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Forward Momentum

 
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High school boys soccer is an intense sport. Unlike football and basketball, there are no timeouts. Each 80-minute long game is split in half with only a ten-minute break in between for teams to rest and regroup. Otherwise, players on the field get a break only when they are substituted with players on the bench. 

JVHS soccer playerMaintaining a competitive level of play for such a long and physically demanding stretch of time can be difficult for any student-athlete, but especially difficult for team captains, who hold additional responsibilities. “It’s harder for me to keep my motivation because I have to motivate everybody else,” said Juan De la Rosa, Jurupa Valley High captain.

Throughout each game, Juan communicates with his teammates, offering direction and urging them to play their best no matter the score. He can never afford to focus on only himself. The responsibility can weigh heavily, but knowing his teammates depend on him also drives him. “I have to show character and just be a captain,” he said.

 


Additionally, passion for the sport helps ease hardships. For Cody Miller, Rubidoux High captain, the feeling of playing soccer is “the best in the world.” Whenever he is upset or has experienced a tough day, getting onto the field almost always improves his mood. 

PHS soccer playerDiego Ramirez, Patriot High captain, appreciates that soccer demands mental focus, forcing everything but the game into the background. “I feel like soccer's always giving me a distraction from school or other things…going on in life,” he said. Currently a senior, Diego uses soccer to find relief from stress brought on by his last year of high school.

Yet at the same time that soccer provides a distraction from school, the sport is also a motivator for school because students must maintain a 2.0 or above GPA in order to participate. “If I want to play soccer, I have to have good grades to do it,” said Cody. “So [soccer] motivates me to do well.”

 


Coaches are invested in their athletes’ academic success as well. At PHS, Head Coach Johnny Mosher makes any player who has fallen below a 2.0 run laps as a reminder to keep good grades. At JVHS, Hugo Ramirez encourages juniors and seniors to tutor his sophomores and freshmen. “They really have each other's back,” said the head coach of his athletes.

RHS soccer playerSoccer will never lose its intensity, but if players maintain their motivation and their grades, they can benefit from the valuable lessons and skills the sport will teach them.

“I think the challenge of it, the grind of it, the having to come out every single day whether it’s to train or play - they’re going to learn that’s how life is. You have to go to work every single day and you have to do your best,” said Brian Miller, RHS head coach. “I think that’s one of the big lessons they learn out here.” 

And though it always feels great to celebrate a big win, Coach Mosher cares more that his athletes grow as individuals under his care. “It’s not just about the athletic realm,” he said. “It’s about the mentoring and making sure they become great young men when they leave here.”