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26

Jun, 2022

A Look Down Memory Lane: Alumni Game 2022

The rosters are finally set for the 2022 St. Pauls High School Alumni Game, and we want to take a moment to walk down memory lane and speak on a few of the players that will be represented at this years Alumni Game.

Before we start though, we want to let everyone know the match will be July 30th, 2022 at St. Pauls High School.  Girls match will be at 5:30 p.m., followed by the boys match at 7:30 p.m.  Admission to the pair of matches is $5.00 per person.

Full information on the match can be found at the Facebook Event page here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1456900078065246/

FIRST OFF A LOOK AT THE GIRLS HISTORY

This years matches will feature Honorary Captains Sandi Garcia and Karen Aguilar, so let's first start off by speaking on those 2 ladies.

The most recent graduate of St. Pauls HS girls program, Sandi Garcia was a standout player on her team last year and helped lead her team as captain of the girls varsity team, contributing 4 goals throughout the season!  She also had 2 assists to boot, and was a leader on the field and off the field for her team.  You could tell Sandi had that little bit of touch about her on the field when compared to others, and she was also the MVP at the last Alumni Game between RSHS and SPHS that was played just over a year ago.  We're definitely looking forward to seeing her out on the field.

And then there's Karen Aguilar, who scored more than her fair share of 50 yard goals in her lifetime.  Karen graduated in the class of 18-19 and had 6 goals scored during her junior year.  Karen probably had one of the strongest legs on the field during her time in the program, and was someone other opponents definitely had to look out for as being a threat on the field.  When she returns as an honorary captain for the girls this alumni game, she will no doubt again be a threat on the field and someone that the opposition has to be concerned with.

Other players that are among the ladies teams with notable histories in our program are Jennifer Angeles, Madai Hernandez, Flor Orozco, Maria Deleon, Madison Miller, Jackeline Aguilar and Dioni Clark.  Jennifer was an amazing goalkeeper during her time, and has since passed those skills on to her brother Jorge who will feature again on the boys varsity team this year.  It takes a special lady to step in between the posts, and Jennifer never was shy in contributing for her team where she could.  Madai Hernandez is still currently ranked as the #1 goal scorer in St. Pauls HS girls history, with a total of 10 goals in a single season.  No lady since has surpassed that number of goals in a single season, and with her speed on the field, again she will be another opponent that players need to be aware of.  Flor Orozco was a player who was silky with the ball at her feet, and could be deceptively dangerous during this years Alumni Game.  Maria Deleon had the hustle and effort that was relentless and would outwork most of her opponents, just like Madison Miller.  All of those ladies had a 'never say die' attitude, and it was another trait that set them apart from most in the history of our program.  Jackeline Aguilar and her defensive duties in the backline will be someone that none of the forwards want to come up against.  No matter how small she might seem, you have to remember it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog, and she is one dog you don't want to come across on the field.  Dioni will also be a forward that will give teams trouble.  She's not afraid to get in there and battle for the ball, and was also one of the most dangerous players on the girls team during her 2018-2019 senior season, contributing 3 goals to her team.  Clark will probably be one of the funniest players on the field, as she is a natural jokester without even trying.  I'm honestly laughing now just thinking about "toothbrush".  She'll know what I mean.

There are so many great ladies in the field, so many ladies that I myself have personal memories of, graduations, senior nights, trips to Wilmington Hammerheads games, North Carolina FC matches, and much more that will make this a special night seeing all these great young ladies again.  It has truly been a privilege to coach each and every one of you and see you all grow and develop as players.  

