Varsity boys soccer is a pretty amazing thing in Pahrump. Andrew Norton, the head coach this year at Pahrump Valley High School, has picked up some new strategies this year for the soccer team as their record is 6-11. It might seem like a bad record but I believe this is all a new learning experience for the team and new ways to improve themselves.
I interviewed one of the players, PVHS junior Hector Hernandez, where he told his future goals for next season and why he loves the sport. Hernandez has been playing soccer since he was 8 and has always loved playing soccer he states, “I’d say it’s a sport I can’t ever let go of as it makes me happy”. He has many reasons as to why he loves soccer but he truly loves soccer because of the joy it gives him while on the field; the challenges soccer faces are the fact that it demands a lot of running. Hernandez states his main goal this season is to improve his skills and impact for the team he states, “Which is something I still aim to complete for the next upcoming season”.
Junior Ulisses Alvarez is another soccer player who is experienced who has been playing for 12 years. Alvarez states he enjoys the sport because it’s a sport he’s been doing since he was little and always loved it. Alvarez loves the sport because he explains when he’s sad it is always there for him he also states, “The ball never leaves”. This means the ball will never leave his side and will always be there for him when he’s having a bad day. I then asked what makes soccer challenging for him. Alvares said that the people make it challenging, always fighting for the ball and it makes it hard for us. Alvares’s main goal for this season that he looks forward to next season is to go to regionals. From this interview, I can tell Alvarez is a team player who wants his team to win and be successful.
Coach Andrew Norton is a new coach for soccer here at PVHS who shows dedication to his coaching. What drove him to be a coach was his love of the game and to want to pass along the knowledge he gained from his years of playing. His main goal for this season was for the players’ academic success and team play rather than individual play. He was able to achieve that goal by only having one academically ineligible player this year, which then led them to more to more team play and led to more wins this season. Norton states that the challenges they faced this year were egos: “Every player seems to think they are the best thing to happen to soccer, they are above mastering basics, and they get angry at the slightest foul or talking from the other team”. The last question I had for Coach Norton was how this year’s performance would change the outcome of next year’s performance. What will you change? He answered, stating that next year’s focus will be more on team play and basic skills.
Hearing these answers from both the players and the coach, I believe that Coach Norton and the players will have a successful year next year and be able to achieve their goals and challenges. If you haven’t already this year keep your eyes out for Pahrump Valley Trojan soccer.
