SPRINGDALE — An elementary school teacher noticed that Jorge Gonzalez was that kid at recess who always wanted to play soccer.
Gonzalez kicked the ball around with his brothers and at school, but that was about the extent of his playing experience until his teacher saw him.
She got him signed up with the Arkansas Comets club soccer program, and it turned out to be a smart move. Now a Springdale High senior, Gonzalez’s world seems to revolve around the sport.
“I’m just the kind that’s always involved with soccer, always watching soccer, always playing it, analyzing it,” Gonzalez said. “Even when I’m watching a professional game on TV, I’ll analyze what the players are doing and stuff and just pick up mistakes that can help me out.”
Gonzalez has gone from being a student of the game to being named the All-NWA Media Boys Soccer Player of the Year after helping to lead the Bulldogs to a 19-4-1 record and a state runner-up finish this past season.
The 5-foot-7, 135-pound forward scored 24 goals as a senior, including a pair of them as the Bulldogs outlasted Bentonville in a 3-1 win in the Class 7A state semfinals on May 11.
He added 12 assists while using his combination of speed and technique to beat defenses and set up his teammates for open looks at the net.
“When you get a chance to work with him a little bit closer, you really see that he’s got a lot more going for him than just the athletic ability and the technical ability,” Springdale boys soccer coach D.J. Beeler said.
“He really has that inner drive and passion for the game that it takes to be an elite guy.”
Beeler said he noticed Gonzalez step forward as a team leader a year ago during Springdale’s run to its first state championship since 2003.
But that leadership increased this spring, especially after Beeler talked with Gonzalez and Springdale’s other team captains about his expectations for them.
“Definitely I did feel a lot of pressure,” Gonzalez said. “I feel like the team was set to high expectations for the same reason that last year we went close to an undefeated season.
“And having almost everybody back, I was expecting people to see almost the same style of play. So, I definitely took on every loss. I felt like it was coming down on me.”
Springdale came within only a few penalty kicks of beating Fort Smith Northside on May 17 and repeating as Class 7A state champions. Gonzalez will leave the Bulldogs after a dominant two-year run in which he helped them win 19 games in back-to-back years.
“What people see on the surface is speed for one, technical ability two,” Beeler said of Gonzalez. “But really when you get a chance to coach him — which I’ve known Jorge and coached him since he was 12 — he’s got a passion for the game.
“He’s got a good soccer head, he’s a smart player, so it’s really the whole package.”
Gonzalez has several college options, but he said he’s leaning toward signing with Harding University.
“I’ve always wanted to go to college,” Gonzalez said. “And if I can still go to college and do what I like to do, even better.”
It appears soccer will remain a big part of his life.