Silence filled his mind as senior Alvin Kim, playing linebacker on defense, intercepted a pass during the first home football game against Hillsdale on Aug. 29. Clenching the ball, he was determined to score. Though everything seemed quiet to him for a few moments, Kim felt the crowd erupt in excitement as he entered the endzone.

This year is Kim’s first year playing football at a high school level. As a senior rookie on varsity, Kim has already had impressive performances against both Hillsdale and Santa Clara as both linebacker and running back.

“I couldn’t ask for a better guy to be on  team,” said head football coach Tim Lugo. “In the game against Santa Clara, [Kim] was able to step up, rushing 192 yards, which gave us the biggest play right when we needed it.”

So far Kim has seen the work needed to succeed in football.

“Playing football is worth all the sweat and hard work and I get to play with all of my brothers,” Kim said.  

Kim is not entirely new to football, however. He spent much of middle school playing Pop Warner, a youth football league in the Bay Area. However, because of other time commitments, Kim stopped participating in football when he entered high school.

He devoted his first three years of high school to playing basketball. When senior year came along, he decided to pick up football once again.

So far, Kim said he has been able to juggle the two sports, classes and college applications through smart time management. Kim tries to get all of his homework done during tutorials so that he has more time at night.

From reviewing plays to spending time conditioning, Kim is constantly preparing for games during the season. And over the summer, Kim and his teammates participated at Cal Camp at UC Berkeley where they trained daily to get in shape for the season, especially important because of the team’s high-speed no-huddle offense.

By attending the Berkeley camp, members of the team were able to get back in shape and practice this new style. “[The camp] really helped me get back into rhythm and realize that high school football is definitely a different pace [from Pop Warner],” Kim said.

Even though Kim is new to the team, he has forged strong friendships.

Junior punter Abhiram Yellamilli said Kim is someone “you can always count on him to lift other teammates’ up.” Kim has also shared his leadership and motivation with members of  the JV team.

“He’s a natural leader and is always helping [young players] on and off the field,” said sophomore defensive back Aidan Peck. “When our team didn’t do well, he would compliment us on the [highlights] and tell us how to improve for next time.”

So far, Kim has proved to be a key addition to the team and hopes to improve more as the season progresses.

“We're a young team, which is [not necessarily] a bad thing because it means that we're going to grow,” Kim said. “I hope this season will be successful for [the entire team].”