Rios rebounds from injury to return to football

Manteca High senior Jose Rios.

By RAUL FIGUEROA 
The Tower 

At his lowest point, Jose Rios wanted to quit.  

The Manteca High senior tried punching a ball out of the hand of another player during a football practice his junior year. He missed, connecting instead with the player’s pads. The impact caused the bones in his right wrist to break, ending his varsity debut season before it ever began.  

The road to recovery was daunting and overwhelmed Rios, who entertained thoughts of quitting football to pursue other passions … like barbering.  

In the end, Rios didn’t give up. He worked his way through recovery with the motivation of his parents and peers and continued to pursue his passion of playing football. He returned this season and became a starter in the secondary for one of the best defensive units in the Sac-Joaquin Section.  

And that other passion of cutting hair – yeah, he’s doing that, too. 

“I didn’t want to be seen as a quitter and letting myself down,” Rios said. “The person who motivated me to keep going was my dad because he would tell me how much I would lose from quitting all the days training and working up to this moment.” 

After returning from injury, Rios accumulated 49 total tackles, 16 solo tackles, 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble. With Rios in the secondary, Manteca captured the outright Valley Oak League championship and positioned itself for a run at the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship. That dream, however, was cut short with a stunning loss to St. Mary’s in the semifinal round.

Rios’ return to football is only one chapter in his personal growth story over the last year.

He is a blossoming young barber. Rios started off being a barber in his 8th grade year for fun. He never got clients at the start and didn’t take it seriously until summer workouts for football.

From then, he had two friends that would go to his house after practice for fun. One day he asked if one of them wanted a haircut. With the trust of his peers, his hustle of being a barber began. Today, Rios has a large list of regular clients, cutting around 15 people a week. His motivation the desire to make money and watching YouTubers.

The Tower caught up with Jose Rios to discuss his injury and his rehab, as well as his new-found love for barbering. 

The Tower: What got you into being a barber?

Jose Rios: What got me into being a barber was money and I was inspired by a lot of YouTubers. 

TT: What was it like starting out. 

JR: It was very difficult I wasn’t getting that many clients and I was trying to learn as much as I could. 

TT: What’s your favorite haircut? What’s your least favorite? 

JR: My favorite haircut Is a taper because it is quick and easy and my least favorite are fades because they take too long. 

TT: Are you planning on staying a barber after high school? 

JR: For now, it’s just a side hustle. But once I graduate, I’m going to go to barber school to get my license. 

TT: Who motivates you during your barber journey?

JR: I motivate myself. I want money I want to buy things for myself and my girlfriend. 

TT: What was it like getting injured and missing out your entire junior season?

JR: It was hard and mentally draining. I worked really hard during the summer getting ready for my junior year. First time on varsity and it was all crushed. 

TT: Describe your injury. 

JR: I broke my wrist trying to punch the ball out and I missed and hit the pads, and because of that I had to get surgery where they had to put a plate and synthetic bone. 

TT: What would you tell a lower classman facing adversity?

JR: I would tell them to not give up on themselves and to keep going no matter how things are. The reward will be worth it in the end.