All Armando Montes did was offer to play goalkeeper during a practice in eighth grade. At that time, it was nothing more than a simple gesture.
Already known as a fierce striker, that decision wound up being bad news for those who faced him in the future. What was supposed to be a one-time test run turned into a career-changing move as Montes grew into not just a game-changer, but one of the most dominant forces in goal for Sharyland High, helping lead the Rattlers to a District 31-5A title with an unblemished 14-0 district record.
With Montes in goal, the Rattlers flourished, scoring 61 goals during district competition while allowing just eight. Because of his shutdown play, Montes is The Monitor’s All-Area Boys Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year.
“I was just playing with some friends, some of the same ones on the team and our keeper was missing so I said, ‘Let me try it out,’” Montes said. “I loved it, so I stayed. It wouldn’t ever have crossed my mind that I would stay. I never saw myself as a goalkeeper. Now, I love the thing that I do.”
As the Rattlers looked to complete their undefeated district season alive, it became even more difficult to get a shot past the 6-foot-1 Montes. He allowed just two shots on goal to get past him in the final seven matches of the season, claiming five shutouts during that run.
“Going undefeated to win district made us proud. It hadn’t been done for 10 years at the high school,” Montes said. “We thought we could go pretty far in state — we thought we could win it. We had everything to make us capable of reaching our goal.
“I thought we could get as far as we wanted to. All the hard work, the countless hours running in the heat of the day, running bleachers and six miles a day. It hit me hard when the season got shut down.”
The COVID-19 virus pandemic was the cause of the early shutdown, ending his season and high school athletic career. But the hoards of shutouts and the numerous goals he saved still remain.
With a defense that pushes up as far as it can, Montes can be found pushing up as far as perhaps any goalie. His strategy is to cut off any long balls that opponents may send to start a counter attack. It certainly worked during his senior season. He’s not just athletic, but he’s technically savvy and being a former offensive player helps him understand what’s coming at him.
“The first thing to position myself depending on where the ball is coming from,” Montes said. “I want to cut off angles before they have a chance. Sometimes I’ll charge one on ones — they always expect the keeper to stay back but I play pretty aggressive and I’ll slide tackle them if I need to.”
Using that strategy, Montes was successful eight of the nine times he did that as offensive players would become hesitant watching him come charging at them.
“Since I played a lot as a striker, I know and could see what the attacker is going to do a lot,” Montes said. “It helped me in so many ways to position myself and make the correct dive.”
Montes started playing soccer when he was 5 years old. He was always an attacking player. Even though he has been in goal the past two seasons, the 17-year-old cornerstone of the Rattlers’ soccer team still has some flash from his “younger” days. He played striker and scored a goal this past season in a tournament.
“We were missing several players, so I had to play forward,” Montes said. “I can still score some goals; sometimes I miss that, but I love what I do. Scoring a goal or saving a goal has as much a reward as the other.”
After the abrupt halt to the season, Montes said he didn’t think about playing again in the future. Now, however, he is back to training and said he is going to look for some colleges to play for.
“My plan, for the summer, is to keep on training and be the best I can be,” he said. “If I have the chance, I will try out for some colleges. I don’t know why I wanted to be in goal back then. It was just something to try. Now, I love what I do.”