By ROY HESS | THE BROWNSVILLE HERALD
A youth movement is well underway on the Porter soccer team.
This season there are four freshmen who have earned starting roles for the Cowboys and three other freshmen who help out coming off the bench.
The starters are goalkeeper Isaac Acevedo, attacking midfielder Brandon Montes, defensive center midfielder Luis Alan Romero and midfielder on the right wing Daniel Martinez. Providing help as reserves are defenders Kevin Garcia and Yair Cruz plus midfielder on the wing Erick Esparza.
“We’re excited about having that many young players in the starting lineup,” said Jose Espitia, Porter’s coach. “Of course, at the beginning of the season we were a little bit worried about it, but little by little, these freshmen have been gaining the trust of the coaches.
“They had (plenty of) playing time and gained experience in the three tournaments we played (in January) and then through the district season,” added Espitia, who is in his 11th season directing the Cowboys. “As district started, we began to look better and better, and now, I think we’re playing our best soccer.”
The District 32-5A third-place Cowboys go against District 31-5A runner-up Sharyland High in the Class 5A bi-district playoffs at 6 p.m. March 30 at Weslaco East.
The Porter freshmen are feeling more and more comfortable on the field with their upperclassmen teammates with each passing game.
“I (now) consider myself just like the other ones (in the lineup),” Romero said. “It’s nice to be a starter. We play together and that’s very important. We’re bringing good things to the field.”
Added Martinez, “It’s an emotional feeling to be a starter (as a freshman for Porter). You have to fight for every ball and try your best to help the team. We’re happy as a group (of freshmen) that we can help out the team. Everything we do is for the team.”
The most noticeable player among the freshmen for the Cowboys is Acevedo at goalkeeper. At 6-foot-4, he’s one of the tallest players to ever play soccer for Porter. Earlier this month, Acevedo was invited to a national camp for U.S. under-16 players. There were only 40 players from around the country invited.
The tall, mobile goalkeeper said he is bringing what he learned at the national camp back to Porter to help his team.
“It means a lot to wear the Porter emblem on your jersey (and start as a freshman),” Acevedo said. “I want to show everything I’ve got (on the field) because there are a lot of players here at Porter who want to be the goalkeeper. For me to start as a freshman is a very good opportunity.
“The national camp I went to was a very good experience and it was very difficult,” he added. “It showed me how things are on a different (higher) level.”
Garcia recently joined the soccer team after playing football and basketball for the Cowboys earlier this school year. As a freshman, his athletic future at Porter is bright.
“I’ve contributed on other varsity teams for Porter, so it feels good to contribute in soccer, too,” Garcia said. “It’s a blessing to be able to play and it’s a blessing to be able to have this honor of playing on the varsity as a freshman.”
“These guys (on the soccer team) are all heart and they give 100 percent all the time,” he added. “Even though our freshman are so young (to be playing varsity ball), they’re very good competitors.”
Montes said it isn’t easy to be cast into a prominent role on Porter’s varsity squad.
“It’s hard because you have to play up to the expectations your teammates have,” he said. “You work hard so you can play as one with them. It’s mostly being humble because that’s one of the rules (we follow as players).
“I always try to make the game easier for my teammates by giving them good passes and things like that,” added Montes, who was chosen to play on a select team of players from the U.S. and Mexico in China in August. “The competition (on varsity) is really hard, so it’s been a little bit of a surprise for me (to get to start as a freshman). Porter, especially, has really good players, so you have to work really hard (to break into the lineup).”
Added Esparza, “I’m not starting, but I’m a (frequent) substitute and I’m learning a lot from the other players. Playing with these guys (on the same team) is a very good experience. I’m learning a lot for the future.
“I like the way we’re playing because we pass the ball a lot,” he added. “It’s something that is really helping the team. I didn’t really expect this (role on the varsity for Porter), but I’m really glad I got it.”
Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess