Sahuaro Boys Varsity Soccer has had an admittedly mediocre past few seasons, but on their senior night, they finally hit their stride, playing like a team that Sahuaro has never seen before. At the center of it all are 7 amazingly determined seniors, celebrating their very last high school soccer game.
As team captain since his junior year, Jacob Lopez has led the team through hardships and successes, never giving up on his team. He says he, “…started playing soccer when I was around three, so I guess I’ve been playing for 13 years.” He owes his soccer career to his parents, who both played when they were younger and then put him in the sport. As it happens, he ended up liking it too. His dad is his main inspiration for his game. “I look up to him a lot…He tells me stories from back when he used to play, and so I think about that a lot and I want to push myself to replicate some of that success that he had.” Before he goes on to study engineering (and maybe play soccer too), he wants future Sahuaro soccer stars to know to, “…always stay humble because no matter how good of a player you are or you think you are, you can never skip over the steps of practice and improvement, and you can still get better every day. At the end of the day, no one is above or below you on the field because you’re all a team, and you’re all playing for the same team.”
The other team captain, number 6, Diego Del Villar, was escorted onto the field by his moms, who are also one of his biggest role models in life – alongside Coach Lopez. He has, “…been playing soccer since I was 3, on and off. I stopped doing it in middle school and went back in high school.” Diego loves the game because he has made so many friends with people of different backgrounds and he feels that soccer “unifies people.” His years of soccer have been enjoyable for him, especially, “Being captains with Jacob Lopez. He is my best friend.” Diego is very passionate about art and architecture, which he plans to study in college, but right now he’s unsure of where he wants to go. He leaves future Sahuaro soccer players with this: “Play for each other. Enjoy the game. Bring each other up after every mistake. Celebrate each win. And remember, that your team needs you.”
Next up is Alonzo Perez, varsity player for all four years, with his reason for playing being his passion for the sport. He has loved all the time he’s gotten to spend with his teammates, especially, “going to iHOP after every game.” Before each game, he watches highlights of his favorite players, aspiring to play like them. Alonzo also shared about his biggest inspiration, which is his, “…father, you know, he’s taught me everything I know.” He would like Sahuaro soccer players of the future to be more committed, as that is something he feels the team struggled with this year. As for his future, he plans to go to college to do physical therapy.
Luis Del Valle, who has been on varsity for three years, preps for his games by listening to Bad Bunny, while he tries to focus on the task ahead. Besides Bad Bunny, he also finds inspiration in his friends, who also play soccer, and Sergio Ramos, a professional defensive player, who Luis picked his number, 4, after. He started playing soccer because of the deep roots in his culture, “It’s in our blood.” After high school, Luis plans to go “…to Pima or the U of A. I’m trying to be a doctor like my father.” Although his soccer team has given him many good memories to take with him, Luis’ favorite is when “…we went paintballing and we almost died in the desert. We saw a man stranded there with dogs and stuff. It was kind of a fun time.” As for the upcoming Sahuaro soccer team, Luis hopes they practice more and, “stop goofing around.”
Domenico Di Pilato, an Italian foreign exchange student, is on varsity for his first time, after only playing soccer once, when he was nine years old. His father, who is also his biggest inspiration in life, made him watch soccer a lot when he was younger, which led to him enjoying the sport. After high school, if he ends up going to college, Domenico is, “going to study economy or something like that, or maybe I’m going to help my parents with their business.” His favorite memory from his time playing soccer with Sahuaro was when they, “played Rio Rico in the tournament. We lost 2-0, but it was a funny game.”
Garri Manucharian, a two-year varsity player with Russian professional soccer in his blood, has been playing soccer since he, “turned five years old…I started playing because of my older cousin because he was a pro player…I just wanted to be like him.” A year and a half ago, Garri moved here from Russia, and his favorite memory from Sahuaro soccer was made: “I made it to the varsity team last year…I was just so happy to find out that I made it and I was just so proud.” After high school, Garri wants to go to, “the U of A for business management and then…I just want to make my own business, I want to retire my parents, make a happy family.” He leaves Sahuaro soccer players to come with this: “Just work hard because hard work always pays off, so just work hard, try your best in the field and everything is going to be good.”
Chris Herrera, #8, has been playing soccer since kindergarten, “…but just at school recess…I started playing for a team in 3rd grade for AYSO.” Like most of the seniors, Chris’ favorite memory from his high school career has been hanging out with his team, specifically going to iHOP after they beat CDO. He would like upcoming Sahuaro soccer players to know, “…to never give up and try to be better than themselves from yesterday, every single day.”
Last but certainly not least, is Sahuaro’s manager Jamilet “Jami” Ryburn, who has dedicated herself to making sure equipment is taken care of, the coaches have the help they need, and even keeping the guys’ jewelry safe while they play. She loves, “…all practices when the guys are being goofy and call me an old lady for being older than them.” Although this is Jami’s first year being a manager for soccer, she has a lot of experience, as she was also the softball manager for two years. “Being a manager has impacted me a lot. It gave me a sense of leadership as well as learning new things every day,” Jami said.
Though their final game ultimately ended in a loss – with a score of 2-1, disappointment would seem inevitable, but Sahuaro Boys Soccer played with more heart and determination than could be seen from the team all year. Varsity coach and science teacher, Mr. Lopez, said, “I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Players were coming off cramping because they were fighting so hard. It’s just unfortunate that the game ended the way it did.”
