Michael Donohue
ASU Student Journalist

Apache Junction's newest quarterback carries on the family game

October 19, 2020 by Michael Donohue, Arizona State University


Gavin Limongello (8) prepares to take a snap against Prescott. (Anthony Nguyen/Apache Junction Football)
 

Michael Donohue is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Apache Junction for AZPreps365.com

Gavin Limongello prepares to fall asleep. Like most high school athletes, Gavin’s day consists of a full day of school, two or three-hour practices, homework and sleep. He drags his tired body to his bed, only to have his brother barge into the room.

His older brother Gibson, the former quarterback for the Apache Junction football team and its current quarterbacks coach, has found more details while watching film late at night. Gibson can’t wait until the morning to share his ideas with Gavin. Gibson needs to get all of the fresh thoughts out of his head. For Gavin, football never stops. 

“I’m not doing football four hours a day, I’m doing it the entire day,” he said.

Now the starting quarterback for the Prospectors as a sophomore, Gavin, 15, has the chance to lead his team to the same success they enjoyed under his brother.

Growing up, Gavin always had a football in his hands. He started playing competitive football at 5 years old. However, Apache Junction didn’t have a football team for his age group, which meant Gavin played on his brother’s team, even though Gibson, 18, was more than two years older. 

Playing against older competition allowed Gavin’s game to mature faster.

“The better people you're playing against, the better you're going to do,” he said.

As the brothers grew up and played on separate teams, they still practiced at the same field. After practice, they rangled other teammates to pass around and do one-on-one drills. These drills helped Gavin throw into tight windows and read defensive coverages.

Gavin and Gibson’s relationship extends beyond brothers. They are teammates. They coach each other. They are best friends. They still live in the same house even though Gibson graduated last year. Their relationship is “exactly what you would want to have with your brother,” said Tad Limongello, their father.

Gavin’s passing ability started in his backyard as he would throw a football to his brother for hours each night. Growing up, the brothers would go to practice an hour early to perform drills and throw the ball around. Between team practice and individual drills, Gavin played football for five to six hours a day.

“We’ve spent a lot of time over the years just trying to master the craft of football,” Gibson said.

Gavin dreamed of playing quarterback ever since he decided to strap on the pads for the first time. The ability to command the team and be the playmaker appealed to him.

“I’ve always wanted the ball in my hands and change the outcome of the game,” he said.

Gavin waits patiently on the sideline against Prescott (Anthony Nguyen/Apache Junction Football)

Gavin’s confidence soared at age 7. He played quarterback and running back for his team. His strategy was simple, get to the outside and run for a touchdown. His team won the championship that year, with the ball being in his hands the majority of the time. 

Watching his brother play quarterback for the Prospectors for three years made Gavin realize that he needed to improve his game if he wanted to play at a varsity level. When Gibson was behind center, the Prospectors went 14-1 in conference play and claimed two division titles.

Gavin knew he could play at the varsity level during his freshman season. Last year, with Apache Junction throttling Dysart 42-0 in the third quarter, Gavin entered the game at quarterback. He took a snap, faked the handoff, and scampered through four Dysart defenders for a 23-yard touchdown run. Gavin did what he always did as a kid, get to the outside and run. 

“That’s when I realized, as a freshman, that I think I have what it takes to play on varsity,” he said.

Gavin and Gibson’s football careers ran parallel to each other. Both of them started playing football when they were 5 years old, both of them played quarterback, and both of them started playing varsity during their sophomore year. 

However, a pandemic and a new coach altered Gavin’s journey.

Gavin learned a new offense over the summer via Zoom as Arizona high schools were not allowed to practice due to the coronavirus pandemic. Bruce Binkley, in his first year as the Apache Junction coach, stressed the importance of Gavin learning everyone’s position and role on the field in order to understand the offense and lead the team.

A couple weeks before practice officially began for the Prospectors, Gavin and his receivers went to a local park to throw around and run routes. He focused on knowing his teammates on and off the field so he can relate to them more.

“I believe that if you’re close with someone, they are going to try harder for you … as a family would,” he said.

Gavin looks over defense one last time before taking the snap. (Anthony Nguyen/Apache Junction Football)

With gyms closed, Gibson and Gavin lifted weights at home and continued to throw the ball around in the backyard, just like they did as children.

Due to Gibson being the quarterback’s coach, the brothers constantly communicate with each other. Gavin can learn at any time of the day, whether he is on the field or at the dinner table.

“He’s not only my coach for three to four hours a day on the field,” Gavin said. “He coaches me whenever we are at home.”

Gibson is less nervous watching his brother play than playing quarterback himself. While he still gets nervous watching his brother drop back with a hoard of defenders attempting to collapse the pocket, the anxiety doesn’t compare to when he donned the black and gold. Gavin doesn’t get nervous like his brother. He feels prepared heading into games. He focuses on playing to his potential because anything beyond that is out of his control.

On the first Friday night in October, Gavin started his varsity career against Mesquite, the 2019 4A state champions. While a young quarterback might crumble under the weight of one of the top programs in the state, Gavin reflected on his preparation over the offseason and his entire life. He knew going into the game that his athletic abilities would not hold him back from competing. Even though Mesquite beat Apache Junction, 46-21, Gavin shined under the lights with over 400 yards of total offense and three touchdowns. 

Last Friday, in a 52-29 victory over Estrella Foothills, Gavin passed for 220 yards and two touchdowns while adding 133 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to improve the Prospectors to 2-1.

One thing that resonates with Gavin is the phrase “all-in,” which coach Binkley brought to Apache Junction this year. Whether he is buckling his chinstrap ready to start a game-winning drive in football, or picking up a pencil to ace his test, Gavin stays in the mindsight of winning so he can achieve his goal of playing football in college.

“What [all-in] means to me is winning at everything you do. Winning at home. Winning with your family. Winning at school. Winning on the field. Winning off the field … It’s a way of life,” he said.