Cruz Herrera, freshman quarterback, and Alex Herrera, freshman tight end, share a close bond with each other when it comes to football, but an even closer bond in life. The duo are twins who have long joined each other on the field.
“Growing up, we always played on the same football team,” said Cruz. “But, after my sophomore year, I transferred. So, we were at different schools for a year and a half. But, since we came back together, our relationship is definitely better and this is probably the closest we have been.”
Not only do these two twins share a bond with each other, but some of the other players share a close friendship with the twins as well.
“When I first met Cruz and Alex, I knew who they were, but didn’t actually know them,” said freshman QB Aidan Carr. “So, I just said hi to them, but now, I think we are pretty good friends and we definitely have gotten closer.”
One challenge that Cruz and Alex faced throughout their football journey was when Cruz moved to a different high school when he was a sophomore.
While Alex was still playing football at Linden High School, Cruz instead transferred from Linden to St. Mary’s High School in Stockton.
“I think when Cruz left, it was a little sad because I was losing my quarterback, but everyone knew it was the best thing for him,” said Alex. “When he left, it helped us get closer even though we didn’t see each other all the time.”
However, when it comes to their favorite memory the twins have with each other in football, it revolves around their first collegiate touchdown against Contra Costa College.
“The greatest memory we have together was our first college touchdown,” said Alex. “When we were in youth and freshman in high school, we had a connection and Cruz helped me get in the end zone plenty of times and the last time he’d thrown me a touchdown was my sophomore year. So, to get our first passing and receiving touchdown in the same play in our first college game was something I’ll never forget.”
As for the goals that these two twins have for themselves, their main goal is to simply play at the highest level they can, such as a Division I school.
“We both wanna play at the highest level we can,” said Cruz. “Whether it’s a big D1 school or anywhere in the country, we wanna see where this can take us to.”
Carr believes that Cruz and Alex are hard working people and that these two are passionate for the game of football.
“Cruz and Alex are hard working and they both come to practice every day on time,” said Carr. “I also think they’re very passionate about football as well.”
Furthermore, Carr hopes that Cruz and Alex accomplish where they strive to be in life and he also hopes that they’re happy with what they achieve in life as well.
“I just hope that they can get where they want to be and I hope they will be happy doing it as well,” said Carr.
The Herrera’s play their final game as freshmen as the Mustangs compete against Diablo Valley College on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 1 p.m.