The playoffs are always a bittersweet time of year for Gabriel Sotelo Jr., even with Cactus making its second state title game in three years.

Tonight, Gabriel Sotelo Sr. should be watching his son play for his second 5A Conference title at Mountain America Stadium on the ASU campus. Instead, he is one of the always growing number of Americans killed by senseless, random gun violence.

Cactus got through a tense 21-14 first round win against Willow Canyon Nov. 18, 2022 in a long game that was delayed, then moved to Apollo High School. Gabriel Sotelo Jr. was just stirring on Nov. 19 when he learned his father - on his way to a Southwest Valley car show - was shot and killed by a man in Avondale, who started a shooting spree just up the road on Interstate 10.

“It’s kind of like we’re in the same situation. I want to make him proud and make my family proud if I could get us this ring. I’m going to do everything I can on that field Friday night,” Gabriel Sotelo Jr. said. “It was after the playoff game where we beat Willow Canyon. Me and him had a deep talk that night because I didn’t play too well. The next morning I wake up and I’m playing a game. I found out he was on his way to a car show. We got the horrible news that he had been shot. I love God and I had faith that he would be here. Sadly he was taken away from us so soon.”

Police found out the the shooting spree was perpetrated by then-29-year-old Raymond Pipkin, when he pulled up to a car I-10 and Avondale Boulevard. A driver in the car noticed Pipkin staring at him and after briefy talking, Pipkin shot at him then took off.

His next target in the mile-long shooting spree was the Dodge Charger driven by Sotelo Sr. Sotelo's 14-year-old nephew also was hit by a bullet but survived. Pipkin injured several others in the area before being apprehended.

Gabriel Sotelo Sr. was 34 and a beloved barber in Glendale for more than a decade, known as "Young AZ" in the community. His death left an oldest son feeling more like he lost a brother.

“The passing of my father hurt me a lot because that was my twin. He had me at a young age and he died at a young age,” Sotelo said. “I’m the oldest of five and we’re all blood related.”

Sotelo never planned to go to school at Cactus.

“My first plan was not going to Cactus when I was in eighth grade. I did not live around there at the time. I had a couple of childhood friends and a couple of teammates I’d played with that went there,” Sotelo said. “I fell in love with the environment and the coaching staff.”

He was a junior varsity player in 2022, brought up to varsity for the playoffs. He leaned on new teammates while he became the man of the house and supported his mother, Angelica.

The Cobras' captains brought his jersey out for the coin toss the next week against Horizon in the quarterfinals.

“Gabriel has some defense mechanisms that we really had to work through after that, just in terms of trust. Understandably so. It hasn’t always been easy for him because of what he had to deal with,” Cactus Coach Brian Belles said. “He’s grown up a lot since that moment. It’s a pain that’s never going to go away but he knows we’re all here for him.”

Gabriel moved into the starting lineup as a junior has been a crucial member of the defensive backfield since. He has 11 interceptions in the past two years.

This year he made 64 total tackles and played more at receiver, catching 18 passes for 343 yards and two touchdowns.

He also has a support system on the Cactus campus.

“It’s been a tight brotherhood and we’ve all been very close since he passed. I’ve grown up with some of the families in the community and they knew my father since he was a kid," Sotelo said. "They all welcomed me with love and I feel special to be a part of it. Without my coaches and that brotherhood I don’t know where I’d be. Some days I didn’t want to keep playing but they influenced me to keep playing. They kept pushing me to work hard and I appreciate every single one of them.”

Sotelo then carried his brothers to another state title game in last week's semifinal at top seed ALA-Gilbert North.

He picked off Eagles quarterback Conner White early in the fourth quarter and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown and 38-27 Cactus lead. Then with the Eagles driving near the red zone and trailing 38-35, Sotelo made the game-saving interception with a minute left.

“It was a great game, back and forth,” Sotelo said. "Off of film, my teammates and coaches put me in the right position to make the play. It was a game changer. I want to give credit to our d-line, backers and DBs, they were all focused. They were on fourth down and forced to throw long. I’m a ballhawk and I like playing safety and read the ball.”

On Monday, outside of the middle of battle, Belles could reflect on how special it was that Sotelo made the big plays.

He also had a humorous take on the final minutes in Gilbert.

“Credit to Gabriel Sotelo making that interception to put us up after coach made a bonehead call and went for it on fourth and 2. He saved my butt and then he saved our butt with another interception at the end to kind of seal it,” Belles said.

Now Sotelo will be one of the Cobras leaders' trying to upset a Desert Edge team that beat Cactus 21-6 on Nov. 1 in Goodyear.

He hopes to keep playing at the next level, and continue with a game that brings a measure of normalcy to his life.

“I’m happy. And it’s hard to be happy with the circumstances I’ve been through,” Sotelo said. “Without football, it would be rough.”