Griffith senior Rosalio Cortez has various talents and interests.
But he boils it down to a singular focus.
“I make everything about football,” Cortez said. “When I’m on my free time, I watch film on who we’re going up against or on myself, just to get better.
“I’ve worked on my craft any time I could get, whether it’s at the school doing football workouts or on my own time at a field. Just getting work in.”
That work has paid dividends for Cortez. In his third season as a starter, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound defensive end/tight end has 45 tackles with 15 for loss, eight sacks, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. Those totals all pace the Panthers (6-1, 2-0), who close the regular season with back-to-back Greater South Shore Conference South games before they embark on what Cortez hopes will be a long postseason run.
“He’s just a great leader and a great player,” Griffith coach Phil Mason said. “He’s just a guy that deserves everything he gets.”
Cortez, who is in his second year as sports editor of the Panther Press student newspaper, noted the trajectory the team has followed in Mason’s three seasons. The Panthers went 3-7 when Cortez was a sophomore and improved to 9-2 last season, when they lost to Knox in the Class 3A sectional semifinals.
“We’ve been elevating,” Cortez said. “Last year was an amazing year, but it came to an abrupt end, ended real fast. Now it’s the third year, this is the year where something has to happen. It’s the new standard we have to set.”
Griffith, a proud program, last won a sectional title in 2008 under iconic coach Russ Radtke, whose 19 seasons leading the program included the 1997 4A state title. Cortez realizes Knox, with Radtke as its coach, again shapes up as the Panthers’ highest hurdle in the sectional.
“I want us to bring home some hardware this year, show off what we’ve done the past three years, all the work,” Cortez said. “Win conference, then prepare for a sectional run. Go far.
“It’s a special group. We’ve been together since we were younger, so we know the ins and outs of each other. I just feel good about our mindset. We’re in the same place to get everything done.”
Cortez wasn’t feeling too good for the latter part of the offseason. He suffered a strained right Achilles over the summer and missed close to two months. He sat out Griffith’s scrimmage against Hobart but returned for the season opener against Highland.
Cortez said he gets it taped “every day” and doesn’t “feel it that much,” although his limited time at tight end to concentrate on defense is a nod to load management. He has still improved upon his production from last season, when he posted 53 tackles with six for loss, four sacks, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.
Cortez started competing in sprints and shot put in the spring in an effort to boost his football performance.
“I want to fulfill my potential as a player,” he said. “I want to play at the next level, and you have to put in the work to get to the next level.
“Track definitely helped with the little things, the explosiveness, taking the right steps everywhere you go.”
Cortez consistently does the right things.
“He’s a powerhouse on defense,” Griffith senior linebacker Moses Velez said. “I look back and watch the film every day, and I just watch him swim move, throw offensive linemen all the time. It’s crazy. When he used to play tight end, he would just throw everybody, too, down block. He was like a wall himself.
“He’s a good leader too. He really stepped up when we needed somebody. I get mad, but he’s always calm out there. He’s a pitch-perfect leader.”
Velez also highlighted Cortez’s commitment.
“He’s been here with the program from the start,” Velez said. “He’s really dedicated himself. He used to play basketball but stopped just to dedicate himself to football. That really took him to the next level.”
Velez turned a bit sheepish as he elaborated on Cortez’s impact.
“I look up to him,” Velez said. “What I see him do, I want to be like him.”
Cortez takes his leadership role seriously.
“Ever since I got the captain role for defense this year, I’ve been trying to elevate everybody,” he said. “I’ve been with this defense since it first happened, when coach Mason came, so I just want everybody to know what I know so we all can be on the same page so our defense is one big unit as a whole.
“As a whole, the team is where we want to be. Everything’s coming together.”