Jordy Fee-Platt is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Cactus High School for AZPreps365.com.

Will Galvan has always been one of the fastest and most explosive players on his team. Yet where did the 5-foot-8, 160-pound wide receiver begin his football career at 7 years old? 

“They put him as a lineman,” his father, Mike Galvan, said. “He looked at me like, “What am I doing,” and I said to him this is a key value right here. You need to learn as much as you can. If you don’t like that position, you better fight for another one.”

Galvan has taken this philosophy with him ever since. He played numerous positions in his early football years, ranging from lineman to defensive back. The experience of frequently switching spots made him far more equipped for his transition at Cactus High School this year, as he moved from quarterback, where he excelled, to wideout in his senior season. 

The 17-year-old is no stranger to challenges. When he first signed his son up to play football, Galvan’s father mistakenly placed him in an older age group. 

“I put him with 9- and 10-year-olds,” Galvan said. “He always played a year up until he got a little bit older. I think that made him more focused. He had to play with the big boys, so he had that mindset.” 

Both younger and small in stature, Galvan constantly had to prove his worth growing up. His ability to overcome that is a credit to not only his physical abilities, but also his tremendous understanding of the game.

In Galvan’s first season playing football, he made a big impression on coach Al Berry, who would soon become an important figure in his life. Berry remembers when Galvan pointed out a mistake in the playbook at age 7. 

“I was going over the plays and there was a play that the head coach had typed up and called wrong,” Berry said. “And he goes, that’s a typo coach. He had read his playbook at 7-years-old.”

After a teammate’s injury that season, Galvan got his first opportunity at a skill position: running back. In Galvan’s first game at tailback, he scored a long TD run on a sweep, showing off the speed that would make him dangerous for years to come. 

As he got his first opportunities at a skill position, Galvan credits Berry for believing in him early on. 

“I think the biggest thing he did for me was show me my full potential, that I could always become better,” Galvan said. 

Following a season at running back, Galvan moved to a new team and began playing quarterback, where he was coached by his father and Berry. This is when Galvan really started to thrive, and when it became clear to Berry just how special he was. 

With Galvan as signal-caller, his Pop Warner teams won five state championships and two national titles. The quarterback displayed tremendous maturity and knowledge of the game very quickly. 

“There were times I coached him in championship games and that kid called plays at 10, 11 years old,” Berry said. “He goes, “Let’s do this coach. Let’s do this one.” And we were running 80-100 plays. He’s an amazing young man.” 

Entering high school at Cactus, Galvan shifted positions again, playing defensive back during his freshman year. At the end of his first campaign, Cactus’ starting quarterback would be graduating. The Cobras’ coaching staff was unsure how to fill the void. 

Towards the end of the season, Cactus offensive coordinator Mason Crossland watched Galvan throw a ball during warmups a couple of times, and was very impressed with his arm strength. The Cobras decided to make Galvan their quarterback.  

That decision quickly paid dividends as Cactus enjoyed tremendous success during Galvan’s sophomore and junior seasons. It was a relatively easy adjustment for Galvan, who not only had been a quarterback for years and had made many positional adjustments before, but loved playing that role. 

“I like to have the ball in my hands all the time and just be the one to make the decisions,” Galvan said. 

In 2020, Galvan led Cactus to the 4A state championship game, where they suffered a heartbreaking 39-38 loss to Mesquite. The sophomore showed off his dual-threat capabilities, throwing for over 1,228 yards and 14 touchdowns, and rushing for 331 yards and five scores. 

The following season, Galvan took a big step up, throwing 24 touchdowns and running for eight more, earning Region Player of the Year honors in the process. 

With a 10-0 regular season record, the Cobras qualified for the Open Division tournament. They battled admirably against Saguaro in the quarterfinal before the Sabercats eventually pulled away to win 42-21, and two games later, won the state championship. 

Prior to Galvan’s senior year, Coach Brian Belles, in consultation with Galvan and his father, elected to make the big decision to move their star quarterback to wide receiver. There were several factors, both individual and team-related, that prompted this decision. Belles highlighted the rationale for both player and program. 

“We knew that Will’s future in college was gonna be at the receiver position, but we also had a lot of confidence in the two quarterbacks that we had that kind of battled it out all spring and summer for the job,” Belles said. 

Galvan added the change also allows him to play as a defensive back again as well. 

“We just thought it’d be more beneficial for me to be able to be at more than just the quarterback position,” Galvan said. 

With junior Braiden Lagafuaina taking over quarterbacking duties, Galvan has been lined up all over the formation so far this season. 

This freedom to roam keeps defenses guessing. 

“I think it opens up a lot of our offense,” Galvan said. “Just because defenses have to gameplan for it. That’s something that is always a benefit to us if they’re taking their time to gameplan for something.” 

The season hasn’t started the way Cactus envisioned, with the Cobras currently holding a 2-3 record. They will have a chance to find their stride as they begin section play on Friday against Peoria. 

Belles and Galvan’s father are hopeful that more collegiate interest will emerge for Galvan as he gets more tape at wide receiver. Galvan has been in recruiting discussions with New Mexico and UTEP, and FCS program Drake has been closely monitoring his transition to wideout. 

Regardless of where Galvan ends up, Belles is confident in what he will bring to the table. 

“He’s the kind of kid that if you had 50 of them on your team, you’re going to be successful,” Belles said. “He’s so good at what he does, and he does it in a very humble way, and I think he inspires others around him to want to be like him.”