Jordan HammMaverick Gamez just leads.
In 2015, the Verrado quarterback was named a team captain despite being a backup. He is the president of Verrado’s chapter of National Honors Society and helps with the school’s unified sports program and the Special Olympics. He was a Sports360AZ 2016 first team All-Academic selection with a 4.75 GPA.
On the field, the senior threw for 2,141 yards and 17 touchdowns and led the Vipers to a victory over rival Desert Edge, the first time that has happened in school history. That was the icing on the cake for a senior who has come a long way from his freshman year.
“Physically, I was skin and bones,” Gamez said. “I’ve definitely developed a lot of strength and being around the same people and having that consistency around you for four years is great.”
Maverick, who is named after Tom Cruise’s character in the film Top Gun, styles his game after another Tom…Tom Brady. He wears #12 to give a nod to the Patriots quarterback and also looks to fellow #12s Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck when working on his game.
“The thing he needed to progress in was really just trusting himself and letting it fly,” Verrado head football Derek Wahlstrom said. “Sometimes being so intelligent can be a curse when you get out there in competition because you can overthink things. That was the greatest area of improvement, He trusted his training and trusted his teammates and just went out there and just played.”
The quarterback is committed to play at Arizona Christian University, citing the school’s strong religious education and a style of play that matches Gamez’ skill set.
Extremely blessed and excited to announce my commitment to further my faith, academics, and football career with @ACUFootball1 #RollStorm pic.twitter.com/B1ntj2ge9O
— Maverick Gamez (@MaverickGamez12) December 12, 2016
What can the Firestorm expect from their quarterback commit?
“Definitely throwing some weight around,” Gamez said. “I know at the next level, everyone is bigger, faster and stronger and I’m going to put everything I have to make sure I am bigger, faster and stronger to compete and excel at the next level as I did here.”
