The Independence High School boys soccer program reached a major milestone this season by achieving its first region championship since 2022. Unfortunately, the campaign reached a bittersweet conclusion with a loss in the state quarterfinals.
While the region title marked a return to the top of the local standings, the season ended as a reflection of the clear difference between individuality and teamwork. The team’s journey was highlighted by amazing offensive and defensive players who gave their best for the victories.
According to Coach Sergio Gomez, the most memorable moment of the season was during the first round of the state playoffs against Ironwood High School. It was a game in which, during overtime, Independence took complete control by scoring three goals and securing the victory.
“Being tied and then really taking over the overtime, scoring three goals, that would probably be the moment that stands out,” said Gomez, who completed his 29th year leading the varsity boys soccer program.
The team’s success was anchored by senior Jorge Arreola and junior Angel Olivas, who led the squad in goals and served as “leaders by example” through their work ethic in practice. The team also experienced growth from certain players, such as sophomore Yohan Figueroa, sophomore Pablo Parra, and sophomore Santiago Lopez, players whom Coach Gomez remarked on for their improvement after they gained the confidence they needed.
Despite the skill and talent shown by the players, the season was defined by a struggle for consistency. The coaching staff noted that while the team was “unstoppable” when playing with chemistry and simplicity, the players often returned to individualism, which made the games more of a struggle.
“The one weakness is when we start playing individually and not as a team,” Gomez observed. “I think that takes away from our success… I don’t feel we really did improve on those things, and that’s probably why we ended our season the way we did. If we had improved on a couple of those things, I know we could have been to the finals.”
Gomez concluded by saying that every year is a different year and the outcome of the season depends on the students’ attitudes, personal responsibility, and behavior in the classroom.
The end of the season is something that truly affected the players on the team, such as senior Jorge Arreola, who explained how he considers the team as a family who could always count on each other. Arreola’s main lesson from this season is that everything in life takes hard work. As Arreola stated, “It taught me that without responsibility you are nothing in life.”
Another lesson players learned from this season was focus. Senior Adriel Mendoza explained how the season showed him that people have to work hard for their goals physically and mentally in order to succeed.
Mendoza and Arreola’s advice to the incoming freshmen was pretty similar. While Arreola advised, “Enjoy the four years because they go by really fast,” Mendoza advised, “Work your hardest because it really is a short four years, but also have fun playing this sport like it is your last game every time, because it will eventually be your real last game.”
Without a doubt, soccer is one of the many sports that unites all types of people; it makes them become a family, share moments of happiness and sadness with each other, and helps them live many experiences throughout their lives, and this year’s soccer team is one of the best examples of this.
