AHSCA EAST-WEST ALL-STAR GAMES

Garcia catalyst for De Queen titles

 Estiven Garcia will be playing soccer for the West team in this years high school all star game in Conway.
Estiven Garcia will be playing soccer for the West team in this years high school all star game in Conway.

CONWAY -- Estiven Garcia didn't just play soccer for De Queen. He paved the way for the Leopards program to prosper.

Despite being slowed by a knee injury in the final weeks of his high school career, Garcia scored 142 goals in his four-year career with the Leopards while leading them to three state championships during that span.

All-Star Week

WHERE UCA (Conway)

TICKETS $6

TUESDAY’S GAMES

BASEBALL East 8-1, West 4-8

SOFTBALL East 6-6, West 2-0

TODAY’S GAMES

GIRLS SOCCER Estes Stadium, 5 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL Farris Center, 6 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER Estes Stadium, 7 p.m.

THURSDAY’S GAMES

GIRLS BASKETBALL Farris Center, 6 p.m.

BOYS BASKETBALL Farris Center, 8 p.m.

FRIDAY’S GAME

FOOTBALL Estes Stadium, 7 p.m.

"He had a phenomenal year, a phenomenal career," De Queen Coach Stephen Sloan said. "He was our go-to guy in clutch situations, and he always seemed to thrive in those situations. We're really going to miss him."

Garcia will finish his high school career tonight in the Arkansas High School Coaches Association All-Star boys soccer game at Estes Stadium on the University of Central Arkansas campus.

The site and times for tonight's soccer games have been changed, with the girls game now starting at 5 p.m. and the boys game scheduled for 7 p.m. The games originally were scheduled to be played at the Bill Stephens Complex.

Garcia suffered a strained medial collateral ligament during the final month of his senior season, but he managed to finish his final season with 36 goals, including one in the Leopards' 8-3 victory over Pulaski Academy in the Class 5A state championship game in May.

"It's a great honor to be able to play one more game," said Garcia, who scored a career-high 43 goals as a junior and was a member of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's All-Arkansas Preps team. "I'm excited to be here."

Sloan said Garcia's biggest strengths is his unselfishness and his ability to get his teammates involved in the offense.

"He's got a gift, and he works at it so hard," Sloan said. "He spends hours, hours and hours practicing. He gets others involved with him, and I think it's helped us as a team. He spends time working on touches, working on shots, working on different ideas about the game. He's the ultimate team guy. He wants everybody else to be as good as he is."

"I have a passion to help organize the team," Garcia said. "I want everybody to get involved. The more active we are, the better we are."

Garcia said he plans to continue his soccer career in college but that he had not yet found a perfect match.

Sloan said Garcia is an excitable player who gets involved in every aspect of the game.

"He was kind of a coach on the field," Sloan said. "When he got hurt, I had to sit him down some because he was coaching so much I was afraid he would get kicked out of the game.

"He's one of those kids you dream about getting to coach. It's been an honor to coach him."

Sports on 06/24/2015

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