LANTANA – An offensive lineman is always valuable to a football team.
Such is the case of Nicholas Acosta, who measures out at 6-foot-2 in height and 300 pounds in weight.
The Santaluces ‘25 lineman is quite an integral part of its offense, so much so that his 16 pancakes in 12 games played helped the team reach as far as the Class 4M-Region 3 semifinal round this past season (8-4 final record).
The best individual game for Acosta came in Week 4 on the road against John Curtis (La.). In the 55-21 loss, he graded out at 97 percent for his best offensive lineman mark of the season against one of Louisiana’s top teams.
Acosta, who allowed only one sack last fall, reflected on his junior season with the Chiefs.
“I actually had an off year last year,” Acosta said. “I gained too much weight, but I lost it now. What I did like about our season was that we fought through adversity and when we had nothing left, we still found a way to win. I think we could’ve been a lot better without injuries and just working better as a team. We could’ve had more team bonding.”
As a result of his on-field production, Acosta earned his first offer from Keiser.
Interestingly, it came from new Keiser offensive line coach Antonyo Woods, who was the Santaluces offensive line coach this past season.
“Coach Woods and I got to work right when I got to Santaluces,” Acosta said. “He polished me as a lineman and has taught me what it takes to go to college. He brought a great weightlifting program to the team and was good for conditioning as well. He now is at Keiser and offered me. So I will see what happens with my recruitment in the future. I appreciate them (Keiser) for offering me.”
Acosta’s production has improved in the spring football circuit. He tallied three pancakes and did not allow a sack against Miami Killian in his team’s 38-6 home win on Friday, May 17.
“I got three pancakes against an even front,” Acosta said. “I was going to linebacker every time. I didn’t get graded out, but I pretty much didn’t have any mess ups.”
Santaluces defensive coordinator and Belle Glade native Samuel Putmon weight in on Acosta’s play.
“On the field, he has improved the most out of any player from fall to the spring,” Putmon said. “Off the field, he is developing into the leader we need going into his senior season.”
Acosta on Putmon:
“Coach Putmon is a coach that is versatile,” Acosta said. “He coached the o-line this spring. He can coach anything.”
Acosta elevated his game even further just two weeks after the Santaluces spring football win over Miami Killian.
Watch how Acosta performed at the Keiser Individual Prospects Camp yesterday evening (May 31).
“I went undefeated,” Acosta said. “I have been working a lot on footwork and getting faster, so it’s paying off.”
Today (June 1) is a rest day for Acosta. But tomorrow (June 2), he will be heading to Georgia for two college camps:
•Mercer on Monday (June 3)
•Georgia Tech on Thursday (June 6)
Acosta, who will also be visiting Florida State and UCF on his college camp tour this month, credits Santaluces head coach Hector Clavijo for making these opportunities possible.
“Coach Hector has a lot of connects,” Acosta said. “He has a lot of colleges coming through the school.”
For much of the summer offseason, Acosta will be in workouts on hills and ladders to improve his agility, endurance, and stamina.
And once the fall football season starts, Acosta will be focused on achieving his aspirations for his senior year.
“I want to win state,” Acosta said. “No sacks, 50 pancakes, and no bad snaps. Those are my goals.”
PHOTO CREDITS: Clara Sales, David Estime, and Taken by Zach
Muck City Media Enterprises 
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