Warren’s Anthony Soto is a man of few words.
The 6-foot, 235-pound senior defensive tackle did most of his talking on the field for three seasons, a span of time in which he grew immensely as a player. Throughout it all, there was never any doubt about Soto’s effort, and that outward appearance lifted everyone around him.
“It was a fun ride,” he said. “Being with my brothers, I enjoyed it so much. It’s been something special in my heart. It didn’t always come out like I wanted it to, but I always had my head up and tried to be good-spirited.”
Soto’s spirit was evident until the final whistle blew on his prep football career, and the Blue Devils’ season, in York’s 34-15 win in the Class 8A state quarterfinals in Elmhurst on Friday night. Soto was still shooting through gaps and blowing off the line even after the score had tilted the Dukes’ way decisively.
York senior quarterback Bruno Massel was too much for the 27th-seeded Blue Devils (7-5). He scored all four of the touchdowns for the 14th-seeded Dukes (10-2), including runs of 33 yards and 66 yards in the final 3:30 of the first quarter.
Warren didn’t get on the board until junior running back Aaron Stewart scored the first of his two late touchdown runs with 4:08 left in the game.
“When we play well, we know our keys, we’re not double-thinking ourselves,” Soto said. “When we’re doing badly on the field, I can look around, and I can see it in others’ eyes that they’re double-guessing, and that messes us up. Today, the moment got too big for most people, and they folded under pressure.”
The pressure never overwhelmed Soto, whose steadiness is emblematic of his personality.
“I’m a very down-to-earth type of person,” he said. “I can be a little goofy and show my true colors around my friends. But around other people, I’m quiet, and I don’t like to be recognized. I don’t really like that kind of attention.”
Soto didn’t need to look for attention to make an impact on the Blue Devils.
“He’s really our rock,” Warren senior linebacker Justice Humphreys said. “He’s not much of a talker, but he leads by example. Everyone gets behind him.
“He’s always causing havoc for the opposing offensive line, and on top of that, he’s always there to pick you up. He’s always telling me to keep my chin up.”
Soto’s chin was held high following the loss. He spoke matter-of-factly about coming out of his shell as a senior for the betterment of the team.
“At first, I didn’t want to take that role,” Soto said of becoming a vocal leader. “The year before, I was just kind of doing my own thing and worrying about myself because there were other leaders in the room. This year, I had to step up as a leader and get out of my comfort zone and do something that I wasn’t used to doing.”
Soto’s effort was noticed and appreciated.
“What’s been impressive about him this year is the way he’s come on as a leader,” Warren coach Bryan McNulty said. “He’s really developed at that. And on defense, he really set the tone for our front, being disruptive and violent.”
Soto wanted to help lay the groundwork for younger players.
“There are a lot of kids in the younger classes that hang their heads a lot when something bad happens,” he said. “I think the best thing for them to do is to keep their head up and keep going. I’m not trying to turn them into me, where I always have all smiles. I just want them to be better and be the better version of themselves. That’s the ultimate goal.”
Soto will soon make the transition to wrestling, a sport in which he was a Class 3A state qualifier at 215 pounds last season. He’ll try to make noise downstate in the heavyweight division.
“The coaches told me to put on weight, and I took it to another level,” Soto said. “I just started eating so much and kind of lost track.”
Soto will go to the wrestling room knowing he gave his prep football career everything he had. But he’s not ready to hang up the cleats.
“I enjoy playing football, and it’s something that I look forward to,” he said. “I’m not going to stop doing it until someone tells me I can’t anymore.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
