Photographer brings Madera Unified football players together for photoshoot

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A local photographer wanted to highlight what student athletes in Madera Unified have in common and not what sets them apart.

Under the Friday Night Lights, players say all bets are off.

"When it's Friday, it's just strictly business," said Amani Sua, a senior at Matilda Torres High School.

When it's gametime, even if they grew up with the opposing players, there's no such thing as friends.

"I have to do a job and then after when the games over, they're back to being my best friend, but when it's gametime it's full go," explained Blake Burton, a senior at Madera High School.

But none of it is personal as they all say it's part of the game.

"Go handle business, just go do what you gotta do," said Juan Garcia, a senior.

Sua, Burton and Garcia are all captains at their respective high schools in the Madera Unified School District.

While they're fierce on the field, they can find commonality.

It's what makes them the same not what sets them apart that local photographer Jorge Orozco wanted to capture.

"At the end of the day, purple, red, you know blue. We still represent Madera," said Orozco.

Inspired by a fellow photographer and clashes at football games in other school districts, he wanted to photograph players from opposing teams together and show a united front.

Orozco and his mentee, Abigail Romero Lopez, met the captains and a few other players in their full pads and jerseys at the Madera County Fair to take some show-stopping shots.

Former players and future players approached them during the shoot.

"One of the kids came up to me and said 'I want to be like you when I'm older.' I was like, 'Man," said Garcia.

Romero Lopez says she was grateful she got to take part.

"I think it brought unity to the whole schools and all the players got to interact with each other which was amazing," explained Romero Lopez.

The players say they enjoyed every bit of it.

"It brought us together. I feel like it brought us together," said Burton.

"Being able to come together and not having to be rivals and coming together and having fun, taking pictures at the fair, it was a fun experience," said Sua.

Orozco says he hopes the pictures inspire other districts and photographers to do something similar.

"I hope everybody goes out and kind of creates their own version of unity and just kind of builds on that," said Orozco.

You can see all of the pictures from this photoshoot on Madera Unified's Instagram or Facebook page.

Orozco says he hopes to make this an annual tradition.

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