From 425 to 295, Crockett's Amado Peña-Gonzalez inspires on and off the football field

Freshman Amado Peña-Gonzalez knew he had a lifestyle problem when he joined the Crockett football team weighing 425 pounds.

It was the summer of 2020 and COVID-19 had wrapped itself around the world. Peña-Gonzalez, who tipped the scales at 300 pounds when he finished eighth grade, was secluded at home that summer. He spent much of his time eating fast food. DoorDash was on speed dial and McDonald's was his best friend.

"My order was always the same: 20-piece chicken nuggets and two large orders of fries," Peña-Gonzalez said.

According to the McDonald's website, those three menu items alone add up to 1,780 calories. To maintain a healthy body weight, the Food and Drug Administration suggests people consume 2,000 calories a day.

A lot has happened in three years. Now a senior, he has become an excellent student and football player and recently accepted an offer to play football at Southwestern University in Georgetown next season. More importantly, he made a radical change to his diet and has become a lean, mean defensive end at 295 pounds.

Peña-Gonzalez recently sat down in Crockett coach Darrick Norton's office to discuss his transformation. He no longer hears fat jokes behind his back, and he is proud of himself for the journey that helped him shed 130 pounds.

"I really never thought I'd make it this far," said Peña-Gonzalez, who made the All-District 12-5A Division II team as a junior. "My advice is to look forward. You're always going to have obstacles in your life, and you have to take advantage of the people around you and let them help you push through it."

The comeback story begins

Every comeback story has a starting point. Peña-Gonzalez began his 180-degree turnaround his sophomore year. On the final game of the regular season, he was promoted to the starting lineup for a game against Marble Falls.

"We were out of bodies (on varsity)," Norton recalled. "I told him, 'you've got to get in there, kid.' He came off the field late in the fourth quarter with a big smile on his face. It was the first time he had ever finished a game. It was like he had won the lottery."

That was the trigger that Peña-Gonzalez needed. With his mother Adela working two shifts at a women's shelter to help make ends meet, Peña-Gonzalez began to make his own meals: a protein shake in the morning and a dinner that included either chicken or baked fish with white rice and vegetables. His mother said he "discovered" squash, zucchini and broccoli. No more fried nuggets.

"It took him a minute, but he found they (vegetables) weren't as bad as he thought they were," Adela said.

Peña-Gonzalez also cut caffeinated sodas from his diet. They have been replaced by water, Sprite Zero, Gatorade and Powerade. "I started to track my calories," he said.

Peña-Gonzalez now allows himself to eat fast food only after games. He eats a small bag of potato chips two times a week to combat the cravings for junk food. He figures he has cut his calorie intake by 50% over the past three years.

He gives credit to the Crockett coaching staff and his teammates for helping him become the player he is today. They were always there to support him when he didn't feel liking doing the work. But his biggest supporter has always been Adela, a single parent for seven years who has her own struggles.

Finding inspiration from his mother

In 2009, Adela was diagnosed with bone cancer in her jawbone. She had half of her jawbone removed and needed major reconstructive surgery to replace it. An artery from her left arm was implanted in her cheek to help complete the surgery. With the exception of a small scar just above the right side of her chin, one might never know she had major surgery.

Radiation was not needed. Today she is cancer free.

But there's more.

Adela said her kidneys "are failing" and she has undergone dialysis three times a week for the past six years. She arrives at DaVita El Milagro Dialysis Unit at 4:30 a.m. for the three-hour treatment and then goes to work when it's over. She's on a national waiting list for a kidney transplant. Time is ticking, she said during last week's pep rally at Crockett.

Peña-Gonzalez has seen his mother struggle through hard times and uses that as inspiration to help his own development. His father moved to Ciudad Valles, a city of about 136,000 in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi, after he separated from Adela and does not pay child support, she said. Amado wants to make his mother proud — on the football field, in the classroom and in life.

The mother-son bond is tighter than a child's hug. That became apparent at the raucous pep rally in the school's basketball gym before last week's game against Northeast. Adela, wearing a black T-shirt that read "Amado 99" on the back, made a surprise appearance and needed help walking up the stairs. She grabbed a rail with her right hand and Amado clutched her left arm. One step at a time.

"My dialysis has made my legs weak," she said.

During a 20-minute interview in the coach's office, she talked about how her son has brought honor to the family. She also spoke about Amado's dedication to football and the grueling path it took him to become the young man he is today.

Amado, who wears glasses even during games, overheard his mother's comments. He wiped a tear from his eye. He's a proud son.

"If she can do everything she's going through, then so can I," he said.

Life was a struggle at 425 pounds

Adela, a 1995 Anderson graduate, said her son used to wear "large pullovers" to hide his obesity. He was quiet by nature and insecure about his weight. He did not want his picture taken after he crossed 400 pounds. He used to shield his weight by wearing parkas or oversized garments, even when it was warm outside.

"Once he saw the physical change in himself, it sparked an intensity and a new devotion to football," she said. "As time went on, he actually learned that he was pretty good at it. That's when he caught on and ran with it."

If you're wondering about his name, his great uncle is Amado Peña, the Mexican artist best known for paintings of Native Americans and Southwest landscapes.

Norton said he "saw something" in Peña-Gonzalez when he joined the Cougars as a freshman. Although he couldn't run very far or fast, he had a "quick burst" for five yards and "never complained" about the workload. Today he considers Peña-Gonzalez one of the leaders of a team that has won five straight games and reached the playoffs in consecutive years. The last time the Cougars reached the playoffs two straight seasons was 1987-88.

"When Amado speaks, people listen," Norton said. "He'll post things on Twitter, but it's never about himself. He says he's happy to be in the locker room with his brothers and playing with his brothers. Win or lose, it's all about his teammates."

More: As Central Texas football plays its final week, who's in, out and fighting for the playoffs

Peña-Gonzalez's effort has been noticed by the Cougars, including quarterback and team leader Cameron Dickey, a Texas Tech pledge who averages 175 yards rushing a game. Dickey and Peña-Gonzalez have been close since they enrolled in school together as freshmen.

"I'm proud of him," Dickey said. "He worked his tail off. He came here pretty big, but that didn't stop him from grinding through summers to become the person he is today."

A mother finding comfort at home with kids

Before kickoff of the Crockett-Northeast game, a young man approached Amado and Adela on the field. Adela, holding a yellow rose, told two visitors it was her youngest son, Jonathan, a fresh-faced eighth grader at Bedichek Middle School. Next year he'll be a freshman on the Crockett football field.

Amado proudly said his brother will be a better player than he has become. Jonathan, a bit shy, shakes his head. No. He then gave his mom a hug and left to find his friends in the bleachers at Burger Stadium. Adela soon followed and joined a friend as they sat in their customary seats on the front row.

Life has so many blessings, she said. You just have to find them.

"The way I look at it, I could just stay in bed all day," Adela said. "There are people who have things far worse than me. I have a home and my children, and we have everything we need. I'm still here. I'm watching them grow."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Crockett HS football player shares transformational weight loss journey