As the final games of district competition loom, the boys soccer team looks toward post season play and a chance to play at region.

Coach Tommie Allmon said soccer is a sport about endurance and cooperation.

“[Endurance] allows them to perform the techniques of playing ball without having fatigue hurt their abilities,” Allmon said. “Players need to be able to see the game a step or two ahead of it happening and they also need to be unselfish and team oriented.”

As a team sport, leadership is a vital element of soccer. Players must move the ball down the field as one, cohesive unit.

“A leader is someone who works harder than anyone else on the team and is an example of an unselfish player,” Allmon said. “A leader puts his team and teammates ahead of himself.”

Four students were selected by their teammates this year to serve as captain on the team: seniors Jose Vega and Cesario Vasquez and juniors Joey Wilder and Arnoldo Garcia. These athletes look beyond themselves as individuals and consider the team as a whole.

“I think being a leader is important because I like being the expamle that other people look up to,” Wilder said. “The one that others look at and say, ‘we need to follow his lead’.”

Assistant coach Alex Morales says the team has worked hard to get where they are, and this year proves to be no different.

Players don’t seem to mind the hard work soccer demands, because of what the sport gives back to them.

“You get to run a lot, and if you’re stressed, it’s a great stress reliever,” senior Fabian Guerro said. “It makes me a better person because of the discipline involved with participating in a sport.”

For junior Jordan Freeman, soccer is more than just a game. He hopes to play in college and even play professionally one day. Freeman also hopes to become a better person because of what soccer has taught him over the years.

“It helps me grow as a person, and learn to play with people as a team,” Freeman said.

If you’re interested in soccer contact Mr. Morales, in room 2128.