While Andrea Giraldo was pregnant with her soon-to-be born son, she made a declaration about the name of her new child – and it had to do with the outcome of the heavyweight boxing championship of the world some 17 years ago.
Giraldo said that she would name her newborn child after the winner of the much-anticipated bout between titans Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson.
As it turned out, Tyson was disqualified for biting a chunk off of Holyfield’s ear, making Holyfield the champ.
Thus, when Giraldo gave birth, she had Evander Pons.
“She liked boxing that much,” said Pons, a junior running back on the Secaucus High School football team. “If Tyson won, I would have been Michael. I love my name. It’s not a common name. I’m named after Evander Holyfield.”
Pons is currently making a name for himself as the go-to guy for the Patriots, especially last week, when the Patriots faced a do-or-die contest against North Arlington.
The Patriots trailed, 19-0, at the half. Things didn’t look too good for the Pats.
“It was very emotional in the locker room,” Pons said. “Everyone had to step up. We had to come out and play Secaucus football.”
It also meant that Pons was going to have to play a huge role in the crucial comeback.
Before the season began, Pons was just one of a handful of potential players in the Secaucus backfield. Pons played on a limited basis last year as a sophomore, especially after suffering an ankle injury, but head coach Charlie Voorhees believed that Pons had the goods to break through and carry the load.
“We knew he had the potential,” Voorhees said. “He had the right attitude to handle it. We were worried before the season about where we were going to go in the backfield, but Evander just emerged as the halfback in our offensive scheme. He could handle the mental part of being the guy.”
Now, the Patriots were facing the end of the rest of their season. Another loss and the Patriots were 1-5 and playing simply for pride.
“We were fighting for our lives,” Voorhees said. “We were fortunate that Evander has been carrying the load.”
Pons keyed a second half comeback, as the Patriots rallied from 19 points down at intermission to tie the game at 19-19 at the end of regulation.
As the game went into overtime, it was all Pons time.
“We just gave the ball to him four times in a row and he got into the end zone,” Voorhees said. “He was lighting it up.”
Pons carried the ball a total of 28 times for 168 yards and the game-winning touchdown, as Secaucus collected a hard-fought 26-19 overtime victory to remain in contention for an NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group I playoff berth.
For his efforts, Pons has been selected as The Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Week for the past week.
Pons has been the Patriots’ go-to guy for most of the season, eclipsing the 100-yard mark four times.
“Before the season, there were a lot of us battling for playing time,” Pons said. “I worked hard during the offseason, doing agility drills. I was just hoping to get in the backfield and get some playing time.”
Pons thought that he might have blown his chance to be the main running back when he fumbled earlier this season against Becton Regional.
“I had a really bad feeling,” Pons said. “It was a big fumble. I thought Coach Voorhees would take me out.”
But Voorhees never wavered in his faith in Pons.
“When he fumbled against Becton, he thought it was the end of his career,” Voorhees said. “But I went up to him and said, `Did you get the ball?’ When he said he did, his confidence started to grow.”
“It meant a lot to me,” Pons said. “It was a huge motivation for me. I became a better player. Coach Voorhees always had faith in me. He never gave up on me. From that point on, I gave it my all. I wasn’t going to leave it on the turf again.”
Pons got his start at an early age – and it came from a familiar name on the local sports scene.
“I was four years old, living in North Bergen and my mother was close to Czar Wiley [the current North Bergen head coach],” Pons said. “He was the first one to teach me the right way to play football. I just fell in love with the game and he was the one who got me to love the game. He was a major influence on me and really got me into football.”
Pons moved from North Bergen to Union City and eventually Secaucus when he was in fourth grade. He played recreation youth football all the way.
“Football is a major part of my life,” Pons said.
Pons is now carving his niche as the next great Secaucus running back.
“I love it,” Pons said. “I know of some of the other greats, like Joey Impreveduto and David Tejada. I look up to them and I hope I can be one of those others.”
Voorhees likes what Pons brings to the Patriots and their playoff hopes, now again alive.
“He fits the mold as a tough back,” Voorhees said. “He’s a tough kid. He also plays linebacker and makes a lot of tackles there [10 in the win over North Arlington]. He’s the kind of kid who can handle getting the ball 20 times a game. The game plan is to give Pons the ball and we’re confident in what he’s doing. He does whatever needs to be done.”
Voorhees admits that Pons’ best days are in front of him.
“He’s still not where I want him to be,” Voorhees said. “But he’s on his way, no doubt about it. He’s getting better every week. We need him to improve on other things, like his maturity, in life, in general. But he’s getting there.”
There’s only one problem with Pons. He’s received a nickname from the Secaucus coaching staff. He’s called “Ponsie,” like rhyming with “Fonzie,” and everyone knows there’s a negative connotation to the term Ponsi – as in Ponsi scheme.
“But I’m straight forward,” Pons said. “There’s nothing wrong about me.”
Certainly not, especially if Pons can keep fighting like the guy he’s named after. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.