Two years ago, when he was a freshman, Ricardo Azucar was an exciting addition to the Memorial High School football team. Azucar was one of the Tigers’ leading rushers and gave everyone hope for a bright and promising future.
But last year, right before Azucar was going to start his sophomore year, his season came to a sudden end.
In a preseason scrimmage against Passaic, Azucar suffered a catastrophic injury.
“He was playing defense and he fell awkwardly on his arm,” Memorial head coach Oscar Guerrero said. “We knew right away it was a bad one.”
“I couldn’t feel anything,” Azucar said. “I went into shock. I knew it was bad.”
Azucar suffered a severely broken forearm in two places, an injury that required reconstructive surgery, and kept him out for the entire 2013 season.
“It was devastating, like something I can’t even explain,” Azucar said.
“It was a big loss,” Guerrero said. “Even though he was only a sophomore, he was a leader on the team and other kids looked up to him. He had an outstanding freshman year and we were looking forward to seeing what he could do as a sophomore. It was a big blow to the entire team. It was a difficult time for all of us.”
After Azucar had the surgery, he was ready to do whatever he had to do to fully recover.
“I was going to go through the recovery process and get right on back out there as healthy as possible,” Azucar said.
But soon after Azucar had the surgery, his family moved to Freehold and he enrolled at Freehold Township High School.
“It was hard at first to fit in there, but I got to work out with the football team there,” Azucar said.
However, Azucar longed to return to his hometown. After six months at Freehold Township, Azucar moved back to West New York to live with his father.
“It was good timing on my father’s part,” Azucar said. “I was glad to come back. I would much rather be here.”
“I got the call that he was coming back to West New York,” Guerrero said. “He came back and it was like he never left. We were all happy.”
Azucar hit the weight room with a vengeance. He was determined to come back to the gridiron bigger, stronger and better than ever.
“I worked hard to get back,” Azucar said. “I worked every day. I strengthened my arm, going to physical therapy, lifting. I knew I had to get back to 100 percent. I definitely had to have a better season than I had as a freshman, but it was tough after having the year off. But I was working as hard as I could to get back. I definitely did what I had to do.”
Guerrero could tell right away that Azucar was going to be a force once again.
“As we were approaching the season, we knew he was back,” Guerrero said. “It was a pleasant surprise. He just had to get over the injury, but we knew he was a special player.”
In his first game back, Azucar rushed for an amazing 231 yards and scored five touchdowns against Barringer.
Unfortunately, the Tigers lost that game, 42-37.
But last week, as the Tigers faced Clifton at home at Joe Coviello Field, Azucar was ready to make a statement that he was fully back.
Azucar carried the ball 11 times for 184 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Tigers to a 48-14 win, pushing their record to 2-1.
For his efforts, Azucar has been selected as The Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week for the past week. Azucar also received the honor during his freshman campaign two years ago.
Guerrero held Azucar out of the second game of the season, a win over Newark East Side, just as a precaution to keep Azucar fully healthy. It means that Azucar has 415 yards and eight touchdowns in just two games played this season. That’s what called a comeback season.
“It was never really a confidence thing,” Azucar said. “I knew I had the ability. I just had to execute on the field and that’s what I’ve been doing. It feels great to be back, to come back home and do this. It’s worked out well.”
Guerrero feels that Azucar could be a player on the next level.
“He’s a quiet kid, but once he gets on that field, he’s all business,” Guerrero said. “He’s the ultimate competitor. He’s going to do whatever it takes to win. He’s the team leader and he leads by example. When it’s game time, he’s ready to rock.”
But Guerrero believes that Azucar can be a player on the next level.
“If he stays the way he is, success will come,” Guerrero said. “He’s been humbled by what he’s gone through. But he can be the same player and person that he’s always been.”
That’s Azucar’s goal – to get to college and play football. He will run track in the spring, but football is his bread and butter.
“I definitely want to play college football,” Azucar said. “I think about that all the time. Right now, my goal is to come out and win every time. I’m glad I got healthy and I’m glad I’m back here. Things worked out well.”
They sure did _ for Azucar (which means sugar in Spanish) _ and the Tigers. In that respect, Azcuar’s return has paid sweet rewards for the Tigers. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.