By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
At 13 years old, Daniel Salas has already spent most of his life around football. What began at the young age of 4 has grown into a passion that has followed Salas through different stages of the game. Now playing for the B12 Bearcats 14U team, Salas is continuing to develop as a player while taking on the challenges that come with competing at a higher level.
His mother, Jade Salas, said football has been a part of Daniel’s life for as long as she can remember.
“I would describe him as passionate. He has enjoyed football ever since he was a baby, like literally from when he was before one year old,” she said. “I have pictures of him wearing helmets or holding a football in almost every picture we have of him when he was younger; he had some kind of football thing in it.”
For Daniel, one of the things he appreciates most about his current team is the mentality of the players around him.
“What I like about my team is they’re all physical, and they’re out to become better,” he said.
That physicality has also helped Daniel continue to grow into a more complete football player. He has experienced both flag and tackle football, and he credits each version of the game with teaching him something different.
“My first period of growth was when I switched from flag to tackle. It’s two different worlds between those two,” Daniel said. “Tackle helped me with being more aggressive, while flag helped me move and catch.”
As Daniel has gotten older, his development has also meant becoming more comfortable showing his emotions on the field. Jade said Daniel has traditionally been a quiet and humble player, even when he accomplished something worth celebrating. But she has noticed a change as he has grown older.
“He’s always been pretty humble as a player, and we’re happy to see him kind of like show his raw emotion now that he is getting older,” she said. “Just seeing him grow as a football player, also, has been great.”
That growth has come through years of commitment. Jade said Daniel has participated in multiple sports but has consistently gravitated back toward football, maintaining a demanding schedule along the way.
“He’s pretty dedicated to the team and the sport itself,” she said. “There were times where we literally would just come off of the airplane from being out of town and drive straight to practice, and he would go to practice straight from the airport.”
Daniel has also learned how to contribute in different ways, particularly when he was one of the younger players on a team. Jade recalled a season when Daniel, at 11 years old, played up on a 12U team and did not receive much playing time. Instead of allowing that to discourage him, he found another way to contribute.
“He wasn’t getting much play time, but he found a way and he got on the special teams and was the kicker,” she said. “We’ve never really seen him kick in his whole life, so we were kind of shocked to see him do that.”
For Jade, moments like that reflect Daniel’s willingness to find a way to help his team, regardless of his role.
“He is always willing to step up and do what he needs to do to contribute to his team,” she said.
Now, Daniel is beginning to see his years of learning and working pay off, and he is proud of both his own development and the progress his team has made.
“Something I’m most proud of is becoming a better football player for my team,” he said. “My team became better than last year. I feel like we work together and we play pretty well as a team.”
While he is proud of how far he has come, Daniel still has goals for where he wants to go next.
“One thing I would like to work on this season is becoming faster and eating healthier,” he said.
Balancing those goals with school is another responsibility Daniel has learned to manage. He tries to complete as much of his schoolwork as possible during the school day, giving himself more time to focus on football once practice begins.
Jade said Daniel’s approach to school mirrors the commitment he brings to football.
“As a student, I know that he is very much a leader amongst his peers,” she said. “A lot of his teachers or the principal have always said that he has charisma amongst his peers.”
After nearly a decade around the game, Daniel is continuing to work toward the next stage of his development.
“I’m proud of him for just sticking it through,” she said. “Also, I’m happy to see him finally get his time to show his talent and passion for the sport.”
