SPRINGDALE -- Tears welled in Jose Vega's eyes on his first day of school. That's not really significant as emotions often run high when a student starts school.
Vega was 13 and in junior high.
Boys state soccer tournaments
Class 7A
At Rogers Heritage
Thursday
Match 2 4C Bryant vs. 5W Bentonville High, 10 a.m.
Match 4 3W Fayetteville vs. 6C Fort Smith Southside, noon
Match 6 4W Rogers High vs. 5C Cabot, 2 p.m.
Match 8 3C LR Catholic vs. 6W Bentonville West, 4 p.m.
Friday
Match 9 1W Springdale High vs. Winner Match 2, 10 a.m.
Match 10 2C Fort Smith Northside vs. Winner Match 4, noon
Match 11 1C Conway vs. Winner Match 6, 2 p.m.
Match 12 2W Springdale Har-Ber vs. Winner Match 8, 4 p.m.
Saturday
Match 13 Winner Match 9 vs. Winner Match 10, 10 a.m.
Match 14 Winner Match 11 vs. Winner Match 12, noon
Class 6A
At Russellville
Thursday
Match 2 4W Greenwood vs. 5E Marion, noon.*
Match 4 3E Searcy vs. 6W Sheridan, noon.
Match 6 4E Little Rock Hall vs. 5W Texarkana, 4 p.m. *
Match 8 3W Benton vs. 6E Jacksonville, 4 p.m.
Friday
Match 9 1E Jonesboro vs. Winner Match 2, noon.*
Match 10 2W Russellville vs. Winner Match 4, noon.
Match 11 1W Siloam Springs vs. Winner Match 6, 4 p.m.
Match 12 2E Mountain Home vs. Winner Match 8, 4 p.m.*
Saturday
Match 13 Winner Match 9 vs. Winner Match 10, noon.
Match 14 Winner Match 11 vs. Winner Match 12, 4 p.m.
*denotes match at Arkansas Tech University
Class 5A
At Harrison
Thursday
Match 1 1S Hot Springs vs. 4W Greenbrier, noon
Match 2 2C Little Rock Christian vs. 3E Paragould, noon.
Match 3 1W Maumelle vs. 4S Hot Springs Lakeside, noon
Match 4 2E Batesville vs. 3C Little Rock Parkview, noon
Match 5 1E Valley View vs. 4C Beebe, 4 p.m.
Match 6 2W Morrilton vs. 3S Hope, 4 p.m.
Match 7 1C Pulaski Academy vs. 4E Nettleton, 4 p.m.
Match 8 2S De Queen vs. 3W Clarksville, 4 p.m.
Friday
Match 9 Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2, noon
Match 10 Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, noon.
Match 11 Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6, 4 p.m.
Match 12 Winner Match 7 vs. Winner Match 8, 4 p.m.
Saturday
Match 13 Winner Match 9 vs. Winner Match 10, noon
Match 14 Winner Match 11 vs. Winner Match 12, 4 p.m.
Class 4A
At Batesville
Boys
Thursday
Match 1 1st-1 Dardanelle vs. 4th-2 Nashville, 11 a.m.&
Match 2 2nd-3 Heber Springs vs. 3rd-4 Monticello, 3 p.m.&
Match 3 1st-2 Cassatot River vs. 4th-1 Green Forest, 5 p.m.&
Match 4 2nd-4 Warren vs. 3rd-3 Brookland, 9 a.m. $
Match 5 1st-4 Hamburg vs. 4th-3Batesville Southside, 11 a.m.$
Match 6 2nd-2 Arkadelphia vs. 3rd-1 Danville, 1 p.m.$
Match 7 1st-3 Crowley’s Ridge Academy vs. 4th-4 Episcopal Collegiate, 3 p.m.$
Match 8 2nd-1 Berryville vs. 3rd-2 Pulaski Robinson, 5 p.m.$
Friday
Match 9 Winner Match 1 vs. Winner Match 2, noon&
Match 10 Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4, 6 p.m.$
Match 11 Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6, 2 p.m.$
Match 12 Winner Match 7 vs. Winner Match 8, 10 a.m.$
Saturday
Match 13 Winner Match 9 vs. Winner Match 10, noon$
Match 14 Winner Match 11 vs. Winner Match 12, 2 p.m.$
& denotes Matches at Lyon College
$ denotes Matches at Southside High School
# denotes Matches at East Main Sports Complex
JOSE VEGA
SCHOOL Springdale High
CLASS Junior
HEIGHT 5-7
WEIGHT 150
NOTABLE Scored 27 goals with 6 assists this season in leading Springdale to an 18-1-1 record and 7A-West Conference championship. … Moved to Springdale from El Salvador when he was 13 years old. … Started and played in 2016 state championship match as a freshman. … Cousin to former Bulldog star Nelson Landaverde, who later played at Valparaiso and now coaches soccer in Kansas.
It was understandable why he struggled to contain his tears. Vega and his family were new to the country, relocating from El Salvador to Springdale in 2014. Alone and in a culture he did not understand, Vega struggled to find his place.
"It was really hard because I didn't know any English," he said. "On my first day of school, I was almost crying because I didn't know what anybody was talking about."
It wasn't until Vega met other students who arrived from other countries like Mexico and Puerto Rico who also spoke Spanish that he connected with them and learned to speak English, although he admits he still sometimes has difficulty communicating in English.
He found solace on the soccer field, where the players have one goal regardless of what language they speak: To put the ball in the net. He excels in that department. The 5-foot-7, 150-pound junior has scored 27 goals this season in leading Springdale High to an 18-1-1 record and the 7A-West Conference championship. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 14 in the nation by MaxPreps and open play in the 7A state soccer tournament Friday in Rogers.
Vega has been a starter for three seasons and played in a state final as a freshman. Springdale coach D.J. Beeler, who has led the program for 12 seasons and owns a state title in 2012, said Vega is one of the most gifted players he's coached.
"We've had a lot of good players come through here, and he'd be near the top," Beeler said. "One of the things about Jose that really stands out is his technical ability to control the ball and do what he wants it to do. He's not big; he's not particularly fast but has a lot of natural ability, and he is mature as far as his knowledge of the game."
Vega started playing soccer at the age of 4 in El Salvador, and by the time he was 8, he was playing with the adults in his native country.
"My brothers taught me and showed me how to play," he said. "Playing with adults made me stronger, and I learned to dribble right through them."
Vega earned a team captain band this season and has improved his leadership skills, Beeler said. He said Vega is not a rah-rah player but leads by example which comes from a solid support network away from the field.
"We thought he would be a good leader for his team because he works so hard," Beeler said. "He takes it very seriously; it's super important to him. He's a quiet leader, but he sets the pace. And he shows up in the big moments."
Vega said he dedicated his life to soccer at a young age with a hope of playing professionally.
"This is a big thing in my community and my country," he said.
College soccer is also a goal for Vega, and Beeler said he has the skill to play at the Division I level. Vega has drawn college interest and is hopeful to get more exposure this summer when his club team, the Arkansas Comets, travel to play in a regional tournament in North Carolina.
Before then, Vega said the Bulldogs have a more immediate goal of bringing a state championship back to Springdale High.
"When we lost last year, it motivated me to work harder for this year," he said of the semifinals loss to Springdale Har-Ber. "Everything happens for a reason, but it was hard. We want to do better this time."
Chip Souza can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAChip.
Sports on 05/09/2018