When football players have it going on, it’s popular for them to say they’re “seeing the field really well.”
Rhett Gutierrez is familiar with that expression, but for him it carries an entirely different meaning.
The junior, a reserve quarterback at Class 4A Standley Lake, suffers from Stargardt disease, an inherited juvenile macular degeneration that causes progressive vision loss to the point of becoming legally blind.
The 6-foot-2, 155-pounder can’t see well enough to drive a car, yet lines up in the shotgun formation for the Gators.
“With Stargardt’s,” the native Coloradan said, “you hit a point where your vision starts declining at a constant rate until it eventually plateaus. And we’re at that point now.”
Gutierrez said his vision is rated 20/200. He was diagnosed in 2006 after having problems reading. His teachers had noticed his declining vision, and so did his parents. They got opinions from a half-dozen doctors, and even took Rhett for a week of tests at a Mayo Clinic. Multiple blood tests were conducted. Input was sought from a psychologist.
“They thought I was faking it for a while,” Gutierrez said. “Or I had some some sort of Parkinson’s.”
However, he considers himself fortunate.
“If you get a retinal disease, you want this,” Gutierrez said. “It (stinks), but it could be way worse.”
Said Gators coach Don Morse: “That’s the kind of kid he is. He has always had his back against the wall. He just wants to prove people wrong.”
Gutierrez compares his sight with what television watchers see when suspects’ blurred-out faces are shown on “Cops.” He has trouble with colors, and identifying objects straight ahead is difficult. Turning his head and seeing from the side is better for competing in the game he loves most and also for performing a simple daily task.
His hearing has probably been enhanced, he said, although he also has learned to rely onknowledge of predetermined layouts, which he employs when taking snaps or working on passing in practice.
“I can usually stare at (the ball) and see it,” Gutierrez said. “It’s the first year we’ve done the shotgun thing. It was tough, but Coach worked with me. I watch it down, then that’s how I basically track it.”
Gutierrez is a starter on the Gators’ junior varsity team, which won three of seven games. He has thrown for two touchdowns, but a bigger thrill was when he mopped up for the varsity in a loss to 5A top-ranked Grand Junction. Never mind he fumbled two snaps that resulted in minus-21 yards. He made a handoff to a teammate.
How many third-string football players do you know who received 15 votes to serve as team captain?
“It was exciting, and we were so happy for him,” Gators junior fullback-linebacker John Dean said of Rhett playing on varsity. “We all were freaking out on the sidelines. . . . He’s the best role model ever.”
Morse said he identified an opportunity for Gutierrez, “who’s always asking me during the game, ‘Coach, why don’t we try this or try that?’ The other kids just want him around. And he didn’t even know he was going in.”
Gutierrez admitted to being nervous, but awaits his next varsity chance for the Gators (2-6), who have two games left.
“I hope so,” he said. “It’s more timing and repetition. I know we have set plays where (teammates) break at a certain yard, and I can guess where
Gators quarterback and team captain Rhett Gutierrez (5) listened to coaches during a team huddle at halftime. (Karl Gehring, The Denver Post)they’ll be at a certain speed.”
Gutierrez has maintained a sense of humor about his difficulty seeing. He said he bumps into things “because I’m clumsy.”
Friends and teammates openly joke with him. . It’s not unusual for Gutierrez to approach a classmate who he hasn’t encountered during the day and say, “Nice to see you.”
Gators junior fullback-defensive end Lucas Videtich isn’t surprised.
“Oh, yeah, he’s awesome,” Videtich said. “He has a great attitude.”
Even the team managers notice how well he blends in.
“He makes the best of it. He goes beyond and above everyone else,” Katie Hartwig said. “He’s just so happy all of the time.”
Gutierrez, who played basketball as a freshman, refers back to when his condition was diagnosed. He was told he couldn’t play baseball anymore. He could handle that one. Not driving? He was realistic there too. But when he was told his grades would suffer?
“I said I didn’t see why that had to be,” Gutierrez said. “I just didn’t want it to be an excuse or something that impresses people or that I did awesome because of it.”
Using audiobooks and taking tests with large type — “My teachers have been great about it,” he said — Gutierrez has a 4.3 grade-point average and is mentioned as a candidate for valedictorian. He’ll visit Stanford, is considering applying to Harvard and would be excited to be at the University of Denver.
“I don’t know how he does it. Nothing seems to faze him,” Dean said.
Gutierrez may need his father to give him help to spot an elk or deer on a road trip. When he’s watching football on a chair close to the TV, someone has to relay to him the scores that appear on the screen.
But he can still be a part of sports, whether playing them or one day making them part of a career choice. Becoming a coach or athletic director, perhaps on levels higher than high school, has crossed his mind.
His aspirations are clear, even if his vision isn’t.
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