While high school teams are, by definition, young, the girls soccer team that will take the field for Sedona Red Rock High School in the fall is especially young.
Eight of the girls from last year’s team have graduated. This year’s team will feature only two seniors — Bella Horton and Hannah Simpson — and two juniors — Mikaela Aguilar and Tanya Valenzuela. The rest of the team is composed of seven sophomores and two freshmen. So, while the Scorpions do hope to win games, they also hope that this season will go a long way in developing a core group of players for the next two to three years.
“It’s a rebuilding process,” coach Juan Carlos Aguilar said. “We are trying to get them ready physically and see if they get the tactical part so they can play well. Basically they are learning. I don’t have any freshmen who were playing AYSO [American Youth Soccer Organization] or any other competitive soccer. We just hope to have a good season in the warmer weather.”
“We’ve got some new girls so it’s a fresh start,” sophomore Mayra Parra-Landaverde added. “We’re trying to see the best in it and practice a lot. We’re trying to get everyone into shape and better than when we started the season.”
While the Scorpions have many new faces, they aren’t devoid of returning talent. Mayra Parra-Landaverde was the top SRRHS scorer as a freshman a season ago, while her younger aunt, sophomore Alma Landaverde, will occupy the midfield, with Mikaela Aguilar. While she played basketball instead of soccer last year, Kassandra Lopez is an experienced player. Her joining the soccer team is one of the benefits of SRRHS moving soccer from the winter.
Additionally, both Simpson and Horton are veterans of the program. Though, in the case of Horton, she’ll be in a very new spot. After playing mostly as a midfielder in her first three years, Horton is tabbed to be the Scorpions’ starting goalkeeper, replacing Carolina Lopez, the longtime starter who graduated in the spring.
While a team with many new faces always poses some challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic created an extra hurdle. The Scorpions had only a few summer practices before they shut down in June due to the second spike.
“It’s been a little difficult because most of us are out of shape and haven’t practiced much over the summer,” Mikaela Aguilar said. “It’s been hard getting into it over the first few weeks. It’s still challenging. I think over time more practices will help everyone.”
The pandemic makes the schedule somewhat tentative. Assuming the current schedule is kept, the Scorpions will open play with a 4 p.m. start at home against Payson on Thursday, Sept. 17. Another perk of moving to fall is that Sedona and Camp Verde will get to renew their rivalry on the pitch. The Scorpions and Cowboys are scheduled to play twice this season, on Tuesday, Sept. 29 in Camp Verde and Thursday, Oct. 8 in Sedona. Both games are scheduled to start at 6 p.m.
The Scorpions were relieved to find out that the fall season is scheduled to be played. As a senior leader on the team, Simpson hopes to use this year to help the younger players develop the same love of the game that she has.
“I love soccer and it’s a wonderful stress reliever,” Simpson said. “It’s really awesome to be able to help some of the younger girls fall in love with the sport. I’m really happy about it.”
