Austin Castillo had just failed – seemingly for the first time on a large scale. He was thrown into the deep end of the pool, forced to sink or swim. He sank – not before treading water and putting up an admirable fight – but ultimately it wasn’t enough. Thrown into the crucial moments of a district title fight against the Frenship Tigers at quarterback, Castillo was put to the test. Starter Collin Bowen, who had established himself as a contender for district 3-4A offensive MVP, had just gone down with what was later diagnosed as a broken collarbone.
Castillo entered the game late in the third quarter with the Raiders leading 28-17. As the clock hit all zeroes at the games end, Frenship led 29-28. Castillo came into the game and ended three drives, all with fumbles. One led to a Frenship touchdown drive. Another was returned for a touchdown to give the Tigers the lead. The Raiders again obtained possession with 5:39 seconds left to play. Castillo found his composure and led a 12 play, 68-yard drive to set the Raiders up for a game-winning field goal. Brad Wilkerson’s kick sailed 3 feet wide of the right upright with :02 on the clock. It was over.
Despite this, through every storm comes the opportunity for triumph. Castillo seized his opportunity. In the next two games against Hereford and Little Elm, Castillo led the Raiders to wins and returned to the standard of success he sets for himself in every aspect of life. However, for Castillo, the story of triumph goes back two years prior when he was cut from the basketball program. Having played football his entire life up until high school, Castillo made the decision to get back into the game during the offseason of his sophomore year.
“I missed not playing sports and being able to compete with my friends,” Castillo said. “It felt like a part of my life was missing, so I felt like getting back into football was the right decision. At first, I was behind speed and strength wise, but I was fine as far as the basic concepts of the game.”
Still, playing football the way he had been accustomed to did not come without its share of challenges. Castillo broke his arm during two-a-days before his junior season. This injury forced him to miss eight games and kept him from playing quarterback, instead focusing at safety. In his junior season, Castillo played in only two games, both at the JV level. The following offseason, Castillo decided he wanted to quit.
“I didn’t like it,” Castillo said. “I wasn’t having fun. So I went to talk with [head coach Bryan] Wood about it. We sat and talked and it came down to him asking me ‘So you won’t miss [football] at all?’ I sat there for a long time before finally saying ‘no.’ Then he looked at me and said ‘You’re not ready to quit. Comeback when you really mean it and we can make it happen.’”
“I ended up changing my mind because I had put so much hard work into getting back in the game. I wanted to stick it out and see how things went before making a decision that would affect the rest of my high school career.”
After making the decision to keep playing, Castillo ended up earning a starting spot at safety going into the 2011 season. Castillo said he made the right decision and has never had more fun playing football.
“I’ve enjoyed it a lot,” Castillo said. “At the beginning of the year, I got a chance to really focus on playing defense. As the season has progressed, it’s been so much fun to be on a winning team. At Westover, we were never really that good, but having so much success has made the game more enjoyable.”
Winning is certainly something Castillo had become used to, whether it being on the field, in the classroom, or in social life. Still, that fateful night against Frenship put Castillo through a learning experience in the rawest form.
“As soon Collin [Bowen] went down and I found out I was in at quarterback, I actually wasn’t that nervous,” Castillo said. “I had a ‘let’s do this’ mentality. I felt good, but I really wasn’t used to playing the position. I hadn’t played meaningful snaps at quarterback in a game at all in high school. It was basically going from eighth grade B team straight to varsity.”
Castillo said the loss was hard to swallow.
“I felt terrible,” Castillo said. “I put all the blame on myself. I felt like I lost the game for us. It was hard to sleep knowing what happened that night. Luckily, I had a lot of support. Coach Wood talked to me on the bus and my teammates said they were proud I gave us an opportunity to win.”
The following week, with Bowen out for the season, Castillo was deemed the new leader of the offense. He said it was exciting getting that type of opportunity.
“I had been practicing and watching Collin [Bowen] play all year, so I knew our offensive gameplan,” Castillo said. “I was excited to get the chance and I knew I had to work on my skills before we got into playoffs.”
The next week against Hereford, Castillo led the team to a 41-3 win. He went 7-12 passing with 106 yards and a touchdown. He also gained 44 rushing yards on six carries.
“That was definitely a confidence boost,” Castillo said. “It also gave us a lot of momentum heading into playoffs.”
With just one game as a starter under his belt, Castillo was now faced with the prospect of playing quarterback in a playoff game. The Raiders played Little Elm in the Region I-4A bi-district round. Castillo said he felt pressure, but knew his teammates would set him up for success.
“There was definitely pressure,” Castillo said. “I knew our defense would keep us in the game, and I have the best offensive line in our district as well as a great receiving corps. I didn’t have to do too much, just do my job and help the team win.”
Castillo went on to complete seven of eight passes en route to a 35-21 win, sending the Raiders to area for the second consecutive season. And that’s just part the story. Castillo worked his way to success on the football field while still maintaining a 99 GPA and being named class favorite and Homecoming King.
“I’m just the type of person who wants to do my best in everything,” Castillo said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s school or playing quarterback or doing anything else.”
Ranked sixth in his class of over 330, Castillo said the intelligence he has displayed in the classroom translates to the football field, but also makes life stressful at times.
“There are a lot of plays where I have to be able to read coverage and defensive tackles,” Castillo said. “You have to be able know what’s going on and make smart choices.”
“Practice usually runs until 6:30, and I’m already exhausted. By the time I eat and everything it’s late but I still have homework to work on. Then you get up the next day and repeat the cycle.”
Despite being self-described as shy and laid-back, Castillo has still won the awards of class favorite the last two years and Homecoming King. He said these honors don’t change anything about him.
“It’s exciting at the time,” Castillo said. “But it really doesn’t matter. It’s just a small event in the grand scheme of things.”
As for the future, Castillo said he plans on attending the University of Texas and pursuing a business degree. However, Castillo’s current focus is on keeping his team’s playoff run going.
“I want to do whatever I can for the team and keep us going where Collin left off,” Castillo said. “I know I can’t outdo him, but I can fill his spot as best I can to help us win.”
