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Governor Mifflin senior goes viral on social media after posting football highlights

When Governor Mifflin defensive tackle Ismael Ayala-Vargas posted his highlights from a game earlier this season on social media, he never expected the post to generate such a response. The post has over 2 million views and counting, and people from across the country are talking about the Mustang lineman. “It's crazy,” Ayala-Vargas said. “It's something I pray a lot for and work hard for. It still doesn't really sink in that it even happened.” Becoming an overnight social media sensation has motivated him to take his game to a new level. “Now I can actually play better every single game knowing that people are actually watching me.” Ayala-Vargas – a 5-foot-7, 300-pound lineman – transferred from Mulenburg to Governor Mifflin after his freshman year. “He's committed to completely changing himself as a person and as a football player,” Governor Mifflin head coach Nick Morrissey said. “Now he's running and moving, lifting over 300 pounds and squatting over 500 pounds. The transformation has been incredible.” Although Ayala-Vargas is undersized to be a defensive lineman, he isn't letting that stop him from pursuing his dream of playing football in college. “You don't see a small defensive tackle like me very often,” Ayala-Vargas said. “Size is something you can't control, but I'm going to keep going with what I have here, and that's heart.”

SHILLINGTON, Pennsylvania —

When Governor Mifflin defensive tackle Ismael Ayala-Vargas posted highlights from a game earlier this season on social media, he never expected his post to generate such a response.

The post has been viewed more than 2 million times and people across the country are talking about the Mustang lineman.

“It's crazy,” Ayala-Vargas said. “It's something I pray a lot for and work hard for. It still doesn't seem real to me that it even happened.”

Becoming a social media sensation overnight has motivated him to take his game to the next level.

“Now I can actually improve my performance in every single game because I now know that people are actually watching me.”

Ayala-Vargas, a 5-foot-7, 300-pound lineman, transferred from Mulenburg to Governor Mifflin after his freshman year.

“He's committed to completely transforming himself as a person and as a football player,” said Nick Morrissey, head coach of the Governor Mifflin football team. “Now he runs and moves, bench presses over 300 pounds and squats over 500 pounds. It's been incredible to witness that transformation.”

Although Ayala-Vargas is undersized to be a defensive lineman, he doesn't let that stop him from pursuing his dream of playing college football.

“You don't see a small defensive tackle like me very often,” Ayala-Vargas said. “Size is something you can't control, but I'm going to keep doing what I have here, and that's heart.”

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