Kehanie “Mono” Ortega, a hardworking and talented player for the Saugus High School football team, is entering his junior year here at Saugus. He’s a dedicated athlete that has a strong passion for the game, and his journey to varsity was anything but easy. Mono had to adjust to the level of competition needed for varsity football and proved that anyone could do it with hard work and commitment to the game.
Getting to varsity was not easy to do. Moving up from JV to Varsity meant he was playing against bigger, stronger, and faster teams. What was the hardest part about moving up to varsity, and how did you handle it? “The hardest part about moving to varsity was competing against people way bigger than me but I didn’t let that get to me as it was just more motivation to get better.”
Mono never gave up and instead pushed himself even harder to become better. Getting extra practice, more time in the weight room, and keeping his mind set on improving helped him earn his spot. What motivates him to keep going, even when things get tough?
What’s your favorite memory so far from playing at Saugus?
“My favorite memory from playing at Saugus is not necessarily on the field but with the people I met during the seasons.”
How do you balance school, football, and your life outside of those things?
“How I balance football and school is I try to get all of my work done at school to have no homework and on my time off I always try to build my relationship up with my family.”
What advice would you give to players aspiring to be on varsity one day?
“Advice I would give players aspiring to be on varsity would be to keep working hard and always put in extra work outside of practice and weight room.”
For Mono, football is more than just a game, it’s about dedication, teamwork, and proving to yourself that you will never give up. As a two – way player (RB on offense, LB on defense), Ortega demonstrates versatility which is critical for high school athletes. As he plays both sides of the he does indeed require such an exceptional level of being conditioned, having high awareness and being able to adapt to all the difficulties of the game. With his dual role on the team he is able to provide such valuable assistance, with the flexibility he provides in rotations and formations, this is very helpful if there are any concerns with roster depth or injuries on the team.
In the recent year, as a sophomore, Ortega had much time to grow as a contributor to a leader. Taking the big initiative of going all out in off – season workouts, being a vocal leader in team meetings and also being a peer mentor so that he can set the stage for future roles as a team captain.
Kehanie “Mono” Ortega is a name that will surely stick around in Saugus high football. Already showing the grit to play both Offense and Defense at the varsity level as a sophomore and now junior, Ortega represents the kind of multi – dimensional athlete that all coaches respect, love and value, because of the humongous cultivating future success. And with the development, ambition and opportunity, Ortega has the potential not just to help increase the teams moral on and off the field but also to emerge as a central figure in the story of Saugus Centurion football, his story is a story of perseverance, teamwork and massive Centurion pride.
