Edinburg, TX (KRGV) — University of Texas Rio Grande Valley freshman offensive lineman Luis Balli overcame family hardship, became district offensive lineman of the year and earned a Division I roster spot.

At 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, Balli looks built for Division I football. But just a few years ago, he did not know much about the game beyond what he saw in movies.

"Junior year was my first year of varsity and I was just trying to keep up with everyone else. Sometimes, it was a headache for my teammates, because they had to tell me what to do, but they were always there helping me," Balli said. "At first it was just a game, but then I started having pride in what I was doing and it became who I was."

"He comes from San Benito, like Fabian, like Frank, and all our other guys. We know what type of kids we're getting from there. Really humble, really hardworking, he's overcome a lot in his young years," UTRGV Offensive Line Coach Jeff Bowen said.

While Balli was overcoming his struggles on the field, his struggles in his home life began to worsen.

Financial hardship forced Balli’s family out of their property and left him and his siblings without a stable home.

"My dad bought a lot, but it got to the point where we couldn't keep up with the payments so we had to get out of there and we were jumping from house to house. We didn't get out of that loop until eventually we ended up having to stay in the park or a little trailer box and I'm not talking trailer house, trailer as in where you store your stuff," Balli said.

Balli called San Benito Head Coach Dan Gomez when his family had nowhere left to turn. The response was immediate.

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"Our coaches at San Benito all around, especially Dan Gomez, have always been there for me and I've never doubted it so I told coach 'hey coach, this is happening' and he said where are you. I'm at this place, and he said 'I'll be there in 10'," Balli said.

Coach Gomez and his wife, Lisa, opened their home to Balli.

"It needed to be done. I know what my wife is about, so it was going to be open doors at our house and again being blessed and fortunate to be able to provide to others is something that at that moment we felt needed to be done for kids who don't deserve to be in those positions," Gomez said.

Inside the Gomez home, Dan's wife, Lisa, became the steady emotional support Balli desperately needed.

"We knew that their circumstances were difficult and we felt like there was an opportunity for us to do something kind. Especially my husband, he's a very giving person, he's very kind natured and he's very generous," Lisa said. "I just want him to always think of the Gomez's as home. He can always count on us, we're always here for him."

"She was there to be a mom," Balli said. "And now she sees us as her kids too so it's a blessing to be there thankfully now my family is also doing good so it all came together. I'm happy about that."

Backed by a stable home and relentless drive, Balli blossomed into district offensive lineman of the year and earned a Division I roster spot at UTRGV.

Luis Balli is this week's Made in the 956 Vaqueros Edition.

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