Posted by bambi2godzilla on 6/14/2007, 8:26 pm But it doesn't stop here. Before every game, he visualizes what he's going to do, how he'll go up and catch the ball in traffic, or cut to the outside to break free on a punt. "My mindset separates me,'' Avila said. "I'm prepared physically and mentally. I go through what I'm going to do. I seek help from my family. The mind is a real powerful tool." So, too, is gift of talent. Avila turned a lot of 5-yard outs into 35- and 40-yard runs. Any ball that he could touch, he felt he could catch. The end zone was the goal each time he touched the ball. That inner drive showed up on the track when Avila made the most of his three-month stint, becoming the second fastest 100 and 200 meter sprinter in Seaside history. In fact, Avila's speed changed San Jose State's thinking in gray-shirting him. Now he's being asked to come in and compete for a roster spot in August. "He's going to get an opportunity to prove himself,'' Tomey said. "We lost a number of players last year that made plays. We'll give a young man a chance and see if they grab it." Promising future| Avila's style and stature seem to fit the mold of the Spartan's program, which got the team to a bowl game last year and had solid recruiting off-season. "We knew he had the ability to make people miss,'' Tomey said. "Watching him in track, he has the ability to run away from people. I don't think it was understood in football how fast he was. Who was he running away from? He has the ability to turn a little play into a big play." The fact that the just-turned 18-year-old doesn't drop passes, doesn't fumble, can leap out of his shoes and has sub-4.3 speed in the 40-yard dash make him appealing. "A college coach told me, 'If you're a playmaker, you're a playmaker, regardless of size,''' Avila said. "I came in with an attitude that no one could stop me." Making plays when it matters seemed to be his forte. In the CCS finals against Pacific Grove, Avila took the opening kickoff and ran it back 96 yards for a touchdown. "I was so in shock they were kicking it to me,'' Avila said. "I cannot remember much of it. It happened so fast. When I watch it on film, I still can't believe it. I felt it set the tone.'' On track| While Avila trained specifically for the 100 — where he finished second in the CCS — the 200 is where he made a name for himself in track. Blistering the turn, Avila dipped under 22 seconds in winning the CCS finals (21.96). Three weeks earlier, he had been ranked 18th in the CCS. "I surprised myself,'' Avila said. "I was going to drop it after league. But I wanted to give myself another chance. Why not keep trying? Let's see how far I could take it." Crosby's voice tails off when thinking about what Avila could have done in the 100 had he fully developed as a sprinter. Avila blew the field out of the blocks at the state championships in the 100, holding a slight lead through 40 meters before his inexperience caught up with him. "I imagine his first 40 in the 100 at state was 4.2,'' Crosby said. "He blew out guys that ran 10.5 in the first 50 meters. You're talking about a 4.2 sprinter that never developed sprinter skills. He never gathered the track discipline.'' Avila ended up running 10.76 at state, a personal best by nearly two-tenths of a second, coming within a stride of Bashir Levingston's school record of 10.69. Levingston, who is listed at 5-10, is now one of the top return specialists in the Canadian Football League. "His 200 piggy-backed off his 100,'' Crosby said. "If Michael had focused solely on the 100, I believe he would have run 10.5. I wanted him to just focus on the 100 after league. But with Michael being a competitor and not understanding the dynamics of training, he wanted to do both." While the dream of playing football in the Pac-10 won't come to fruition, Avila isn't bitter and doesn't feel betrayed — only motivated. "Some things were said to me that did not come true,'' Avila said. "I understand it is part of the business. I feel God put me in this position for a reason." And it's not like Avila didn't land on his feet. He's grateful for San Jose State offering him a scholarship, that he's going to a program that's on the rise. "I want to be known as someone who made an impact,'' Avila said. "That means I have to work even harder to take it to the next level. All those schools that passed me up. One day they'll will notice me."
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