WASHINGTON — Plenty of high school kids play multiple sports. Some are even recruited by a coach from the sport they grew up playing because of a certain size, speed or skill set. And a number of soccer players have made the successful conversion to the football field.
Northwest High School’s J.J. Funez is a little different. After playing for D.C. United’s academy team the last couple of years, he began working out in the spring with some friends on the football team. Going into his senior year, he wanted a chance to play the sport he had loved and excelled at growing up in Florida. So he went to Mike Neubeiser, head coach of the school in Germantown, Maryland, and asked.
“I said, ‘Sure, you can kick for us,’” explains Neubeiser. “But he was like, ‘No, I want to play play.'”
At 5-feet-10-inches, 175 pounds, Funez may look more the part of a soccer player. But he played running back and receiver when he was younger, and his athleticism still translates to the gridiron. Coach Neubeiser fit him into a defending 4A state champion team at the slot receiver position, and all Funez has done is deliver 18 receptions for 256 yards and three touchdowns, each mark the second-highest in the team’s receiving corps.
“I adjusted pretty quickly,” says Funez of the return to football. “The coaches took the time, had the patience to get me adjusted.”
That patience appears to be netting exponential dividends, with Funez catching four balls for 74 yards and a pair of scores last week in a 29-12 win over Richard Montgomery. Heading into a bitter rivalry game Friday with a Quince Orchard (5-1) team coming off five straight big wins, the Jaguars (4-2) will need every bit of help they can get.
“Every week I’m starting to get more and more experienced,” says Funez. “Every Friday night I seem to improve a little more.”
In case you were wondering, yes, Funez is also the team’s kicker, both on kickoffs and for field goals. The transition from the round ball to the oblong one has been smooth as well for Funez, which has allowed him to focus fully on developing as a receiver.
“The kicking is something that is brand new, (but it) just came to me,” he says. “Coach gives me the time to practice my kicking, but I’d rather take that time to run routes.”
You might think such a versatile player would intrigue college recruiters, but the cycle of offers largely happens during players’ junior years, making Funez perhaps a diamond in the rough for a school with scholarships still open. His coach is confident that he could contribute at the next level.
“He came in a little late in the game, but could really play at the D-II, D-III level,” says Neubeiser.
While Funez plans to go back to the academy after football season, he’d be open to the offer to playing at the next level, if it comes.
“If I get the chance to play in college, I’m going to take it.”
