These football managers are the real MVPs behind the scenes

Mayte Castillo and Diane Mena give a sneak peak in the day of life of a Somerton Football Manager

SOMERTON, Ariz. (KYMA) - "There's days that I'm here from 7:00 in the morning till 8:30 just helping however I can," said junior manager Diane Mena.

Being a football manager isn't for the faint of heart.

It's a time consuming job that can take a toll on the individual tough enough to take on the task, but it can be rewarding as well.

"Even though it's a big, tough task, at the end of the day, we're like a whole big family," said sophomore manager Mayte Castillo. "I think of them as like my brothers, you know, and the coaches, my uncles too."

The Somerton family bond is real, but what holds the team together is the hard work the managers put in, especially for a program as young as Somertons.

With the schools young age of three years, this is the first year with a varsity football program, and seeing the team grow has been a special experience.

"I think it's pretty cool that I get to experience our school growing. I know a lot of our athletes, they improved a lot from freshman year to junior year right now," Mena said. "It's nice seeing them experience it and just growing as an athlete."

For both managers, the opportunity has helped them get a better idea of what they want to pursue in college and as a career.

For Castillo, her passion is to pursue a career in photography and film.

"The favorite part of this job, I do have to say, is recording the films is most interesting for me, because my future is to be a photographer," Castillo said.

On the other hand, Mena looks forward to medical school.

"I go into the athletic room and then I go and help out the injured athletes," Mena said. "I do some rehabs. I do taping, whatever they need."

They're a great help and the teams MVPs off the field when the work on the field is being put in.

Every Friday night, 22 kids are flying around the field and get all the attention in the world, but the people on the sideline are pretty special too.