STEFAN MODRICH | Staff Writer
Hanna football and soccer star Miguel Payan signed to play soccer for Western Texas College on Friday in the Hanna auditorium.
Payan played kicker, free safety, wide receiver and quarterback during his time on the gridiron, and represented Hanna and the East squad in the Rio Grande Valley Coaches Association all-star game. He was a key member of an Eagles squad that captured a District 32-6A title and advanced to the third round of the playoffs for the first time in school history.
“I just want to thank everybody who’s been through this journey with me,” Payan said. “Especially my coach, he’s been through a lot with me and he took me far.”
On the soccer pitch, Payan excelled as a defender, but also scored a key goal during the regional quarterfinal against Harlingen South to keep the Eagles’ playoff run alive. Hanna advanced to the regional semifinal, where the Eagles were defeated 3-2 by San Antonio Reagan.
“He’s helped the program tremendously on and off the field,” Hanna soccer coach Reyes Prado said.
Payan said the Western Texas coaching staff began to show interest in him after Harlingen South game and the Brownsville Futbol-BISD all-star game. Payan plans to study business.
Western Texas is a junior college in Snyder, 90 miles southeast of Lubbock. The Westerners compete in the NJCAA and the Western Junior College Athletic Conference.
Payan shared the signing ceremony spotlight with soccer teammate Aldo Gonzalez. He said the opportunity to continue his soccer career with Gonzalez was a critical factor in his decision.
“It made me feel better, because I didn’t want to get there and not know anybody,” Payan said. “Here at Hanna, we’ve been fighting together.”
Gonzalez signs at Western Texas College
Hanna midfielder Aldo Gonzalez signed his intent to play soccer for Western Texas College on Friday in the school auditorium.
Speaking through translator and Hanna soccer coach Reyes Prado, Gonzalez expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to play the sport he loves since joining the Eagles as a senior, and said he plans to study education at Western Texas and to enter into the coaching profession.
“He’s been very helpful to the team and to the program,” Prado said. “He’s very humble, he’s a very down-to-earth kid.”
Gonzalez played a significant role on an Eagles squad that advanced to the regional semifinal, tallying a goal during Hanna’s come-from-behind area-round playoff victory against Laredo United South.
“I’ve always had this dream since I was little,” Gonzalez said. “(I wanted) to be somebody in soccer. My family has been very supportive of me and my talent. I wanted to do something with it.”
Western Texas is a junior college in Snyder, 90 miles southeast of Lubbock. The Westerners compete in the NJCAA and the Western Junior College Athletic Conference.
Gonzalez signed with Western Texas alongside teammate Miguel Payan, a defender for the Eagles. Like Payan, the Westerners’ coaching staff saw Gonzalez during the BISD all-star showcase. Gonzalez said he was excited that Payan would be joining him in the next chapter of his athletic and academic career.
“Thank God that I was placed there with Payan, who is like part of my family,” Gonzalez said. “He’s a good friend and teammate, and I won’t feel strange going to college by myself, which is a great part of going to college there. It’s eight or nine hours away, and hopefully we don’t get homesick but having each other around is going to help a lot.”