Gaona is a returning All-State wide receiver and also plays three other sports
By Buck Ringgold
Emiliano Gaona is always on the go.
He plays four sports at Charleston, including football. And when he’s on the football field, he plays offense, defense and special teams.
Definitely, Gaona doesn’t have time for a rest.
“I’m always playing some sport,” said Gaona, a senior.
He plays golf, basketball and runs track. Football-wise, he plays receiver and safety and even runs back kickoffs and punts.
Gaona does have a personal favorite position on the field. He enjoys playing receiver the most.
“You know, scoring touchdowns are pretty fun,” Gaona said. “Being a receiver is probably the most fun, and I love defense too, but offense would probably be my favorite.”
After all, Gaona was an All-State receiver as a junior after catching 61 passes for 1,047 yards and 12 TDs.
“It’s kind of easy with my quarterback (senior Carter Little, himself an All-Stater after throwing for nearly 3,400 yards and 42 TDs), he’s amazing, and he’s always making a good throw, so I don’t really have to do much when he’s throwing to me, and then also the (offensive) line for him to make that pass happen,” Gaona said. “So it’s really just a combination of those things, and it’s just up to me to go out there and get it.”
Gaona grew up in Charleston wanting to be a Tiger himself. The Tigers last won state in 2022 when he was a freshman.
Now, he wants to be part of another title squad in Charleston.
“I got to grow up watching (former legendary Charleston quarterback Ty Storey) play,” Gaona said. “You know, I went to the state championship game when they were in there. So, yeah, I’ve been watching those group of guys for a long time, and just everyone before that or after that.
“Our expectation is always to make it to the state championship and win conference and all that. And I think we’re doing a good job of that. We have a bunch of younger guys coming up. They were freshmen; now they’re sophomores. They’re coming up and they’ll help us out pretty big.”