NOW A LOOK AT THE BOYS HISTORY

This year's captains are literally two legends of the game.  Bryan Reyes and Erik Perez.  If you know St. Pauls soccer, then you know these two young men.  Bryan's story wasn't one of goals, but his story was one of sheer determination, strength, will, and success in life.  I can still see him running the field wide open with that long hair from the central defensive mid position running the game during one of our biggest rivalry home matches.  The overall growth of this young man from where he came in to where he is now in life is still unmatched.  On the other hand, Erik Perez was one of the silkiest midfielders that our program has ever seen.  He was actually the 1st player to ever be named Conference Player of the year, and our 1st player to ever be recognized as a Powerade State Games player.  Erik scored a total of 30 goals in his time here, and 16 in his sophomore year alone!  His final year, he earned the nickname "plug" by contributing 18 assists from a midfield position.  

Other notable players on the boys rosters are players like Dillon Yanosik, Tyler Porritt, Jorge Mendez, Juan Campos, Allan Diaz, Bruno Ayala, Anthony Sosa, Richie Flores, Oscar Ordonez, Alexis Mendez, Sam Flores, and many more.  Too many for me to go through honestly.  It would almost take a video of me breaking down all these young men that are on the roster to genuinely go thru all their accolades.

But just as a few to put things in perspective, Dillon Yanosik was for the longest time the all-time leading mens goal scorer at St. Pauls with 26 goals in a single season.  Massive numbers.  If you know Dillon, you know his size and stature are almost unplayable.  You can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him.  His competitive desire is 2nd to none, and by none, I mean none.  You have to have that kind of fire to be successful in high school soccer, and he oozes that competitive desire.  But his all time record was not soon broken, but eventually broken, by St. Pauls HS elite Alexis Mendez, with his 31 goals scored in a single season during his 17-18 junior season.  Mendez ended his career with 61 goals scored, and to this day remains the #1 offensive weapon in St. Pauls HS history.  The closest to his reign of terror was Anthony Sosa, who scored 56 goals in his time at St. Pauls high school.  He scored 2 absolute WORLDY goals against conference rival East Bladen away in his final season and helped lift his team against them in that match because of those goals in OT.  I'm not even halfway through here and I'm honestly amazed at the level of talent that I've been able to coach during my time at SPHS.  I can't even imagine how good this Alumni Game will be.

Other players were players like Jorge Mendez, who started in goal, went to midfield, became a central defensive midfielder, and now is a striker in Sunday league.  Jorge could literally do it all.  A lot of the success of the 2009-2010 team wouldn't have been achieved without his defensive prowess, Cesar Alberto's defensive contributions, and Tyler Porritts contributions.  Those 3 players set the foundation for the entire program and the work that they put in could never be forgotten.  They are literally legends of the program.

Oscar as a goalkeeper and Bruno Ayala played those same defensive counterparts for the success that Alexis Mendez and others were able to achieve, and when Alexis had to drop deeper and play a defensive role during his senior season, the goals were contributed by Samuel Flores who scored 18 goals during his senior campaign of 18-19.  

Richie Flores with a legendary hat trick against an away opponent after not having a good season the prior season, all measures of the growth of men that I've seen during my time at the helm of the SPHS soccer program.  And last but not least, we can't forget Juan Campos, who every year is so thankful and gracious in helping promote and get the SPHS Alumni Game out there for everyone.  Juan didn't get the chance to play soccer at SPHS because the program wasn't developed before he graduated, but if you've ever seen Juan play there's no doubt that he would have been one of the toughest opponents that teams had ever faced during their time playing against SPHS.

So many players, so much talent, and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to coach all of these young men.  To see them grow, to hopefully give them some good advice, and to have been a part of their high school journeys.

I have been blessed, and I hope to share all of these blessings with you at our 2022 St. Pauls High School Alumni Soccer Match on July 30th, 2022 where you can see all of these great young men and women get back out on the field again to express themselves one more time.

Soccer is a game that is designed to bring people together, all as one family.  And while many programs talk about being a family, and having that "family" feel, I would beg to discuss with anyone that St. Pauls High School and our program isn't at the pinnacle of that family atmosphere.  We are proud to offer these types of programs and events to our players on an annual basis, and we will never forget where we came from, and the players that made all of this possible.

See you all soon!

Coach Martin

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