Administrators

April 2016

PAGE 1

Melvin Bedford, Ed.D

Principal

In a sport traditionally
dominated by boys, senior girls
Herman Norris
Varsity Soccer teammates
Assistant Principal
(pictured left to right) Chasity
Nevels, Vanessa Castillo, GisKimberly Lile
selle Garcia, Pamela HernanAssistant Principal
dez, Captain Rebeca Lariz, Angie Anchondo, Samanta
Cherie Pace
Ochoa, Celeste Munoz,
Assistant Principal
(kneeling left to right) Captains
Trenadey Scott, Leticia HerTamika Dees
nandez, and (laying) Valeria
Assistant Principal
Grejeda kicked age-old stereotypes across their own field of
Shalonder Cooper dreams. American soccer is widely popular among Mexican-American fans, yet some of
Dean of Curriculum the girls of Hispanic heritage defied the goals of their families for their little girls who did
not want them to play soccer. My dad doesnt like when girls play soccer, said Rebeca. Although her mom gave her permission to play, according to Angie, her mother
said, [You will] have to do everything [yourself]. And, others, Scott and Leticia, opted
to play for the school versus a club for financial reasons. School sports are free whereas
club sports cost. According to Varsity Soccer Coach Michael Boone, Sr., this is the first
time in at least the last 12 years, if not school history, that Everman has had girls earn
Inside this issue soccer scholarships.
Boone said, When I took over [the team in 2011], no group of girls had had the
Senior Soccer Girls
same coach. As a matter of fact, the seniors that year had had a different coach for four
years. When I went down to the freshman class, which is this years seniors, I talked to
them about commitment and committing to me for four years because I committed to
them that they would have the same coach for four years. Throughout the next four year,
the lesson of stability and commitment are not the only skills the girls received from being on the team.
Leticia is proud of the speed and confidence that she gained from playing. I was
so slow. Then, I joined cross country my senior year, and it made me so much better. It

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April 2016

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opened doors for me to do better in soccer and run with the ball more. Today Im a beast now! Angie said, I
went from tripping over my feet to not letting anyone drop me. Chasity said she initially was intimidated by how
powerfully veteran player Scott was able to kick the ball down the field and score, but soon she too was able to
keep up with her teammates skills.

Player

College/University

Major

Angie Anchondo

Baylor University

Sociology

Vanessa Castillo

UTA

Business

Gisselle Garcia

cosmetology school

Undecided

Valeria Grajeda

UT Austin

Nursing

Pamela Hernandez

Tarrant County College

Ultrasound

Leticia Hernandez

Undecided

Education

Rebeca Lariz

Southwestern Assemblies of God University

Business Management

Celeste Munoz

Texas State University

Political Science

Chasity Nevels

Texas A&M Commerce

Psychology

Samanta Ochoa

Tarrant County College

Health Services

Trenadey Scott

Angelo State University

Nursing

The team finished the 2015-16 season with a 6-16-1 overall record. Even though their season did not end
the way they would have hoped, each girl enjoyed individual successes and has plans to attend college. Three of
the players also plan to play soccer on the collegiate level. Angie Anchondo said she is also hopeful about a talk
she had with the coach at Texas Tech. Im going to play club for the first year and from there, they're going to
try to get me on the team. So, I dont count it as success yet, but having the opportunity is nice. Rebeca Lariz
earned a soccer scholarship from Southwestern Assembles of God University, and Trenadey Scott earned a soccer
scholarship to Angelo State and hopes to eventually play for the U.S. Womens Olympic Team.
Each of the girls said their drive to continue to play in spite of their record is their love for the team and
their teammates. Although several of them have played other sports, Angie said, [Soccer] is more like a sisterhood, and regardless of the outcome of our games, most of the girls on this team have a love for the game just like
they have a love for each other. We stick together. We fall. We rise. Its always together. Its juntas. Its what
we are. [It means together in Spanish.]
If the girls on the team are a sisterhood, then their team father is Coach Boone, and to him, they are his
muchachitas. The term of endearment muchachitas, which was the title for a 1991 telenovela, is the Coachs
offhand allusion to the girls being bag ladies and having a lot of baggage, or drama. At one point, he has made
each of the girls cry during a practice. He said muchachitas is his way of balancing his aggressive coaching
style. At the same time that Im yelling and screaming and demanding, I say things like muchachitas thats humorous that gets them to go from crying to laughing. Boone said each of the girls at some point has gotten emotional during practice because theyre not used to be coached on this level, which is understandable given that only
two of them, Trenadey and Leticia, had played soccer before high school. Also, Boone admits that his coaching
style is pretty aggressive. However, he went onto say, When they shut down, I go harder because I know we will
play teams that are better than us and we cant shut down then...and...on the other side of [their] crying is [their]
fighting back. You can be mad at me and cry about it, or you can be mad at me and do something about it.

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Like a true father-figure, his presence and influence in the girls lives overlap. For five of the girls,
Rebeca, Celeste, Angie, Samanta, and Valeria, Boone
is their head coach and Calculus teacher, and he expects them to compartmentalize their roles as scholars
and athletes. When youre on the soccer field, I expect you to treat soccer as if nothing else matters in
your world. When youre in Calculus, I expect you to
treat Calculus as if nothing else matters in your
world...I dont care if we were up late last night. I
need you to do this problem. When were in soccer, I
dont care if you have Calculus homework. Rebeca
admits his discipline and drive pushes them to excel.
There is a little more pressure to do well in his class.
You feel like he expects even more than he already did
out of you even on and off the field.
The attitude of success and discipline has
served the girls well, as they agreed having Boone as a
Calculus teacher and a Varsity Coach made the choice of attending college much easier, and Chasity, Samantha,
Trenadey, Leticia, Angie, and Valeria have plans to major in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Math)-related discipline. According to the January 26, 2015 article Snapshot Report Degree Attainment published in the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, In 2014, women earned 49 percent of all [Science
& Engineering] bachelors degrees. With 55% of the senior girls majoring in a STEM-related field, they are already exceeding the 2014 national average for women entering science and engineering fields.
As they reflected on the life lessons they learned from being on the team that theyll take with them through
life, they shouted out several attributes: Communication cause without communication theres no point in being
on the field; being able to take constructive criticism; Self-control -- able to controll your emotions. Although she
also split her time as a cheerleader vivaciously supporting Bulldog sports teams, Chasity quietly reflected and said
being on the Varsity Girls Soccer Team has given her confidence. If you dont have confidence on the field or
with the ball or even outside the field, then whats
the point in playing if you know youre not going to
make a good touch. You have to have confidence.
Soccer afforded each of the girls the confidence and mental fortitude shell need to compete not
only on the field but in life. Angie summed each
girls experience saying, [The lesson they learned
from soccer is] being strong definitely and being able
to take hits metaphorically and physically. Being
able to get back up faster than you fall. Its the most
common thing youll hear Coach Boone say, and its
something you can apply to everything. Yonina
Robinson