GRANTS, N.M. – With the soccer season ending here at GHS, lots of memories have been made during the boys’ and girls’ seasons. Starting with the girls, they had a much better season than last year, however they still had their ups and downs.
Their record for the year was 3-16 overall, and 1-7 in District 6-4A games. This leaves their ranking for the season at 59th in the State and 5th in the District. With a change in their District opponents, the Lady Pirates had some much tougher competition.
Having to face Hope Christian and Albuquerque Academy, who have been first and second in State the last few years, is quite a challenge for such a young team such as the Lady Pirates. They also had some familiar competition like Valencia and Belen, who both were good competition for Grants.
In District games, GHS played Hope Christian first and again in the middle of the season, with both matches ending 18-0, despite the Lady Pirates’ best efforts.
Against Belen, the Lady Pirates lost the first match 2-1, but won the second one 2-1 and next were games against Albuquerque Academy, with both games ending with Academy winning 10-0.
Finally, against Valencia, the first match ended with Valencia winning 6-0, and the Jaguars also won the matchup, 4-1.
While the scores may not consistently show it, the Lady Pirates team has improved so much this year, according to head coach Shaun Sanchez.
From their hard playing to their teamwork, there has been some tremendous growth from last season. Talking to some of these players throughout the season has shown just how much the team cares about each other and wants the best for the team and all the girls on it.
For a handful of boys’ soccer players, it was their last time playing as a Grants Pirate.
Beginning with some of the highlights for this season, the boys’ record for this season ended up shaking out to be 214-4 overall, and 1-6-1 in District games.
That being said, the boys ended up placing 5th in District play and 65th in the State. Given the change in District teams, the boys performed to the best of their abilities given the competition. When up against usual, familiar competition, the GHS boys put up a fight.
Tying with teams like Bloomfield and Belen and ultimately winning close games against Valencia and Gallup showed their perseverance. Though there were some challenges and bumps in the road, the team managed to stay connected and not let it hinder their performance.
As for the seniors, soccer has been a focal point in many of their lives from the time when they were little kids in the American Youth Soccer Organization to now.
Soccer has helped shape them into who they are today, especially these last four years. The bonds and memories will follow them their whole lives.
These boys have left a permanent mark on the GHS soccer team, and will continue to impact the lives of their teammates. They set the tone, and helped to push, inspire, and develop the underclassmen of the team.
As for next year, it will be time for a new bunch of competitiors to take the reins and lead.