Junior Gregor Yock is this week’s Athlete of the Week for his gritty work during the football team’s trip to Texas, specifically their game against San Angelo Central.  While the Knights lost 84-49, Yock put forth a superb effort in his first football game, playing every single down of the game.  Menlo already has a relatively small team, so a grueling game in the Texas heat served to help to the Knight’s depth.  “Everyone was really exhausted and cramping,” Yock said, “Lots [of players] played offense, defense, and special teams,” which is normally unusual.  Yock played left tackle on the offensive line, and he also backed up the defensive line at nose tackle. The tough competition and center-stage environment made Yock slightly nervous, but he turned in a great performance in his first career start.  “It was definitely fun starting in that kind of environment,” Yock said. Yock played water polo his first two years at Menlo, even varsity as a sophomore.   He had always wanted to play football but couldn’t until this year because of his parents’ fear of injury.  Yock has enjoyed his time playing football, citing his favorite part of being on the team as the strong sense of camaraderie that is involved.  In his first game, “My goal was to be as fundamentally sound as I could, to know what I was doing on every play…and if I was going to make a mistake, to make it going full speed instead of being hesitant,” Yock said.  Though the Knights got off to a tough start against San Angelo Central, they rebounded and outscored their opponent over the final three quarters. Yock’s determined performance aided the team’s recovery and went well beyond expectations for his first varsity football game. His presence and improvement on the offensive line is sure to be important to Menlo’s success on the field this season.