The personality test that New Braunfels linebacker John Bordano recently took in his psychology class probably confirmed what coach Chuck Caniford already suspected.
Deep down, even if only on the football field, Bordano is a “raving lunatic.â€
“Off the field, he's just an amazing young man in terms of character, manners and stuff like that,†Caniford said. “But on the field, he's just a raving lunatic. That's kind of what you want.â€
The test revealed that the normally soft-spoken, cordial Bordano likes confrontation; it said if he were an animal, he would be a fox; and it noted he has an aggressive personality shared by most racecar drivers.
Every bit of which would seem to nail the on-field persona of the SMU-bound senior, who seeks to zero in on a Zen-like state he calls “controlled violence†when playing football.
“There is a fine line where if you become too reckless, it's not productive at all,†Bordano said. “You definitely have to let loose and let the play come to you, but with an excitement that you're still kind of on the edge of being crazy.â€
Bordano's balancing act has helped spark the sixth-ranked Unicorns' early surge, which included last week's upset of perennial-powerhouse Smithson Valley and a near stunner over No. 1 Madison the week before.
Bordano, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound, wrecking-ball type force in the interior of the Unicorns' defense, has more than filled the void at inside linebacker left by current Oklahoma Sooners freshman Tom Wort.
A three-year starter, Bordano moved to the inside this season after starting the previous two years at outside linebacker. The nephew of former NFL and SMU linebacker Chris Bordano, he has a team-leading 54 tackles to go along with one sack, a fumble recovery and two pass breakups. He'll lead the Unicorns against Churchill on Friday at Heroes Stadium.
“John, I don't know how he does it, he's just a different mind-set,†outside linebacker Aaron Hayduk said. “He gets pretty crazy before games.â€
During them, as well.
Take last month's season opener, when New Braunfels (3-1) had to redo a kickoff late in the game because of an offside penalty.
“We had to go down and kick off again; it just kind of pissed me off,†Bordano said.
And as an unfortunate kick returner for Seguin would later find out, you don't want to see Bordano angry.
“I went down there and pretty much took his head off,†he said.
Bordano plays at such an amped-up level that he said he usually remembers only small portions of games the following day ? which can make for rather interesting film sessions on Saturdays.
“I'll remember more of the film I watch of myself than actually running and playing the game,†Bordano said. “I think it's just straight adrenaline. It just kind of takes over, and I turn into something else.â€
A “raving lunatic,†even.
Link: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/high ... ality.html