Brookshire Royal’s boys soccer team had a nice season last year. The Falcons were regional semifinalists, going 22-4-1 overall.
Still, first-year head coach Christian Guzman, a former Houston Baptist University football player and track and field athlete who was an assistant coach for Royal last season, thought things could be better, even going as far as to change the team’s style of play.
Royal was a “kickball” team last year, Guzman said. So, he emphasized more of a passing, possession-oriented scheme.
Guzman also introduced players to the weight room, essentially unchartered land before this season.
“If we can be faster and stronger, stamina shouldn’t be an issue if the next man up is just as good,” Guzman said. “If we can pass the ball and move the ball, it doesn’t matter how fast or how slow you are. The ball will always move faster.”
Amidst the changes, Royal has not skipped a beat. The Falcons are 16-2-2 and District 20-4A champions for the second straight season. They are in the playoffs for the eighth straight season.
Good stuff is happening in Brookshire, surely, but none more so exciting than senior midfielder Wilson Ramirez, who is set to become the program’s first player to play collegiately.
Ramirez, who has scored 12 goals with 17 assists this season and holds a 3.6 grade-point average, is choosing between Sterling College and Waldorf University whereas to continue his career.
It’s been a rewarding journey for Ramirez, who has only been in the United States four years after coming over from El Salvador.
“I’m proud of myself,” Ramirez said. “I want to improve my life. I want to have money to help my family and help my country. Soccer is my life. I really love to play, and I want to do that always.”
Ramirez is here in the States with his parents. His grandparents and brother are back home.
“I’ve always played soccer all my life,” he said. “I always wanted to play in college. All my family played soccer. I love it because my family loves it.”
Ramirez, a skilled passer with gifted vision of the field, is a tireless worker.
After school, he practices two hours with his teammates. Then, after a quick power nap, he works out on his own for a couple more hours at Planet Fitness.
He then works the night shift at Rooms To Go furniture store until 5 a.m. before going back home, getting ready for school, and then doing it all over again.
“I just feel it shows the younger kids that there is an opportunity outside of high school,” Guzman said. “And then it shows a kid like Wilson, who didn’t know a lick of English when he arrived, about opportunity. Now he’s an all-state academic selection. It’s good for the younger guys to see that they can do what Wilson is doing, but they have to take their grades more serious.”
Ramirez and junior striker Aldo Celestino are the program cornerstones. Celestino figures to be the next Falcon to play at the next level.
Celestino has 29 goals with eight assists this season. He used to play the wing and midfield, but Guzman moved him to striker this year.
“He was too fast to be playing the midfield,” Guzman said.
Guzman is a young, confident coach. Royal is his first head coaching job. Last year, as an assistant, was his first coaching job of any kind.
He credits assistants Bruno Baltazar and Deven Leising for their help. Baltazar serves as head coach of the junior varsity and recruiting coordinator.
“The reason we’re so successful is this team is a family,” Guzman said. “It’s not a soccer team or a soccer program. It’s a family. The way these players behave with one another, the way they hold each other accountable. They literally love one another, and they hold themselves to a standard of excellence, which drives them to continue to play better.”