Delvin Gomez spent the first part of his sophomore season on the La Joya Palmview Lobos junior varsity team. That same season, Gomez was thrust into the Lobos varsity starting lineup during a district matchup against the PSJA Memorial Wolverines.
Gomez said he remembers that game vividly, because that’s when Gomez scored his first career goal for the Lobos.
“I was supposed to be on JV but one of the seniors got injured,” Gomez said. “So, my first game they called me up, it was against PSJA Memorial, and I scored. A guy just headed it inside the box. I came in and found the ball and kicked it in. That was my first goal in my first game.”
Gomez added another goal during his varsity debut to help the Lobos to a 3-1 victory over the Wolverines.
Since then, he has been a staple for the Lobos’ offense, spending the past three years as a starter for the team. This past season, as a senior, Gomez established himself as one of the team’s top offensive threats, netting 25 goals through 15 games.
For his scoring prowess, Gomez is The Monitor’s 2021 All-Area Co-Offensive Player of the Year.
“I’m really thankful for the team,” Gomez said. “I’m just grateful for the coaching staff and my family for always being there for me. I’m thankful for the school. Just for everyone who has been there for me.
“But my biggest impact has been from my coach (Juan Hernandez). He’s always been there for me. Not just as a coach, but as a teacher and almost like another parent. I’m just really grateful for that because even when I was down, he has been there for me.”
Gomez opened the 2021 season on a tear, helping the Lobos outscore opponents 9-2 during their four non-district games, including a hat trick during a 4-1 victory over McAllen Rowe Warriors.
He carried that hot streak into district play, scoring 15 of the Lobos 30 goals despite playing only eight of the 10 district matches. Gomez led the team to a 7-3 district record, with two of their losses coming with him out of the lineup.
Gomez said a key to his success during his senior year stems from years of experience and dedication while on varsity.
“I’ve been playing varsity since my sophomore year,” he said. “In my class, I was the one with the most experience. Just going to practice and practicing like there is no tomorrow help, like if it was the last practice I was ever going to have. Then the games, I would play until the whistle would blow.”
Still, he said his “scorer’s mentality” is what has helped him the most from the moment he first stepped into the starting lineup.
“Every time I would get the ball, I would think about scoring,” Gomez said. “It’s about making plays and having a chance to make goals. Even if I lost the ball, I would go fight for it so we could score again.”
Gomez grew up in a family of soccer lovers with his dad, brothers and uncles crazy about the sport. He saw his first action on the pitch at age 3, following in the footsteps of those same family members before him.
It was there that Gomez began developing his scorer’s mentality. He said he recalls scoring goals and winning with his teammates during his youth soccer days, saying it was then that he began to fall in love with the game.
“The moment I realized I really wanted to keep playing was during my little league team,” Gomez said. “Just playing with my friends and then the feeling of joy when I would score a goal and win the games — it was just an amazing feeling.”
Gomez felt that feeling multiple times during his senior season, tallying three hat tricks this year, including a five-goal performance during a 9-1 victory over the Laredo Martin Tigers on March 2.
Gomez plans to enroll at UTRGV during the fall and attempt to walk-on to the university’s soccer team next season.
“I still want to keep playing, especially collegiate ball,” he said. “I am going to try to walk-on at UTRGV. Hopefully, I get to play for my hometown team.”