Willie Iribarren, Lompoc native and Hancock linebacker, signed a letter of intent to play football among the pines of CSU Humboldt, a Division II program.
“It’s beautiful,” he said about Humboldt. “They’re doing a lot of good things over there. I’m just hoping to keep that going.”
At the age of 7, Iribarren began playing football. His dad, who played football in Lancaster, showed him the ropes. “We’ve always had a football around the house, always playing with him. It’s one of my most favorite things to do,” Iribarren explained.
He remembers his time at Lompoc High School fondly. “A lot of great players come out of Lompoc,” he said. “Everything is done right, and it was a great lineman experience. It’s real over there. It helps you to mature as a person.”
Iribarren praised the coaching staff there, saying that they balanced discipline with encouragement and support. “It was just smooth,” he remembered. “They just made football fun. The coaching, the practice, all the games.”
The talent and discipline his Lompoc High coaches helped him develop turned him into what Hancock football coach Kris Dutra called one of the best linebackers the college has had in the last 10 years.
“I think that Willie is a superior linebacker,” Dutra said. “He has Division 1 abilities. He could have walked on just about anywhere.”
Iribarren, Dutra explained, is a smart defender who can read plays quickly. Off the field, Dutra described him as quiet and responsible.
“Willie is going to be a successful person, not just a successful football player. He’s an organized thinker, he has integrity and responsibility,” Dutra added.
Linebackers need more than smarts though, they also need to be big. Iribarren works at it. “When I’m trying to bulk, I start with a huge breakfast,” he said, listing off several items. Eggs and potatoes are staples. Bacon and sausage provide more protein. So do the whole-wheat pancakes on the side.
“In an hour or two, you’ll be hungry,” he said, pausing for a beat. Then, a warning: “You don’t want to stay hungry.” Iribarren drinks whey protein, or muscle milk, to avoid that. “More than a few scoops,” he leveled. “After lunch, I try to eat as much meat as I possibly can.”
Dinnertime is for going all out. “If it’s Thanksgiving—you’re going to have Thanksgiving every night,” he recommended. It works: In the past six months, he’s gained 20 pounds.
This article appears in Jun 25 – Jul 2, 2015.