Athlete of the Month: Benjamin Chen Coach Kim: 40 Years a

ATHLETE OF THE MONTH

Varsity Co-Captain shares his journey with confidence and hard work on and off the field

BENJAMIN LIU

writer

Benjamin Chen is the type of guy who leads with kindness and a smile, but when it comes to football it is pure tenacity that propels the senior through defenses for the Pioneers. “As a person, he is kind. As a football player, he is tenacious.” head football coach Chris Oswald said. During practice, he always laughs at jokes from other teammates. Being nice to everyone, Chen opened up the football team for more players to join by bringing inclusiveness.

“But I’m telling you when the whistle blows, he plays hard,” said Oswald. Chen averages 94 rushing yards per contest with seven touchdowns in three games. He was awarded “Player of the Game” in two of the first three games. “When it mattered the most in the fourth quarter, he was the shining light,” Oswald said of the recent game against Prospect. The Pioneers fell behind in the beginning, Chen made big plays at key moments to set the team up for a 15-12 comeback victory.

Chen attributes much of his success to his teammates. “The thing about running backs is that without a good line, you don’t have anywhere to go,” said Chen. “So honestly, if I do well in the game, they also did well in the game […]

When I watch the films, it’s almost less about me, [and] more about my linemen.”

Chen not only leads in the team’s offensive stats, but also as a role model for his teammates. As the co-captain of the team, “he is a leader because he does things right,” Oswald said. By consistently setting a good example during practice, Chen allows younger members of the team to improve their understanding of plays and positionings.

Chen started playing in his Sophomore year, after encouragement from a friend at Tino. “At first it was the COVID-19

“THE FIRST TIME I REALLY WATCHED FOOTBALL WAS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. IT WAS PROBABLY THE FIRST SPORT I EVER ACTUALLY LIKED. ” BENJAMIN CHEN

season,” Chen said, “it was mainly to have fun. It was like backyard football, I was also on JV at that time.” Due to COVID-19, his first season was shortened, and was played in the Spring rather than fall. The team–and Chen–got a bit more attention his junior year during the 2021-22 season by finishing 9-2 overall and claiming a league title with a dramatic win over Los Altos in the regular-season finale. It was just the fourth varsity football league title in school history. “When I scored my first touchdown on a run play, I was hearing all the crowd noises. Even though we’re at an away game [and there] were only some fans, you can tell that people cared a lot more than they did in JV.”

As a running back, Chen is a target by the opponent’s tackles and was recently sidelined while he recovered from a concussion. He returned to action in last week’s loss at Santa Clara.

In addition to hard work, Chen emphasized the effect confidence has on his performance. “Confidence goes a long way. Even if you’re not as good, or your talent isn’t matched up, if you’re willing to do things because you’re confident you can do it, you will be way better than someone who doesn’t know what they are doing.”

Outside of football, Chen is pursuing a career in accounting at Middle College, which will allow him to graduate college early. Chen talked about his favorite quote “stay the course” which he explains means “to keep on going” which is something he always strives for