PHARR — Peter Yanez was unsure what his role would be with the Valley View Tigers during his freshman year. The only thing he was certain of was that he was ready to do whatever it took to help the team win.
Yanez struggled during his first three games with the Tigers, growing frustrated after being unable to find the net. Then, during their fourth game of the year, it all began to click.
Down 3-0 to the Sharyland High Rattlers during their second district game of the season, Tigers assistant coach Damian Magallan addressed the team.
Magallan’s words awoke something in Yanez and the Tigers, with the forward exploding onto the scene while scoring a pair of goals to help his team erase the three-goal deficit and come away with a 5-4 victory in penalty kicks.
From then on, Yanez became a force on the Tigers’ offense, ranking No. 2 on the team in goals scored with 15 through 14 district games.
Because of his breakout campaign, Yanez is The Monitor’s 2021 All-Area Boys Soccer Newcomer of the Year.
“I think he grew and started believing in himself after the Sharyland game, our second district game,” Tigers head coach Gerardo Salazar said. “We were down 3-0 and he was frustrated. But then, he scored two goals that game. From then on, everyone started getting behind him and he turned out to be a good player for us. And now, we get him for three more years and that’s even better.”
Yanez followed up his two-goal performance with an offensive tear, scoring goals in eight of the teams last 12 district games, including a hat trick during a 7-2 victory over McAllen Rowe on Feb. 20.
With Yanez paired with the Valley’s leading scorer in Pablo Torre, the Tigers cruised to a District 31-5A crown, outscoring opponents 69-12 on their way to an undefeated season.
Despite the goals coming in bunches for the freshman striker, none was bigger than his first postseason score.
Tied with the Brownsville Veterans Chargers during the Region IV-5A quarterfinals, Yanez found a hole in the defense, netting the game-winning goal with less than a minute left in regulation to send the Tigers to the next round.
Yanez said he owes his successful first year to his coaches and teammates, especially thanking Torre and assistant coach Damian Magallan.
“My first year, I’ve had everybody help me,” he said. “Pablo (Torre) has helped me a lot in my first year. The first couple of games, I was struggling and without Pablo I wouldn’t have been able to score as many goals as I have scored this year. Magallan has helped me since I was in seventh grade. Without him, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”
Still, Yanez admits his game is far from polished, saying he plans to work on improving his speed and his ball control for his sophomore year.
This season, he helped the Tigers to an appearance in the Class 5A state tournament, an experience Yanez said will serve as fuel for next year.
“This season was quite a difficult season,” he said. “No one had us going to state. This season, I just wanted to give my all to the team. That’s exactly what I did and I’m happy that we made it all the way to state.
“For me, it was a great experience. I loved it. I learned from it because there are some strong teams out there. Hopefully next year, we come back stronger and beat the teams over there.”
Yanez already has his eyes set on next season, setting a personal record of scoring 30 or more goals as an encore performance to his breakout freshman campaign. Still, no goal remains bigger on his list than bringing home the Tigers’ first state title.
For Yanez, the new season began as soon as the last one finished, with plans to live and breathe soccer over the next six months as he prepares for his sophomore year.
“I want to train harder than I did last year,” Yanez said. “I plan on training a lot to actually win a state title this year. Playing on teams and training, that’s all I want to do this summer.”