ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Jaylin Tavion Acevedo

Jaylin Tavion Acevedo has been a student at Central Florida Christian Academy for three years. A rising senior, Acevedo currently holds a 3.8 GPA and has received offers to play football at the collegiate level from the Naval Academy, Brown University and Warner University. Acevedo was recently named to the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl Southern Conference’s watch list.

How long have you been playing football? 
(I’ve been playing football) since my ninth-grade year, so about four years. 

How did you get into football in the first place? 
My stepdad brought me out here to the fields, and we just started out from there. 

How long have you been part of this school? 
I’ve been going to this school for three years. 

What does football mean to you, and what do you love most about it? 
I’d say it means an opportunity. One of the things I love the most about it is probably “pancakes.” I like destroying people, really like being aggressive and being able to dominate somebody. 

How do you believe you’ve progressed since you started to play football four years ago? 
Tremendously. When I first started (playing football), I was almost 400 pounds. (Since then), I lost down to 329 pounds, around there, so I’m doing good. 

Why play football, out of all other sports? 
Because you can be a big guy and also be able to move. 

What is your favorite thing about being a part of your team? 
Probably traveling with the team for the games and the team meals. 

What’s your favorite thing to do at practice? 
Our board drills. It’s basically like a one-on-one (drill), so we go head-on with another person and they have to try to push you back so you have to try to push them back, showing your strength, how low you can get and what you can use. 

Do you prefer playing offense or defense? 
I like defense more, but offense is my calling. Ever since I started playing football I started at left guard, and then I’ve been working out in the O-Line since then. 

Do you play any other sports besides football? 
I’ve played basketball, and this year I played baseball just to stay fit. 

What are you looking forward the most to the next season? 
I’m looking forward to going to the state championship. The past two years we were (runners-up) and part of the final four, so we’ve been pretty close. 

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? 
Banana; I love a banana milkshake.

What’s your favorite hobby? 
Fishing. 

What’s your favorite thing to do during the summer? 
Lift, probably summer lifts. 

What’s your favorite movie? 
“Roll Bounce,” it’s like a skating movie. I love going skating, like Rollerblades. (The movie) is about that. They are trying to save an old burned-down skating rink. 

Who’s your favorite marvel superhero? 
Thor; nobody can beat Thor. 

If you could have a super power, which one would it be and why?
I don’t know. Probably invisibility so if I play D-line. I just get to the quarterback easy.  

Favorite type of music? 
Rap and R&B. 

What’s on your bucket list? 
Probably travel out of the country and have a house when I’m 21 years old. 

Best vacation place? 
New York; that’s the first place that I flew to.