By Liz Contreras

At Del City, football is more than just Friday night lights—and for rising junior Josiah Chester it is a second family. 

This wide receiver has more than a decade of experience on the field, picking up a football at just five years old. He credits those closest to him for instilling the deep personal values and unrelenting work ethic that have carried him through his student-athlete career. 

“My uncle and my mother have had a big influence on my life off the field,” he says. “They help me understand that I’m going to have to work hard to get where I [want to] be.”

Through the years, Chester has developed the skills it takes to perform at a high level, both mentally and physically. His game-day preparation starts with quiet reflection.

“Something I do to mentally prepare myself before games is sitting in my locker and visualizing the things that I want to do in the game,” Chester explains. “Something that changed is my focus — I don’t talk as much as I used to before the games.”

On the field, he exhibits the same focus and composure even in the high-pressure moments. “I think mental toughness is how you handle adversity,” he says. “In the playoffs last season… I had to dig deep by keeping my emotions in check and stay calm in those moments to make plays.”

Chester’s commitment to the team extends beyond words as he sacrificed personal comfort for the sake of the game. 

“The biggest risk I’ve taken as a player is playing through an ankle injury,” he says. “Playing through the injury was worth it because I helped my team win the game, and I have no regrets about it.”  

Hard work, to him, extends beyond what’s seen during the game. It is every moment spent as a team working towards a common goal. “Something the scoreboard will never reflect is that win or lose, the score won’t show how hard we work as a team at practice, during the summer, and in the weight room.”

With two years of high school football still ahead, Josiah Chester is paving the way for not only a standout season, but for a legacy forged on focus, composure, and discipline.