Jose Echevarria is a soccer player with not one, but two nicknames.
He’s also The Brownsville Herald’s All-Metro newcomer of the year for 2015.
Back in January, Echevarria, a freshman midfielder at Lopez, started the season on the junior varsity, having come over from BesteiroMiddle School. Just a week or so into the season, his soccer abilities became obvious and he was moved up to the varsity, where he soon became a starter. The player with a pair of nicknames continued to be a vital contributor for the Lobos throughout the season.
“In my family, I’ve got the nickname ‘Sandy,’” said Echevarria, a 5-foot-8, 146-pounder. “At school (on the soccer team), they call me ‘Chevy.’”
Whether he goes by “Sandy,” “Chevy” or Jose, he made an immediate impression upon his coaches.
“Jose was more than a pleasant surprise for us,” Lopez coach Amadeo Escandon said. “I had heard about him before, like in the summer from the players, but I hadn’t seen him play until he came to Lopez. When I saw him the first time and he touched the ball, I was like ‘Wow.’ I could see that he was going to be a big asset, not only to our team (this year), but to our program.
“Jose was the midfielder on our strong side,” Escandon added. “He led the team with 12 assists, and he was also very good at set plays as he has excellent heading skills and a good vertical jump. He’s also got good speed and good ball control. He can place the ball just about anywhere on the field.
“I think this is a very good award for him (as a standout newcomer). He deserves it. I honestly think so. I think he’s one of the best midfielders right now in his class and at his level, and I can only see him growing a lot more at his position.”
Echevarria also was named newcomer of the year in District 32-6A.
“Since I was practicing with the junior varsity, I was a little surprised when they first told me I was going to be on the varsity,” Echevarria said. “I felt good (that I was able to do well) because playing (on the varsity) for Lopez is something pretty big. It could have been better though, because I wanted us to go farther (in the playoffs) than we went, but winning these awards helps me feel a little better.
“This (recognition) is going to help me motivate myself and others like the ones who are coming from other schools (as newcomers) and things like that,” he added. “We know we have the team to go far, farther than this season (when we lost in bi-district), so that’s what we want to do next season.
“I’d like to thank the coaches who gave me the support so that I could be recognized with these awards and everything. I believe we’re going to go far next year.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.