Bulldogs sign to Greenville College
CALEXICO — After playing together on the varsity football team at Calexico High for three years, Daniel Castillo and Frank Moreno are preparing to continue competing on the gridiron together for at least four more years.
The Calexico High seniors and long-time friends signed their letters of intent earlier this week to play football at Greenville College in Illinois.
The Panthers will be receiving an offensive lineman in Castillo and a quarterback in Moreno when the two report to camp in August.
“I’m excited to continue playing,” said Moreno. “I love football. It’s my favorite thing to do. I’m looking forward to playing against and getting my education.”
The 17-year-old said he plans on studying criminal justice at the NCAA Div. III university and is looking forward to getting to know his teammates.
“I’ve been playing for 10 years, so it’s a big part of my life,” Moreno said.
Moreno and Castillo went for their official visit last month and both agreed they liked the culture of the program and the university.
“I liked how the team felt like a big family,” Moreno said. “It was like a brotherhood.”
Both players said they were each looking at opportunities to continue playing, when Castillo caught the eye of the Panther coaches.
“I asked if they had any quarterback positions open and they said yes, so Frank sent in some of his film and they picked him up too,” Castillo explained.
The 17-year-old said he was happy Moreno will also be attending Greenville as the two have been friends since kindergarten.
“It is pretty far, so I knew it’d be a little easier if we both went,” Castillo said.
When Moreno and Castillo join the Panthers later this year, they will be looking to help a team that finished with an overall record of 2-8 in 2016 and an Upper Midwest Conference record of 2-7.
The Panthers are led by Robbie Schomaker, who has helped develop 11 first team all-Conference Players, including two UMAC offensive player of the year winners and an NCCAA offensive player of the year.
While both players agree they were looking forward to suiting up for the Panthers, there were certain things they’d miss about home.
“I’ll definitely miss my friends, family and In-N-Out,” Moreno said with a laugh.
Moreno and Castillo also expressed their gratitude to their high school coaches John Tyree and Cesar Cruz.
“Coach Cruz was our offensive line and our strength and conditioning coach,” Castillo explained. “He worked with me during the off season and really helped me out a lot. I owe a lot of my success to him.” Castillo said he plans on pursuing a degree in kinesiology and said he was looking forward to playing football again in the near future.