GOALLLLLLL! The crowd violently cheers as Leyden has now scored their second point against Lake Park.
The final score for that game was 2-0 and because of that win Leyden was able to continue to go into the playoffs. It was a team effort, but it is honorable to mention who in fact scored both of those points.
Junior at West Leyden High School, Isaac Huitrado, left wing/striker on the boys varsity soccer team is part of the reason they won the game all together but it was made very clear that he couldn’t have done it without his team. He isn’t exactly sure where he wants to be in the future: one thing for certain is that he hopes to still have his teammates by his side.
With a reputation on the field like Isaac ’s; you can tell that he’s worked his way to where he is now. It might not have been easy to end up on the varsity team like he is but now he is what some would call an important member of the team.
“For me especially, I had to kind of work my way up, just because there was always higher competition with the grades above me. I started off on the freshman A team and moved on to the JV team my sophomore year and then junior year I finally got varsity,” he says proud of his accomplishments with a big grin.
Soccer has always been a part of Isaac ’s life since he was around 4 years old. With a passion like his it makes you wonder if there has ever been a time where he’vs just wanted to give up or if it’s always just come natural to him. Isaac goes on to say “Soccer’s kind of always been my passion…I definitely say it’s happened practically all three years…the beginning of August, where all trials happen, it’s not easy. They have you running and doing all this stuff. And it’s not easy, especially coming from a long break from school, sports, all that stuff…that’s definitely when I would hit my breaking point was just like, I don’t know if I want to do this anymore… But at the end of the day, I got myself to play, and it was probably the best decision I could have made.”
It wasn’t only just personal motivation that kept Isaac going; it was more of the fact he always had the support of his teammates as well as the coaches. Sometimes mindset is everything especially when it comes to sports because if you think you’re going to do bad, you will and because of the motivation coming from everyone on the team they all try their best to stay positive.
“They’re always pushing everybody, not just me they push everybody on the team. And the coaches themselves as well they’re always, you know, pushing you, especially with playoffs right now in hand. They’re telling us to just be calm, be patient, not to get in our heads too much with playoffs…they’re just trying to keep us focused, trying to keep us all together and in the right mindset.”
Another thing that should also be kept in mind is the fact that practice is everything, especially when you’re striving for your goals because you need to be able to work hard for what you want. This is clearly shown when Isaac says, “You kind of always gotta be practicing. You know, there’s not really a time where it’s like time to slack off especially if you want to be on the varsity field. It’s not easy being on the varsity field. And I kind of had to learn that the hard way.”
Isaac wasn’t always on varsity he had to work his way up through severe challenges he faced along the way especially from one of the most unexpected struggles being the transition from JV to varsity. One thing that he mentioned helped him was having the support from a close friend who was once in his exact position before. He says, “The person I’d say I’m most close with is probably Rogelio Herrera. I’ve grown up with him. We used to play on the same travel team since I was, like, maybe 10 or 11 so he’s just kind of always been there. He’s kind of been my figure, like my role model coming into varsity this year. He’s helped me transition from a JV team to a varsity team and so like I said, it’s not the same at all.”
It was clear that with playoffs coming up the whole team was under a lot of stress despite their efforts to stay focused and calm. Then with the immense support that all the players received from the coaches, the fans, and even from each other, it had given hope like no other. When questioned if he thinks that they will win the playoffs Isaac says, “I’m not gonna say we are, just because that’s too cocky. But, you know, like I said, I hope we do that’s the goal. That’s what we’ve been working hard for all year. Everybody’s been guiding us. Just because the last two years, the teams have been what many recall, like the best teams that Leyden has seen and many doubted us, saying that we weren’t going to be good, we weren’t going to do anything this year, and look at us still ranked seventh in the state, beating a team that that won state last year. So like I said, I have confidence in my team that it’s possible it can happen. And I’ll just leave it at that. I’m not gonna say we are, it’s just too cocky and too overconfident,” he says with hope gleaming behind those eyes.
Hope can be important as well as putting your trust not only into yourself but also the people whom you surround yourself with. The boys played many intense games during playoffs but no matter what they faced they still always stayed united as a team which is what some would say helped guide them throughout the games.
Victory is the only thing on the Leyden eagles mind as they have won regionals for the 3rd year in a row with hopes of continuing this streak for the next upcoming season.
