Centralia High School senior Isaiah Vasquez was 3 years old when his parents brought him to a children’s hospital in Tacoma when doctors told them what they had already begun to fear. Vasquez had earlier been diagnosed with 65% hearing in one ear and 75% in the other. This time, doctors confirmed he was now completely deaf in both ears.
He was 4 years old when he received a cochlear hearing implant, a device that partially restores hearing by stimulating the nerve in the ear connected to hearing.
It was in fifth grade, when he was 10 years old, that he began playing organized sports for the first time: football. He instantly fell in love with the sport, and it would be the only one he played over the next eight years.
He spent seventh through 10th grade at Chehalis and W.F. West, seeing some varsity playing time for the Bearcats as a sophomore, before transferring to Centralia for the start of his junior year.
Former Tigers coach Jeremy Thibault said Vasquez’ work ethic vaulted him to earn a starting spot at right tackle.
The only setback for Vasquez was he couldn’t wear his implants during games. They’re expensive and they’d pop out whenever he collided with another player. Luckily, he’s learned to read lips with impressive precision over the years and that would be his main form of communicating during games. The team also had signs for him to signify which plays to run.
“I don’t think being deaf is a disability because it never held him back,” Thibault said. “I never had a problem with him. Either I tried hard or he tried harder. And he’s a pretty good lip reader.
“He’s in meetings, he’s laser-focused on everything his defensive coordinator would say. He’s not talking under his breath. I guarantee he knew everything we were saying more than any kid with two good ears.”
Everything was pointing toward Vasquez having a big senior season this past fall when everything was nearly derailed.
It was the first day of the Tigers’ football camp at Eastern Oregon University in July 2021 when an opposing player hit his knee at an awkward angle. The pain dropped him to the ground.
“A really big scare when he went down with the knee injury,” Thibault said. “The kid is super tough, so when he’s telling me it hurts, I believe him.”
Vasquez instantly knew something was wrong and listened to the coaches when they told him not to move. They helped him off the field and to his room to recover.
“We had him propped up in a room with snacks to relax, and I turn around and he’s walked probably a good mile to watch and support his teammates,” Thibault said. “That’s a big character thing, a leadership thing, that a program like Centralia needed.”
Vasquez’ explanation for walking a mile on an injured knee was simple: “I wanted to watch and keep playing, too,” Vasquez said.
Though he did watch, Thibault did not let him play. The coach needed him to be ready for an upcoming season with only two returning starters.
Vasquez’ injury did change things a bit. Thibault moved him from right tackle to nose guard on defense, not wanting to play him on both sides of the ball in fear of reaggravating the injury. But there were times where the Tigers needed a yard or two on offense and they’d plug him in at tackle and run right behind him for the first down.
“Tumwater is an immensely-talented team, but I think he would start anywhere else,” Thibault said. “Obviously, he could play a full game at both sides, but he was so valuable on defense that we had to keep him there. If we had 11 of (Vasquez), we would have won a lot of football games.”
The injury never went away. Vasquez dealt with it all season but fought through the pain to not let his teammates down. And Thibault said the pain he was going through was obvious.
“It hurt but I kept playing,” Vasquez said. “I just love (football) because I like to hit. Plus my brother and my uncle played.”
Just like his deafness, Vasquez didn’t let the injury hold him back. It’s not in him to give up. Thibualt said he was the best player on the team this season.
Despite the Tigers having a down year, finishing just 1-8 with their lone win over Hoquiam, Vasquez’ dedication paid off. He was selected to the all-2A Evergreen Conference’s first-team defense in November — the only Centralia player selected to the first team on either side of the ball.
“It’s cool and awesome,” Vasquez said.
Now, he hopes to graduate high school in June and then start a career as a construction worker. His football career may have come to a close but Vasquez’ heart, resilience and toughness are with him for life.
