San Marcos' Velasquez headed to Hardin-Simmons

Mark Velasquez literally worked around the clock.

Velasquez was a grinder on the field. He was an anchor for San Marcos’ offensive line, helping the team win the district title his junior season and leading the unit as the starting center in his senior year. During the offseason, Velasquez and his family would travel to football camps across the country, improving his skills and exposing him to college coaches and scouts.

He was a grinder off the field, too. After practice, Mark would head to the Scholastic Aptitude Test prep center and would later keep studying at home, sometimes staying up late getting ready for the test. He took the SAT multiple times to make sure he was satisfied with his scores.