From the pitch to the gridiron: Alief Hastings soccer player lands spot on football team

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Hastings High School senior Favour Eze is new to football, but you would've never guessed it.

What you might not know is that he actually grew up playing soccer.

"I understand the pain of having to go on all-fours or twos and having to do everything right," the young athlete said. "One mess up can end the whole game, and that's how intense it is."

Last year, Bears Head Coach Tomas De La Rosa saw something in Eze during a junior varsity soccer game at Crump Stadium.

"First off, he was 6'2"," he explained. "He was the in-bounder and he was kicking it in, and he was kicking it across the field, and we were like, 'Who is this kid?' Just his mentality of how he approaches the game. He's serious. He's taken it and ran with it, and we love him."

Now, Eze is just one of the guys, and will soon play defensive end and kick for the Bears.

"I'm the best kicker in Alief," he said proudly. "I'm excited to do everything. You know what they say, the more sports you play, the better athlete you are."

Without lacking any confidence in the kicking game, Eze is soaking up a lesson from his coaches and teammates, like David Oke, to make him a better defender.

"They'll pull me off to the side and say, 'Do this' or 'Do that,' and when I listen and I do it, I'm actually surprised at how easy it is to get past the offensive line," said Eze.

His teammates also see the potential in Eze.

"All those coaches that start seeing him ... that offer is going to come," one said.

It's safe to say Eze's future is quite bright.