Round Lake senior Elian Barrera wasn’t going to quit.
Barrera, who missed much of last season after suffering a spinal fracture that left him unable to participate in any physical activity for nearly eight months, has returned to the Panthers not only because he loves football.
“My back injury was really hard on me, but I take a lot of inspiration from my mother,” Barrera said. “My mom never gives up.”
Barrera’s mother, Edith Consuelo Pedroza, was diagnosed with breast cancer nine years ago and has metastatic bone and brain cancer.
“I always look at my mom and am so glad that she’s still here with us,” Barrera said. “Even with all that she has to overcome, she still takes care of me. I try to be like her and keep my head up. I know I have to be positive.
“She has taught me a lot — just to never give up no matter what I do, whether it’s a math test or cleaning my room.”
With his positive attitude and work ethic, the 5-foot-10, 220-pound Barrera is the ultimate team player who motivates teammates, according to Round Lake coach Matt Milazzo said. The Panthers (0-2) have lost 14 games in a row but showed some signs of progress during their 10-7 loss to Maine East last week.
“He will do anything for the team,” Milazzo said. “He was voted a captain. We’ve had 20 years of losing, but he’s one of the players doing a nice job of trying to turn things around.”
Barrera, a veteran linebacker, plays where he’s needed on the offensive side of the ball.
“Elian is playing fullback this year, but moving forward, he will probably have to go to the offensive line to help us shore some things up,” Milazzo said. “He’s made the defensive calls for us the last couple of years and brings a physicality to our offense.”
That was missing for the Panthers after Barrera suffered his lower-back injury midway through last season. He said he was finally cleared to resume physical activity in June.
“I couldn’t run or go to the gym for seven to eight months,” Barrera said. “It ruined my whole physique. I gained 15 pounds. It was really bad.”
Barrera also didn’t like having to wear a back brace.
“It was very uncomfortable and made me look like a robot when I was walking around,” he said.
All the while, Barrera has helped around the house, where his mother runs a day care business.
“Sometimes after her chemotherapy, which is every two weeks, she feels really bad, and I have to help her,” he said. “The third day is the worst. She can’t get off the bed, so I miss school and practices to help her out.”
Consuelo Pedroza said Barrera has a “big heart.”
“My son helps me too much, especially when I receive chemotherapy,” she said. “Those days are very difficult for me, and he’s very attentive and helpful. Sometimes he doesn’t attend school to help me with everything.”
Barrera said he struggles the most on days when his mother is frustrated about her physical appearance during treatment.
“I take it all out on the field,” he said. “It’s hard to be happy when I see my mom down. You want her to feel like a princess and the most beautiful person in the world.”
Barrera said his father, Carlos Oscar Barrera, and older brother, Marco Barcenas-Consuelo, who attended Richmond and is a graduate student at Illinois, also motivate him.
“My dad works from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.,” Barrera said. “I don’t get to see him much. He also has back problems but still goes outside and works. I take a lot of inspiration from him. He’s a hard worker and never whines about anything. He then comes home and makes us dinner and cleans.
“My big brother has always been smart. He went to college and got everything paid for. I want to be like him.”
In the meantime, Barrera is aiming for more wins. Returning to the field was only the first.
“It feels good to be back,” he said. “I was scared because I didn’t want to hurt my body anymore, but I love the sport. I was willing to take the risk. I would do anything to play.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
