He Makes Some Breaks, but Doesn’t Take Many

When the water boys at San Gabriel High rush the field during a football timeout, no player is more appreciative than Alfred Varela.

“Most of them run to me,” he said.

It’s one of the few moments during a game that Varela has an opportunity to take a break.

“Everybody knows I don’t step off the field,” he said.

Varela starts at receiver and free safety. He’s also the punter and kicker, as well as the return man on punts and kickoffs. It’s no wonder that he guzzles water as soon as it reaches him.

In a 36-21 victory over neighborhood rival Alhambra last week, Varela caught five passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns. He stripped the ball from the Alhambra quarterback and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. He had an interception and another called back by a penalty. He had punts of 40, 44 and 45 yards, two of which landed inside the 10-yard line.

He’s San Gabriel’s 48-minute man, a player so valuable that if he were lost to injury, the Matadors would need at least three players to replace him.

“He competes at whatever he does,” Coach Keith Jones said.

It’s exhausting just watching Varela go from drill to drill in pregame warm-ups. Eighty minutes before game time, he practices kicking off. Then he punts, followed by working on conversion kicks. Then he joins the receivers in catching passes before moving over to the defensive backs for drills.

After running through scripted plays with the offense, he’s the first one into the locker room before the national anthem. Then he’s out at midfield as captain for the coin toss.

Imagine what it takes for him to make it through an entire game without suffering cramps by the fourth quarter.

The secret is pickles. He consumes at least a dozen pickles a week, hoping the high sodium content will prevent cramps.

At 5 feet 9, 145 pounds, Varela makes his greatest contribution as a receiver. Diving catches have become almost routine.

Last season as a junior, Varela caught a state-leading 93 passes. This season, he has 53 receptions for 1,029 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s averaging 19.4 yards a catch.

“People overlook him,” Jones said. “They single-cover him and make my job easier.”

It’s hard to believe opposing coaches still think that one cornerback is going to succeed against Varela, who uses technique and quickness to get open.

“When I see single coverage, I get all happy and smile,” he said. “I think there’s a defensive back out there who can cover me, but I haven’t found him yet.”

A starter at shortstop for the baseball team, Varela has clearly proved his all-around athletic skills. But there are some who may still initially doubt his football ability.

“Just look at me,” he said. “I look small. I don’t look like a football player, but once they see what I do, they believe in me.”

Varela does just about everything for San Gabriel except carry the water bottles, but he knows that the job of keeping him refreshed is one of the most important for the Matadors.

Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.