Missing confidence as a 14-year-old freshman, Melion Busano entered highschool with one thought in thoughts.
“Simply get the 4 years over with,” he mentioned.
In September 2022, whereas getting half-hour to check out for the basketball staff at Eagle Rock Excessive, his confidence was shaken much more.
“They mentioned if we ship you a textual content, you made the staff. I by no means acquired that textual content,” he mentioned. “I used to be in denial. ‘Perhaps they forgot me.’ After the third or fourth week, I used to be [thinking], ‘Perhaps they didn’t ship that textual content.’”
Rejection left him adrift, however then got here the second that modified his life. Whereas carrying round a digital camera for movie class, the JV soccer coach, Vince Vergara, seen him, pulled him apart and requested, “Hey, do you need to play soccer?”
He joined the JV staff as a sophomore. His mom had refused to let him play soccer years in the past after seeing the 2015 movie, “Concussion.” This time, she instructed him, “Watch out.”
He began from scratch.
“I needed to be taught on the fly,” he mentioned. “I didn’t know what kind of run performs or nothing. By no means performed youth soccer, by no means performed flag.”
Final season as a junior, he made varsity and had 211 yards dashing and two touchdowns. This season, as a a lot improved 5-foot-10, 195-pound senior, he’s grow to be so beneficial that coach Andy Moran mentioned he’s the perfect operating again within the Metropolis Part, having rushed for 824 yards and 13 touchdowns going into the Northern League title decider towards Franklin on Friday.
“He doesn’t go down and everyone has ready to cease him and hasn’t,” Moran mentioned.
He had 143 yards dashing towards Granada Hills Kennedy, 108 yards towards Monrovia, 146 yards towards Bell, 141 yards towards Marquez and 107 yards towards L.A. Marshall.
His father was a Marine for 20 years and got here right here as a teen from Belize. His mom is from the Philippines.
“Sadly I’ve not gone to both however would like to go,” he mentioned.
His first identify stands for “My Lion.”
“You’re a lion, so that you’re fierce,” his father tells him.
With renewed confidence, Busano has found a love for soccer and a perception he can hold getting higher with expertise.
He even tried out for basketball once more and made the staff, then determined to give attention to soccer.
His father instructed him, “Attempt once more, work tougher, make your self a greater individual.”
It’s all a part of the highschool expertise — experimenting, exploring and coping with the positives and negatives that occur to everybody of their teenage years. His youthful brother additionally made the soccer staff.
“Now I’m kicking myself why didn’t I do that my freshman yr,” Busano mentioned. “Now I recognize the little issues, about self-discipline, all the time do your job, don’t do another person’s job. It’s helped me develop up as an individual. I used to be very ignorant and blind strolling into this. I felt I most likely gained’t be the worst participant however most likely second string, however I got here onto the sector and began. It was, ‘Wow.’”
Quickly he hopes to go to Belize or Manila to be taught extra about his mother and father’ dwelling nations.
“My dad says my grandma has a home the place you’ll be able to get up and look out the window and the seashore is true there,” he mentioned. “I need to go to each.”
He’s a 17-year-old seeing an entire totally different world and an entire totally different future with the assistance of his soccer experiences.
