"It's just crazy to see yourself on TV, especially on ESPN," said star running back Edgar Segura. "I never thought I would be a part of it as a high school kid."
"It's been different, that's for sure," said Mendota Head Coach Beto Mejia. "It's not common when you wake up and you have over 100 unread text messages and you're getting emails from complete strangers and calls from people that have been inspired and touched by this story."
The response from viewers across the country has been jaw-dropping. Complete strangers have offered financial assistance, and a former first overall NFL draft pick has offered help on the field.
"I got a phone call from Keyshawn Johnson, who's a former NFL player, and he said that he's going to help me out and get some equipment for our boys next year," said Mejia. "And when you get something like that you're like, 'Wow. This is amazing.'"
And it wasn't only the viewers taking away positives from Mendota's story. Record-breaking running back Edgar Segura still hasn't received a Division I scholarship offer, but says he got a big boost in confidence from messages from fellow players on social media.
"They all started tweeting me when they were watching it, 'This kid broken a lot of records and no offers yet?' Come on, someone give me that," said Segura. "That showed me I'm not by myself. They know I can play at the next level, just to give me that chance."
Segura still needs to qualify academically for acceptance into a four year school, and he wants to stay close to home to play football at Fresno State. But his high school coach has his eye on the bigger picture.
"He needs to go somewhere where he's gonna be put in a situation to succeed," said Mejia. "And if it requires him playing football, then awesome. But if it doesn't require him playing football then that's awesome as well, because the most important goal is him getting his education."
