During high school, Josh Gonzales made a habit of spending fall Fridays doing the same thing: catching touchdowns.
The Palomar College freshman wide receiver accumulated 50 receiving touchdowns over three seasons, including 14 as a sophomore and 21 as a junior at Escondido before adding 15 more during his senior season at Mission Hills.
But for the 6-foot-1 receiver who became one of North County’s most productive pass catchers, the path from high school standout to college football player did not unfold exactly as planned.
“At first, I was honestly questioning even continuing to play,” Gonzales said. “I was so in my head, and things didn’t go my way.”
Gonzales transferred to Mission Hills for his senior season. He joined quarterback Troy Huhn and a talented group of skill players on a high-powered offense, hoping longtime head coach Chris Hauser could help increase his exposure during the recruiting process.
Mission Hills finished 9-2, won the Avocado West League championship and advanced to the Open Division CIF San Diego Section championship game before falling to Cathedral Catholic 42-35.
But the season also brought unexpected change.
Early in the year, Hauser was suspended following a program incident, and a district review later determined that, in addition to student misconduct, certain program staff failed to follow established supervision and reporting protocols.
Hauser ultimately retired without returning, leaving Gonzales without the coach he believed could help maximize opportunities at the next level. Gonzales said the uncertainty surrounding the program affected his recruiting momentum during a critical time.
“Our head coach got fired,” Gonzales said. “It was a crazy year at Mission Hills. A lot of stuff that happened.”
Despite the challenges surrounding his senior season, Gonzales said he does not view his time with the Grizzlies as a disappointment.
“If I stayed at Esco, and I knew I was going to go to Palomar, there’s no reason for me to transfer,” Gonzales said. “But Mission Hills taught me a way different aspect of practice in general. The practices were so much harder than the games, which I honestly appreciate looking back.”
That mentality has followed him to Palomar.
“Our coaches would just ingrain it in our head that practices are always going to be harder than the games,” Gonzales said. “Now I’m kind of appreciative of it because I try to carry that along with me and pretty much never take reps off.”
Gonzales initially never envisioned himself at Palomar, but he now views the Comets as the right place to continue developing.
“At first, I was like, ‘Palomar, I would never end up there,’” Gonzales said. “But now looking back at it, looking at it now, it’s honestly a great advantage.”
“Nowadays, guys need to be college-prepped and college-ready,” Gonzales added. “They don’t have time to develop you at a four-year institution. They want you already ready when you come in.”
At Palomar, Gonzales joins a program led by longtime head coach Joe Early, who has guided the Comets since 2001.
Palomar is coming off a 3-7 season, but Gonzales believes he can contribute immediately while continuing to refine his game.
“I feel like I bring a pretty good talent to the team when it comes to the outside receiver position,” Gonzales said.
Since arriving at Palomar, Gonzales said the transition has been smoother than expected.
“The first day everybody didn’t know each other, and now the chemistry has been pretty good,” Gonzales said. “We’re all playing the sport we love, and we’re all talking to each other about the plays, but also just about making friends pretty easy.”
Beyond his physical ability, Gonzales said he has grown as a student of the game.
“I’ve gotten a lot more confident being smart with football IQ and helping guys out with plays, drawing them on the board,” Gonzales said.
Former All-CIF La Costa Canyon quarterback Quinn Roth, who is continuing his career at the junior college level at College of San Mateo, understands the path Gonzales is taking.
The two were North County rivals during their prep careers, but Roth has seen firsthand the type of player Gonzales can be.
“Josh is obviously a guy who balled out,” Roth said. “He’s not small either, so that was definitely a surprise [that he didn’t go DI].”
Now Gonzales is focused on turning his opportunity at Palomar into the next step of his football journey.
“My goal is to just make it out, get a scholarship somewhere to play, continue to play ball,” Gonzales said. “I kind of want to take this thing as far as I can when it comes to football and just the love for the game.”
Palomar opens the season Saturday, Aug. 29, with a 6 p.m. road game against Ventura.
