Gorman’s Victor Belen making most of opportunity

By Case Keefer (contact)

Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009 | 11 p.m.

No matter how few carries he received last season, Bishop Gorman's Victor Belen never got frustrated.

No matter how bleak his prospects of landing a Division I scholarship looked, Belen never panicked.

“I figured everything was how it was supposed to be,” Belen said. “That’s how I was raised to think.”

Belen, now a senior for the Gaels, didn’t have an ideal year as a junior. He opened the season as the fourth running back on Gorman’s depth chart and never got an opportunity to move up.

He played on nearly every special teams unit, but that was about the extent of his playing time. Still, Belen trusted that his chance would come.

The moment things started changing for Belen was when Gorman hired coach Tony Sanchez in the offseason. As Sanchez watched film of the Gaels from last year, he noticed Belen was always the first player down the field on special teams.

When Belen first met Sanchez, he was surprised that Sanchez told him he knew who he was. Belen could tell his senior season wouldn’t be a repeat of 2008. He would have opportunities to make an impact.

“I don’t want to comment on what they did in the past, but all I know is that we’re utilizing him,” Sanchez said. “And he’s making us look good right now.”

That’s an understatement.

As Gorman’s starting running back, Belen has run the ball 55 times for 603 yards, nearly 11 yards per carry. He also has nine touchdowns through five games.

He compiled a career game in a 42-11 victory against Desert Oasis last week with 152 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He also doubles at defensive back and recorded an interception against Desert Oasis.

As soon as the postgame handshakes ended, Belen headed straight to the fence alongside the home stands and found his stepfather, William Proctor. It was an appropriate reaction because Belen says without Proctor, he never would have made it this far.

“No matter what anyone said to me, he never let me believe I was less than I was,” Belen said.

Proctor has raised Belen since he was 2 years old living in New Jersey. As far as Belen is concerned, Proctor is his father. As far as Proctor is concerned, Belen is his son.

“Perseverance and resilience, those are the two main descriptors you can use to describe his character,” Proctor said. “He’s been through a lot on and off the field.”

Believing Belen possessed the football talent necessary to land a college scholarship, Proctor sacrificed to pay the tuition for him to attend Gorman.

It was a rough first season, however, as Belen hardly got on the field. But the obstacles were only beginning.

During his sophomore year, Proctor and Belen’s biological mother got divorced and the two lost contact in the breakup.

“I wasn’t in his life for a year and a half,” Proctor said. “It was a bad situation.”

The reprieve came when Proctor and Belen were reacquainted last year. Suddenly, Belen was more motivated than ever to be a threat on the field.

He would call Proctor to go run hills with him and take his advice of how he could become a better running back. Proctor forced Belen to keep his faith even when his opportunities were limited.

“I’ve always been under the radar. I’ve always been the running back that no one says is any good and no one wants to look at,” Belen said. “He always told me to keep pushing and eventually I’d get my shot.”

It’s clear that time is now.

When Gorman went to Fresno State’s football team camp this summer, Fresno State coach Pat Hill walked up to Sanchez and told him Belen was going to be special, Sanchez said.

Belen has offers from Northern Arizona and San Diego so far. But with the season he’s having, he’s already garnering more attention.

That’s not bad for a player listed fourth on the depth chart a year ago.

“A lot of people were doubting him and doubting his ability,” Proctor said. “Now that he has a taste of what he can do, I don’t think he wants to prove some people wrong, but, yeah.”