Oswego’s Gustavo Guzman, a late starter to football, now leader of experienced O-line

OSWEGO – Gustavo Guzman, all of 6-foot-7 and 294 pounds, looks like he has the frame that is made for football.

But the Oswego senior is a relative novice.

The mammoth left tackle moved to Oswego from Chicago shortly before his freshman year of high school. He only played soccer before the move.

Trying football was apparently not an easy sell.

“My mom was really nervous. She was like, ‘I don’t want you to do this, I see what happens with kids getting hurt on the news,’ ” Guzman said. “I told her you never know if you don’t try it.”

[ Oswego football practice photos ]

Guzman gave it a shot, for which Oswego can be thankful. Entering his third varsity season, he’s an anchor on an offensive line that returns four of five starters. That experience in part has the Panthers optimistic they can turn things around after an uncharacteristic 3-6 2022 season, Oswego’s first time missing the postseason since 2010.

Senior Howard Lee and juniors Brodie Slou and Isaiah Logan are also back up front. Junior Brendan Bisgrove is among the youngsters Oswego’s coaching staff is excited about. They’ll be blocking for one of three quarterbacks vying for the starting job, and what is expected to be a backfield by committee.

“It looks like we have a little more depth than we did last year,” Oswego coach Brian Cooney said. “That depth and experience on the O-line is huge. It will be interesting to see with the challenge we have in Week 1 and Week 2. I don’t want to say they’ll be thrown into the fire, because a lot of those guys have been in it.”

Guzman got his baptism into football shortly after arriving in Oswego three years ago.

He played soccer while in Chicago, mostly to stay in shape after being overweight growing up, but did not take to the sport.

Freshman year at Oswego, with the pandemic, was online, but even through a computer screen Guzman caught the eye of Oswego assistant football coach John Hugunin during biology class.

“He asked if I played any sports, and I said no, and he said come to the weight room with a mask on,” Guzman said. “I didn’t know anybody here. We couldn’t even see each other in person. I though, ‘Might as well see each other there.’

“Oswego has a very passionate football culture, so once you get into football season the connection is here. You really see how interconnected the Oswego family is.”

Guzman always was tall for his age, 6-foot-2 by freshman year, but he had to work to get into football shape. He gained weight during COVID and had a growth spurt.

“During COVID, we were all indoors. I gained a lot of weight, we had an old rusty set of weights at home downstairs,” Guzman said. “My mom was like, ‘You’re either going outside and running or you’re going downstairs to lift some weights.’ I said, ‘It’s hot outside, I’m going to stay inside in the air conditioning,’ so I lifted weights, and it went from there. It felt sore at first, but it became a nice feeling – a feeling of accomplishment.”

Guzman got time at the varsity level as a sophomore and played all nine games as a junior. The Panthers were plagued by injuries throughout the season, which contributed to their struggles.

“No excuses, you got to do better, next man up,” Guzman said, “but people switching around, it was more of a mental thing with the switching of positions. I think a lot of people underestimate how vital communication is with the line.”

[ Oswego's Taiden Thomas ready to dominate after trying 2022 season marred by concussion ]

Guzman is not particularly vocal, but he is a leader on the line. He was voted one of Oswego’s captains for the upcoming season.

“He brings a certain level of leadership,” Cooney said. “He’s not the loudest kid on the field, but the kids see enough leadership in him to elect him captain. And he’s a big kid. He’s every bit of 6-foot-7, close to 300 pounds.”

Guzman looks forward to throwing that weight around. His mom tells him that she can’t eat before every game because she’s so nervous that he will get hurt, but he reassures her that, “I’m not getting hurt, I’m the one hurting other people.”

He looks forward to helping Oswego return to its winning ways this fall, starting with the season opener Aug. 25 at Neuqua Valley.

“It’s always good to prove people wrong and be the underdog,” Guzman said. “We want to show them what we’re really about. Last year wasn’t us. This year is going to be the real us, show the true Oswego colors.”