Reluctant star: Gabe Escobedo emerges from Miami as Republic's Boys HS Athlete of the Year
Richard Obert
Everybody knows everyone it seems in the Globe-Miami community. But if Gabe Escobedo had it his way, he would have just hung out in the wings, satisfied with being unknown growing up.
But with every sport he played, Escobedo became the talk of the town.
He dominated in football, basketball and baseball over the last three years at Miami High School.
By the end of his career, everybody in the mining town about 80 miles east of Phoenix wanted know what it was like for Escobedo to be honored on June 11 at Grady Gammage Auditorium in Tempe as The Arizona Republic's Boys High School Athlete of the Year, capping the Arizona High School Sports Awards show.
"Everywhere I go, somebody stops and asked me about that and how cool it is," said Brandon Powell, who coached Escobedo in football and baseball.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Escobedo, who has yet to decide on a college and a sport to play, is grateful to have been chosen among the hundreds of great athletes in Arizona for the award.
"I just want to thank my friends and family and all my teammates," Escobedo said. "All my teammates helped me get this far. The coaches put in a lot of work with me, and I want to thank them for that."
Escobedo excited Miami fans with his game-changing abilities in football, basketball and baseball. He also was a top sprinter in track and field.
But none of that might have happened had he stayed at Mesa Desert Ridge High School his freshman year. He moved to the Valley to start high school but he missed his friends and decided to go to Miami, where many of his grade-school teammates were going.
He had older siblings who went to nearby Globe, where his father is a police officer.
Powell believes the big school could have swallowed Escobedo up, forced him to specialize in one sport and not emerge as the state's best all-around athlete by the end of his senior year. NAU has shown interest in him for football, and Mesa Community College in basketball, though he still hasn't received any official offers.
"I think it really benefited him being at a small school," Powell said.
But it wasn't until the end of football season, a sport in which he had to move from wide receiver to quarterback with the graduation of Ryan Powell (Brandon's son), that Powell understood Escobedo needed to be the leader.
In football, Escobedo had 3,136 receiving yards and 58 touchdowns in 26 varsity games in his Miami career.
It was tough not having Ryan Powell as his wingman. Powell at QB and Escobedo at receiver formed one of the most dynamic passing duos in Arizona high school football.
Powell was the leader, and Escobedo was fine with following. But last summer, Coach Powell told Escobedo that he needed him to become that leader.
"I had to force him to the front of the line for calisthenics," Brandon Powell said. "I had to force him to be one of the leaders. I said, 'Gabe, whether you want it that way or not, the kids are following you, and we need to make sure they're doing what needs to be done.' "
The Vandals went 5-5, as Escobedo passed for 484 yards and five TDs, ran for 563 yards and 10 TDs and caught 24 passes for 448 yards and four TDs. He also had 364 yards in kickoff returns and 319 yards in punt returns. At safety, he had 88 tackles, 23 for losses, six sacks, and five caused fumbles.
Still, the team failed to make the 2A playoffs. Powell believes Escobedo recognized the team underachieved, which motivated him to embrace leadership roles during the athletic seasons that followed.
"I think Gabe believed it, as well, which is why I think when we got into baseball, he really became that leader," Powell said. "And probably in basketball, as well. I didn't coach him in basketball. But I could see on the floor in basketball how he was leading.
"I think what happened in football was a little wake-up call."
Escobedo ended up averaging 26 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals a game in basketball, leading the Vandals to a 13-13 record.
In baseball, Escobedo led his team to a 26-5 record and into the 2A semifinals, before losing to Benson.
He was leading the nation with 64 runs scored after the Arizona season was over, and finished hitting .556 with 55 hits, 15 doubles, six triples, three home runs, 51 RBIs, and 34 stolen bases. On the mound, he was 9-2 with a 2.78 ERA, striking out 75 and walking 41 in 58 innings pitched.
"If I was able to give Miami more notoriety, I'm happy," he said.
To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.
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