EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – It was still early in the second quarter when the El Segundo Eagles tied up the game against the North Torrance Saxons. It's moments like these that will always hold a special place in the heart of senior, left guard, Gerardo Blanco Junior, who helped clear a path to make the score happen.

"It was one of those memorable seasons where you wouldn't trade it for anything either," Blanco said.

When the coronavirus pandemic robbed his senior class of memories that would've been made at prom and graduation, he initially felt blindsided.

"Nothing can really replace anything for the seniors," he said.

But in a way, Blanco is used to having to fight through setbacks. He's been dealing with physical ailments throughout his life.

He was born with a mild cerebral palsy- where the left side of his body was underdeveloped. 

Then he got really sick his junior year, missing weeks of school being hospitalized with what doctors thought was whooping cough, but later diagnosed as juvenile idiopathic arthritis. 

"When triggered, you'll get like super sore and tired, and for me, it attacked my hands and my feet," said Blanco. 

But with the support of his teachers, he finished his junior year strong making it through his AP exams.

Entering his senior year, he was a captain on the football team. Although he did suffer a high-ankle sprain that required surgery.

Despite this setback he came back for the team's final game. That drive is something his coach says makes him a role model. 

"I don't think he's ever going to look for excuses, he's going to take things head on, and moving forward into his future, he's going to be a fighter," said Coach Shev.

That fighting spirit has kept his hopes alive. He's graduating with a 4.2 GPA and is the first kid in his family to attend a four-year college, having received a scholarship at Occidental College, where he'll play football.

Although losing out on a traditional graduation ceremony is a disappointment, he says there's so many others who have fared worse during COVID-19. 

"Small business owners who this is like changing their lives, and then people who have lost loved ones," said Blanco. "So me missing my graduation it sucks but like high school is four years and graduation is one day and I'm always going to have high school memories." 

He credits his parents for his optimistic mindset, and says it could always be worse. 

"If you always are positive, it makes everything a lot easier to get through," he said.