As the stadium lights blared and cheers from the crowd blended into one cohesive roar, Terrance Biser-Coleman slowly came back to consciousness. After being knocked out cold during a high school football game, all he could think about was when he would be able to play again. 

Five years later, Biser is a 21-year-old freshman football player for the City College Vaqueros. According to his coaches and teammates, the freshman has come a long way to get to where he is now and has faced adversity throughout his journey. 

Biser has been playing football since he was four years old but said he didn’t get excited about the game until he was eight. 

He grew up in Oakland, California but then moved to Marin County which was a much safer place according to Biser. Regardless of where he lived, he played football every school year and was on varsity his last three years of high school. 

The young competitor has been playing the game for 17 consecutive years and aspires to be in the NFL one day.

“I feel like it’s the only sport where you can let aggression off and play with emotion, I like the physical part of the sport,” Biser said. 

Passionate and dedicated were the two words repeated by his teammates and coaches when asked to describe him. 

“He plays for his family, this is everything to him,” 19-year-old corner, Peyton Churchwell said. 

The aspiring freshman has a daughter on the way who is due in January. 

“That’s my motivation to want to succeed and set a goal because in the future I’ll have a family to provide for so I’m just trying to do everything for that,” the soon-to-be father said.  

The City College rookie plays as a defensive back. He has had nine tackles this season and scored two touchdowns at the last home game. 

Fellow defensive back teammate Lamar Campbell said Biser’s a huge contributor to the team. 

“He’s a great player and brings a spark to special teams,” Campbell said.

Special teams refer to the players on the team who are on the field during kicking plays. 

The head coach of the City College football team, Craig Moropoulos, explained that he’s already had success in La Playa Stadium. 

“He had a kick return in the opening kickoff against Orange Coast College and that was huge,” Moropoulos said. “One of our biggest philosophies is that special teams are called special teams because they’re special, and he’s done a great job.”

According to his teammates, coach, and the competitor himself, playing with too much emotion can become a problem for him during heated moments. 19-year-old defensive back, Tyrone McCoy, explained trash-talking to be one of Biser’s downfalls as a player.

“He can say too much and let the game get to his head,” McCoy said. “But he brings momentum to the team. T’s a key piece in our team and he has a lot to play for.”

Biser lost his childhood best friend, Jaquez Sweeney last year and carries the weight of that with him during his games. The player said Sweeney had been by his side since they were in diapers and he always wanted to see Biser succeed in his football career. 

“It all starts with why I do it,” Biser said. “For my family now and all the people that aren’t here and the ones that helped me get here, I play with all of that and just do my best trying to make it big.”