After Stansbury’s dominating 72-13 victory over Pine View, I had the opportunity to have a chat with Stansbury Senior Slot Receiver and Cornerback combo Austin Olivares about how he feels he and his team are doing this season.
How long have you been playing football?
“I have been playing football for about 11 years now, as long as I can remember,” Olivares said. “I started when I was seven, at Olympus High School. It was so much fun!”
What caused you to become a Receiver/Corner?
“Well, I wasn’t just put in the spot,” Olivares said. “I remember I started out as a lineman… but I’ve always loved defense, and at corner, you really get to run. I’m alright at catching the ball, but I think it’s better if I can just hit it. I’ve just been doing corner most of the time. I’ve always practiced, and I’ve had some personal coaches… throughout the years. I’ve just been trying to improve over that time.”
How long have you been playing varsity?
“This is my second year,” Olivares said. “I dressed last year as a junior, and that was a blast! I got to hang out with the team and all the seniors. It was so much fun!”
How do you feel about your individual performance in this game?
“I feel like I did good,” Olivares said. “I wasn’t called on. My guy only got thrown the ball to once. He was open one time from what I remember, but they didn’t throw the ball at him. I did good on kickoff and everything went well.”
How do you feel the team performance was this game?
“I think the team did great!” Olivares said. “It was 71-13? Even more! I think the team did fantastic! We stopped the run, the only two touchdowns that they scored were when we switched in the other JV guys and they were both throws. The team did fantastic, not letting them progress, and plus on offense, just driving it down the field. It was so much fun!”
What do you think of Mateaki Helu?
“It’s insane,” Olivares said. “I don’t even care that he’s from Tooele… he’s awesome, and I’m pretty sure he loves being with the team. We have a real family here. Mateaki specifically is a really good running back. He always does his best.”
What do you think of Easton Baker?
“Easy’s been on the team starting varsity since his freshman year,” Olivares said. “He’s pretty fun, honestly. He’s a really nice guy, genuinely nice. He really just wants to be on the field, and he loves when he gets his playing time. I think his go-to move is taking out the person directly in front of him. There were a couple of those plays where the running back got up the center, but couldn’t take any more than two steps before he blew him up!”
How do you feel about the team going forward this season?
“I think we have a really good chance,” Olivares said with hope. “I’m a little worried because compared to last year, we got to the semifinals, and that’s a pretty high standard, so we’re going to really try our best to go all the way.”
Austin Olivares is excited for the season in many different ways. He is excited for the games against both the Ridgeline Riverhawks and the Skyline Grizzlies (Idaho) considering they are both 4A defending champions, but of different states. He and the Stallions will return to action on August 19, 2022 at 7 p.m. when they host Ridgeline.