JEFF FIELDER Editor
MITCHELL – Rylan Aguallo, a senior at Mitchell High School, is Nspire Today!’s Male Athlete of the Month for December, sponsored by Kristy Culek Agency, LLC-American Family Insurance. Aguallo is one of the top athletes in western Nebraska, excelling in football, basketball and track and field. He was a four-year starter in football, producing eye-popping numbers both this season and for his career. He rushed for nearly 2,000 yards this season, giving him a high school career total of 3,995 yards. He figures to be a key contributor for Mitchell’s basketball team. He’s also been a standout in track and field, qualifying for state his freshman year in the 100 and 4×100 and also his sophomore year in the 100. The 4×100 relay team won a state title his freshman year. Last year’s track season was cancelled because of COVID. He plans to compete in the 100, 200, 4×100 and long jump this upcoming track and field season. Other activities he’s involved in at school are FBLA (president), National Honor Society (president), and Tigers Committed (Co-president). He has a 4.0 GPA. After he graduates from high school, he plans to attend college, where he wants to compete in either football or track and field or possibly both. He’s undecided on a college major, although he’s considering physical therapy and finance. His parents are Jim and Amie Aguallo. For being named an athlete of the month, Rylan will receive a gift card for a free drink at Scooter’s Coffee.
Q: Describe how your senior year of football went.
AGUALLO: “We were definitely blessed as a team. I think we got a lot more out of the season than we thought we were going to get. Going into the season, we thought we might get only two or three games in [because of COVID], so getting to play 10 games was awesome. We made it to the first round of the state playoffs, and it had been about 10 years since we accomplished that. So, I couldn’t have asked for a better senior year.”
Q: How do you feel like you played individually?
AGUALLO: “I think I did pretty well. I was 55 yards shy of rushing for 2,000 yards. I wish I could have gotten 2,000, but I can’t complain too much because we had a great season as a team. I liked what we were able to do on offense, defense and special teams. Individually, I thought things really came together for me this year. Even on special teams, four of my eight kick returns went for touchdowns. So, it was definitely a fun season.”
The entire Q&A with Aguallo is in the December issue of Nspire Today! magazine.
If you would like to nominate someone for Nspire Today!’s Athletes of the Week/Month, sponsored by Kristy Culek Agency, LLC – American Family Insurance, you may do so by sending an email to jeff.fielder@nspiretoday.com or by mailing a letter to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. Nominations may also be submitted by sending a text to 308-220-8865.
In addition to being recognized online, athletes of the week will also be recognized in Nspire Today! magazine. To sign up for a one-year subscription (12 issues) to the magazine, please send $15 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363. To pay with a credit card, please call 308-220-8865.
For all your insurance needs, visit The Kristy Culek Agency, LLC-American Family Insurance, located at 1012 Ave. I in Scottsbluff, or call 308-632-8598.
