move around an offensive lineman during Harvard's junior varsity game against Brown in Providence, R.I., earlier this season.

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By CHRIS HOFFMAN

Highlands Today

Published: November 3, 2008

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - According to legend, touching the shoe of John Harvard's statue outside University Hall will bring a student luck.

But former Avon Park football player Josue Ortiz has made his own good fortune since his early-morning bike rides to football practice as a young boy in Highlands County.

Ortiz, a 2007 AP graduate and Highlands Today's All-Heartland Defensive Player of the Year, has acclimated well to the rigors of the classroom and the football field since setting foot on the campus of Harvard University last year after earning a full scholarship to the prestigious Ivy League university.

"The workload can really overwhelm some students if they let it," Ortiz said during a recent phone interview with Highlands Today. "It was a juggling act for me when I first arrived.

"When training camp begins, it's all football and that's all you're concentrating on, but the hardest part of the year is when classes begin and you have to find the balance between your studies and the 40- to 60-hour commitment to the football team."

Injuries have slowed Oriz - who starts at defensive end for the Crimson junior varsity squad - since early in his freshman season, when a weightlifting session turned into a medical redshirt.

"I had hurt myself against DeSoto my senior year at Avon Park," Oritz said. "I played with some pain the rest of the season and all through wrestling and didn't think anything of it. But while lifting weights here at Harvard it really began to bother me and an X-ray showed a broken bone in my left wrist."

Forever the optimist, Ortiz made the best out of his medical situation.

"The injury last year really helped me get used to the academic side of being a student at Harvard," Ortiz said. "I wasn't as challenged at Avon Park by the classes as I am here at Harvard and I think having that time to focus on my studies better prepared me for this year."

Another perk of sitting on the sidelines is being able to soak up a wealth of knowledge from a trio of All-Ivy League defensive ends, led by captain Matt Curtis, who gave high praise to former Red Devil.

"Josue is a great kid and one of the most interesting people I've met in a long time," Curtis said. "He is very well-rounded and is also going to be a great football player for the Crimson."

Curtis was asked what he sees in Ortiz on the football field and how well he's handled the transition to the major college level competition.

"Ortiz has the combination of strength and speed that's key to being successful at this level," Curtis said. "The game is much faster and the schemes more complex in college. For me, I really had to get used to the style of play. You can't outmuscle most of the kids like you can in high school - you've got to outsmart your opponent."

New Places And Faces

The opportunity to travel has been a huge plus since attending Harvard, and Ortiz has visited numerous states, including New Hampshire and Rhode Island, but his favorite trip so far has been to New York City.

The AP grad walked around Wall Street, saw Ground Zero and sat in awe of the historic Statue of Liberty.

"Florida is so big that it takes you a while just to get to anywhere," Ortiz said. "You normally would just drive someplace in the state.

"But living here, I can take public transportation to another state. I don't even need a car and I can be in New Hampshire. There's so much history up here that I want to make sure I see as much as I can while I'm a student."

An Eye On Home

Ortiz was a superstar athlete and a superstar student while attending Avon Park.

The Avon Park valedictorian lettered in both football and wrestling, he was first-team all-state in football and was the district and regional champion in wrestling, placing third at the state wrestling finals.

Ortiz's day is pretty full during football season, between weightlifting, practices and film sessions not to mention a full class load, and the Harvard defensive end has little time for outside distractions.

But he still makes time to stay in contact with what's happening with the Red Devils.

"Coach Dwayne Council keeps me up to date with what's going on," Ortiz said. "We became pretty close while I was there: I credit him for helping me become a better football player and helping me reach my goal of playing at Harvard.

"It's really nice to see that Coach Andy Bonjokian has the team headed in the right direction. I hope I'll hear of a win over Sebring this year."

A Part Of History

Ortiz, who is undecided on his major but is leaning toward an economics degree, witnessed first-hand the spectacle that is the Harvard/Yale football game last year, as 60,000 screaming fans saw the Crimson defeat their archrivals 37-6 in New Haven, Conn.

This year, Harvard Stadium will be overflowing with Crimson fans and Ortiz is hoping he'll get a chance to play in the 125th meeting between the two Ivy League schools.

"There is so much tradition here at Harvard," Ortiz said. "Just being able to play in that game against Yale is a real honor. Since Harvard only plays 10 games each year, the Yale game is our bowl game. We treat it like we're playing for a national championship and the anticipation leading up to that game is electric."

Ortiz works hard on and off the field as he waits for his name to be called, all the while not taking for granted the river of experience that his senior defensive players have gladly bestowed upon him.

"I'm learning something new every day when I'm out on that field and making sure I'm ready to go when Coach Tim Murphy calls my number," Ortiz said. "My goal is to be a starter next season and help continue the level of excellence that Matt and the other defensive players have maintained during their time here."

When asked about what it means to be a part of the history of Harvard football, the pride that Ortiz feels can still be felt.

"I never regret making the decision to come to Harvard," Ortiz said. "This team is really like a big family. We share competition together and also are there for each other.

"I knew from the first day that I finally found a place where I fit in."

Chris Hoffman can be reached at 863-386-5827 or at choffman@highlandstoday.com.

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