A quarterback’s cadence. The referee’s whistle. The roar of the crowd.

These are all segments of a football game’s soundtrack, set on loop every kickoff.

But for Baytown Lee inside linebacker Guillermo (Willie) Vasquez, life on the field is a little different. He’s fully deaf.

Vasquez can’t hear what his teammates can. The pandemonium that often ensues on gameday isn’t heard; it’s only seen.

That hasn’t stopped him from making an impact for the Ganders (4-4, 2-4 District 8-5A Division I) though.  

“He’s a great teammate,” Baytown Lee Head Coach Timothy Lee said. “There's a lot of verbal signals in football, but he overcomes that. He gets in the right place and does the right thing.”

Vasquez didn’t start playing football until his freshman season.

“I talked to my mom about it, and I asked her, ‘Do you think it would be okay if I played football?’ and she said, ‘Yeah, maybe. Let’s try,’” Vasquez said.

Vasquez was quick to buy-in, as were his teammates, who would assist with communication via signals as a sophomore on junior varsity.

“The coaches and my friends worked with me to help develop my skills,” Vazquez said. “They recognized that I had athletic ability and they really encouraged me to play.”

He also wears a hearing aid on the field, which is protected by his helmet.

During practice, Vasquez’s interpreters are on the other side of the ball to give him signals or corrections from the coaches.

“We feel like we got an extra coach with the interpreter,” Lee said. 

Lee notes that it is a little more difficult on a game night because the interpreters can’t stand on the field, but Vasquez receives signals from his coaches and interpreters on the sidelines.

Vazquez hopes to continue his football career at Gallaudet University, a private university for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Washington D.C. That’s where former Baytown Lee linebacker Billy Hayes currently plays.

“I want to continue to play football and learn more about my position to improve my skills,” Vasquez said.