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Gonzales, TX

February 15, 2018 | Article by José Torres of the Gonzales Inquirer

It’s a tough decision trying to figure out what college to go to. Distance, academics, athletic opportunities — there are many factors to why someone may apply to a university.

For Corey Anzaldua, Southwestern Assemblies of God University [SAGU] seemed like a good fit academically. But when they offered him a spot on the football team, Anzaldua was convinced this was a match.

On National Signing Day, Anzaldua officially announced his decision to sign with SAGU, continuing his path to college athletics and perhaps a career in youth pastoring.

“I like the size of this school, it feels like I can get to all my classes at a walking distance,” he said. “Class size seems like a good spot, kind of like Gonzales classes, where I’ll actually succeed in, it’s not too big. I like how they keep faith in everything first. I have to show up to chapels, if I don’t make my chapels I won’t see playing time on the field. I like that. It’s real disciplined and real ‘Godly.’ I like it. That’s what led me to SAGU.”

The all-district defender looked at SAGU early on for academics, noting that he liked the school already.

“It just happened to be both an offer in academics [and athletics],” Anzaldua said, “and it was a blessing to get it. Once they offered me, I knew I was going.”

Anzaldua wants to major in coaching and minor in youth pastoring. He is undecided on which career path he wants to take specifically, though both are of great interest to him.

Anzaldua joins a trio of Apache athletes who all signed on National Signing Day, something that the coaching staff, as well as the Gonzales athletes, hope to be a trend.

“[Signing] means a lot,” he said. “We put a lot of work in. We’re always at the track, always at the weight room doing a lot of lifting and running. Just know that all of our hard work … a dream come true. It’s crazy. I love it.”

Anzaldua cited his dad, Isaac Anzaldua, as a big factor in signing for college football.

“My dad helped me a lot to get fixed and keep my mind right,” he said. “He also found me my recruiter, Greg Padgitt, with Future All-Stars and he led me to them. Without my dad finding me him, I don’t know if I’d be signing today. Without all his work I don’t know if I’d be signing today.”

On the academics side, Anzaldua believes that if it wasn’t for his teacher, Ms. Schurig, he wouldn’t have been able to keep up his grades after being diagnosed with dyslexia.

“At first I didn’t really know and I just thought I was going to fail a bunch because I had it” he said, “but she was able to teach me that it’s just another thing in life, I can keep pushing forward. I didn’t get diagnosed until the end of sixth grade. She told me, ‘you made it this far. You can keep going. With my help, teaching you this stuff once or twice a week…’ my grades were 70’s in junior high and ever since then I’ve had almost all A’s in everything I’ve done because of her.”

To view the article in the Gonzales Inquirer, .