At 6’3” and 240 pounds, not many opponents get past senior tackle Cole Aragon.
Tall, agile and strong, he made all-Western League last year on offense. Now he’s also playing defense for the 4-1 Dolphins. Against South Gate in the season’s fourth game, he was credited with a sack, a solo tackle and an assist. Then against Huntington Park, he had three solo tackles and three assists.
Pali Head Coach Tim Hyde calls Aragon one of the most athletic linesmen he has seen. In grade school, Aragon played YMCA football under Coach Todd Tharen. “We were in the championship every year,” said the Palisades teenager, whose father is Rod Aragon, a local realtor. His mother, Jenny, is an accountant.
Entering PaliHi, Aragon played baseball as a freshman rather than football, but his heart wasn’t in it.
“My mom wasn’t that interested in my playing [football],” he said, but he convinced her that he should play so he wouldn’t have regrets later on.
As a sophomore, he started on the JV team, both on offense and defense, for the first five games. “Then they called me up to varsity when league started,” said Aragon, who played offensive tackle.
The talented athlete was asked about league play, which begins this Friday. “Westchester is always fast and they have a returning quarterback,” Aragon said. “And Venice is tough, they have a good running back, but I feel confident we will beat every other team.”
He is still weighing his options about playing college ball and where. His mom reminds him he should always “Open as many doors as possible.” With his skill and size, that shouldn’t be a problem.
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