“This is one of the greatest honors. I love to know that my heritage which I’m the most proud of helped me achieve this honor,” Pastrana, a defensive end and running back for Greece Olympia’s girls varsity flag football team, said.
Pastrana’s first love was track, but she didn’t rule out trying flag football at the very least. All it took was one open gym practice for her to want to keep pursuing the sport, specifically on defense.
One of her favorite moments was chasing down the opposing team’s quarterback who nearly scored a 60-yard touchdown if it weren’t for Pastrana. Along the sideline, she reached out and grabbed the flag, listening to the cheers from her team and the crowd.
Never giving up, no matter how difficult or impossible it seems, is something Pastrana learned from her family and Mexican American culture.
“My family is some of the hardest workers I know and I want to live up to the family name and work just as hard if not harder,” Pastrana said. “… On the field I use this work ethic instilled in me to use every rep both in practice and in game to work as hard as I can and use each time as a learning experience. Off the field my heritage has taught me not only to work hard but to give back.”
