By ROY HESS, Staff Writer
Estuardo Teran sees playing soccer in college while pursuing his undergraduate degree in kinesiology as an ideal situation for his immediate future.
That future became a foreseeable reality Friday as the senior central defender/midfielder for the Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers signed a college athletic scholarship agreement to attend Our Lady of the Lake University of San Antonio and play for the Saints.
“This is what I’ve been working for a lot the whole (school) year, and actually last year, too,” said Teran, who started two seasons for the Chargers and earned first-team all-district honors at defender as a senior. “It was my goal to be able to play soccer at the college level, and I would do anything to reach it. I trained hard every day and even on the weekends just to get better. It’s given me an opportunity to be here where I am right now.”
Friday’s on-campus signing ceremony brought together Teran’s family, teammates, classmates and Brownsville ISD staff members. There was definitely a celebratory atmosphere to mark the scholarship signing of another Brownsville Veterans athlete who is going on to college.
Teran was a key member of the Chargers squad that finished as the District 32-6A runner-up this season and advanced to the second round of the Class 6A playoffs.
“An event like this is what we’re in this for (as teachers and coaches),” said Alberto Vasquez, the Chargers’ coach. “The best thing that we want for our athletes is to have an opportunity to go play at the next level, and not just to play, but to attend a university (and earn a degree).
“Estuardo was a central defender/holding midfielder for us, and he had the versatility that he could help us in any part of the field, whether it was on defense, in the midfield or even in an attacking role, really,” Vasquez added. “He had the attitude that he would do whatever was best for the team, and that’s the role he accepted.”
Also on hand for the occasion was Our Lady of the Lake soccer coach Shane Hurley, who said Teran made quite a positive impression at a recent tryout.
“I think he’ll make a very significant impact on our roster,” Hurley said of his new signee.
Teran said he began playing soccer at age 3, which was about the same time he started learning Tae Kwon Do. He’s become a proficient athlete in both sports and holds a fourth-degree black belt in the martial arts. He has competed internationally for U.S. teams in Tae Kwon Do, traveling to Germany, Korea and Mexico for competitions.
Teran said his athletic focus, at least for the moment, is on soccer.
“My first year in college I’m going to focus on soccer and academics and see how it goes,” he said. “Maybe my third year (in college) or so I’ll get back to it because I want to keep my Tae Kwon Do going. If I’m not involved in fighting, I’ll be teaching and showing young kids what I know.”
The senior soccer standout said upon graduation from Brownsville Veterans he will take with him a lot of good memories of playing for the Chargers.
“It was a gift to play with these guys as my teammates,” Teran said. “There was nothing like it. The friendships and everything, they’ll last forever.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess