De La Salle University rookie forward Lucas Aguilar is determined to make a name for himself in two different sports: football and jiu-jitsu.
Aguilar, a homegrown talent from De La Salle Zobel, made headlines last Sunday when he scored the winning goal in the 89th minute against the University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Football Tournament.
Adding to his packed schedule, he will fly to Kazakhstan on Monday to compete in the UWW Grappling Tournament – a nod to his heritage as the son of local MMA promoter and Wrestling Association of the Philippines president, Alvin Aguilar.
“Ever since I was younger, I always wanted to play in the UAAP,” said the 18-year-old creative writing student.
“I watched people like Mathew Custodio and a bunch of other players. It’s always been my dream to play for DLSU,” he shared.
“While I play football, I also do jiu-jitsu. My dad had a really big impact on me because he always influenced me to do good things, and he always pushed me to be better.”
Balancing two sports is no easy feat, requiring technical skills, time, and effort to excel in both. Aguilar also has to manage his academics, friendships, and family life.
Still, he finds fulfillment in juggling all these responsibilities, viewing them as a crucial part of his personal growth.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“The reason why football is my main sport is that it’s kind of seasonal. But yeah, I play football way more also because I enjoy it a lot,” he shared. “For my jiu-jitsu lifestyle, I do my best to balance it out with football, my studies, and spending quality time with family and friends.
“I train every day, Monday to Saturday – jiu-jitsu and football – especially since I’m competing in Kazakhstan this upcoming week in the world championships. I’m really thankful to be in this position at my age. It teaches me discipline, and hopefully, it will help me do better things in life.”
If he travels to Kazakhstan, Aguilar will miss La Salle’s crucial match against Season 86 finalist Far Eastern University on Thursday.
Given the Green Booters’ struggle to produce in the final third, his absence will be felt, especially after his game-changing performance against UST.
However, this is the price of excelling in two sports. Fortunately for La Salle, it’s the only match Aguilar is expected to miss this season.
“Most likely, I won’t be here for the game against FEU,” said the Muntinlupa resident. “It’s not like football and jiu-jitsu are conflicting too much. If I have a tournament, it usually lasts a max of four days if I’m going out of the country. So I don’t miss out that much, except for some training and stuff.”
Despite his dual-sport commitments, Aguilar has clear goals. In the UAAP, his focus is to help La Salle end their decades-long championship drought. In jiu-jitsu, he aims to become one of the sport’s elite athletes within the next few years.
“Well, my goal is to win the UAAP championship. I don’t care how many goals I score as long as I can contribute to my team. We’ll take it one game at a time, and hopefully, we’ll do better in the next round,” he said.
“By the time I turn 21, I’ll hopefully, or probably, win the world championship in jiu-jitsu.”
