Photo by Kevin C. Tatco
Sixty years later, and his name lives on. As Ateneo rose from the ashes after the Second World War, one man responsible for rejuvenating the Atenean spirit was Luis “Moro” Lorenzo.
He inspired and electrified crowds on the basketball court and on the football field. He is one of the most renowned and beloved figures in the university’s sporting history, and today, his grandchildren proudly wear the Lorenzo name as they do battle for the Blue and White.
One of the boys
At first glance, most strangers find the nineteen-year old Ines Lorenzo intimidating and girly. “Both are the opposite,” she says.
This self-admitted tomboy is quite soft spoken. She dresses modestly in school and often wears a pleasant smile on her face, which is why she finds people’s predispositions about her rather puzzling.
Raised in Bukidnon, a landlocked province in north Mindanao, much of Ines’ childhood was spent playing with boys, including his brother younger brother of two years Jacobo—running around the Lorenzo estate, and learning different sports. “Everyday I’d wake up at 5. We’d be on horses. We’d ride all morning, swimming, shooting,” she says.
So when time came to leave Bukidnon and assimilate into city life during secondary schooling, playing football for the Poveda high school team was what really helped her transition. She admits that more than anything else, the adjustment was easier for her in terms of sports.
“Growing up, we were already disciplined. The waking up early helped,” she says. Ines recalls her early mornings in Bukidnon, helping set up horses’ saddles for rodeos which surely prepared her for the early morning practices the Lady Booters have.
Off the field, she claims to be no drama queen and is proud to be a happy-go-lucky girl who never stresses about schoolwork. When she’s not busy with football, she tries her hand at photography, her newfound passion.
“When you take a picture, there’s no right or wrong. It’s a balance of what it really is and how you capture it, how you feel when you take it,” she says.
In terms of activities outside football, Ines highlights the big difference between studying in the province and in the Metro. “There (Bukidnon), everything was so simple. You really don’t care what you wear. But when you’re here, it’s like everything matters,” she says.
More than what she wears, however, what matters to Ines is her performance as a Lady Booter. Standing at a strongly built 5’ 2.5”, she is a welcome addition to the young team’s defense where she reunites with high school teammate Inez Achacoso to hold the back four.
Ines is currently recovering from a barrage of injuries that the season has inflicted on her lower body: a plantar fasciitis, a strained right quad, and an aching left hamstring. She was sidelined for most of the first round, and in the light of her absence, the team has struggled to cope with the attacking pressures the opposing teams have displayed.
But her injuries are obstacles she must overcome to complete her promising freshman campaign. “My injury is holding me back. I have to fix that for myself,” she says. “I just have to keep trying, keep pushing.”
For her perseverance, she should be given credit. The field is where Ines belongs, and that is where she thrives under pressure.
Feeling no pressure
Another new face on the Booters’ back four is Jacobo Lorenzo. Like his sister, Jacobo is an instant starter, proven useful for his flexibility in positions.
“My whole high school life, I was in the offense. Now that I got into the team they needed more defenders,” he says. “I guess I could be called a utility player because I can adapt to defense and offense.”
He played forward for the Ateneo de Manila High School football team, as the statue of his grandfather loomed over their campus grounds. Despite this, he claims that he doesn’t feel any pressure being Moro’s grandson. “I think there’s no pressure because I don’t play basketball,” he says.
Maybe Jacobo’s right, but more than a basketball superstar, back in his day Moro was a sports icon who moved people with the fight that showed more than the few victories the Blue Eagles won.
The kind of pressure Jacobo feels would be the cold feet rookies often get. “They say rookie year is when you feel all the pressure because everything is new, and the atmosphere is different,” he says. “But aside from that, compared to high school, it’s more challenging, which is fun.”
Having his first taste of UAAP football, the first round for the men’s team has been “pretty steady” according to him, but this observation is of course in comparison to a forgettable Season 71. Much more is expected from the highly talented roster of the second highest profiled team in Ateneo, and their future lies in the hands of Jacobo and his other young teammates.
As rookies, they have gotten into the hype of the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry. “My first Ateneo-La Salle game was really intense,” he says. “Against the other schools it’s also intense, but against La Salle there are more people watching, and you feel the drums going with your adrenaline.”
More than his skills, Jacobo brings to the team an intangible—the optimistic attitude that they could have definitely used last year. After the first round, he has left it all on the field and prepares himself for the new battles to come. He believes in himself, his teammates, and his coaches, and he recognizes the importance of sucking it up when you are the underdog.
This is Ateneo football right now: a story of underdogs. Long gone are the days of Pat Ozaeta and Alvin Perez. Ines and Jacobo Lorenzo are fresh breaths for a program gasping for air.
“Just breathe,” says Ines. That’s her motto in life. That is what she says to herself on the field when it gets too hard. “Just calm down. Remember, you’ve done this before,” she tells herself. “Keep going, keep fighting. Just give it everything.”
So sixty years later, the ghost of Moro Lorenzo lingers, ever present in the youthful confidence and relentless fighting spirit his grandchildren bring to the field. No pressure.
