Sequoyah finds new life, goals in deeper pool

Sequoyah soccer will step back on the field this spring, but things are looking noticeably different from the previous seasons.

The Chiefs bring a roster of 23 players to the season — moving well beyond the previous seasons of hoping for enough players to field a team.

But coach Lindsay Liszeski is not short to give out credit for the change. It does not start from the sidelines but comes from kids.

“It certainly was not me, I was all we had when we started conditioning in the fall. It was these guys stepping up and getting them excited,” Liszeski said.

Sequoyah is captained by Roni Eufragio and Brandon Herrera, two long-standing names in the program. For not the effort from just those two, but others on the team, Sequoyah may not be playing soccer this spring.

“We have a couple of guys that are really good leaders in drills and practice. They have helped out a lot, making sure they are doing the things they are supposed to do correctly,” Liszeski said. “Since I took over last year as the faculty sponsor, Brandon has been absolutely critical in helping me get to where we are, as far as my relationship with the guys.

“He has been super motivated in getting them to cooperate in practice and has really helped me a whole lot.”

Herrera has helped to ID potential teams to put on the schedule. Eufragio and Herrera also help break down a language barrier with players from two different backgrounds coming together to build towards a collective goal.

“He is a super athletic kid and has great leadership abilities. Both of them are bilingual, which helps,” Liszeski added. “We do have a language barrier with some of the guys.”

Keys to success

The target this spring is greater than the back of the net. While Sequoyah does hope to advance out of the district tournament for the sixth consecutive season, soccer success is not the only focus.

“We are setting goals not just on the field but inside the school too. We want to represent Sequoyah as best we can,” Liszeski said. “We want to produce students and not just athletes. For a lot of our guys, soccer is their motivator. They are learning the language and they need something to keep them going.

“This is the thing that keeps them here and gets them excited about being at school.”

On the field, Sequoyah has utilized doubling the roster in size to improve across the board. Practices run smoother and game management will be noticeably easier.

“We have worked a lot on our passing and we have had several practices where we scrimmage with different groups,” Liszeski said. “We see who can cut it for the starters and see how more experienced players are helping the younger players to improve.

“Those are all kinds of things that are very generalized, but all goals we hope to accomplish.”

Taking the field

While the Chiefs have to replace several key spots on the field from players who have graduated or moved, they have talent capable of fitting into spots.

“From that, we have picked up some new players and we have some freshmen that have some really promising skills,” Liszeski said. “I am excited that we have such a big roster and everybody is kind of shocked we have so many kids interested.”

Freshman Danilo Camacho is expected to start in net.

“He is young, but he is good. He is motivated and a really hard worker,” Liszeski said.

The defensive line is another spot that was hit by graduation, but the Chiefs bring players like Eufragio and Diego Contreras to aid the backline.

“Our defensive line changed a lot because we had so many graduates. Diego Contreras has really stepped up this season,” Liszeski said. “We have a lot of talent and hopefully we can stay competitive and have a pretty good season.”

Jefferson Garcia is one of those newer faces that can make an impact.

“We have a couple of new guys coming in,” Liszeski said. “He is fast and skilled. I have seen some maturity in several of the guys from last season.”

Herrera — a talented player on the ball who can feature in midfield or attack — is joined by Contreras and Eufragio as heavily experienced options.

An option who does not have as much experience but has made strides within his first season of playing is Brayden West.

“He is very encouraging, is an athlete and has been on teams. He knows how teams have to work together and has been good at encouraging and being positive,” Liszeski said. “He has learned a lot about soccer.”

Freshman Jonah Askey brings a fitness and energy that has been impactful through winter conditioning and preseason.

“He is a positive kid and an encouraging kid. I see a lot of good things in the future for him,” Liszeski said.

Breaking barriers

Even through a language barrier, Sequoyah is eager to communicate on the field and find the rhythm of the game.

“I think this team does communicate. I think they do have a very close bond,” Liszeski added. “A lot of our guys are very new to this area and learning the language, so they kind of understand each other’s struggle there.”

The blend of experienced players has helped to bridge the gap.

“With the guys that have been here, they are very open to working here. I have a good group of guys that get along very well,” Liszeski said. “They listen to each other. The communication on the field, I think, will be better this year than last year.”

A year ago, Sequoyah struggled to run drills in practice let alone manage games, but the depth this season has shored that up.

“We need our starting XI, but we also need people to finish the game. I think that is what gets looked down on when you are not a starter, but you need people that can finish,” Liszeski said. “We have enough guys with enough skills that we can keep fresh. We have some that are still learning, but in a couple years will be really good players.”

Capable of running multiple portions of practice at once, Sequoyah is getting more out of its players and its time.

“They have been coming to practice and working hard. It is a different mentality than what it seemed to some of the teams we have had in the past,” Liszeski added.