Sports Spotlight: Connor Diaz

Connor Diaz, 11, has been playing soccer for the past 14 years and now plays on the Varsity team at Mill Creek High School. Before their first game against Jefferson High School on Wednesday, Jan. 25, Diaz shared his feelings about the match.

“It’s been a while since we last played, and I’m excited to finally get back out into the game.”

He believes this team will ultimately work very well together and attributes that success to the work of his coach.

One such is his soccer coach, Coach George. He is someone Diaz looks up to “because he inspires everybody, every day, and is fantastic at his job.”

When asked what he most looked forward to this season, he said he’s most looking forward to the playoffs, and to do well there, he and his team have been constantly improving.

For instance, he shared a story of a situation in which he is trying to improve from.

“Last year, I got a red card in the game. I had to go to Coach Meers’ room and take a sportsmanship class during my lunch period.”

Since then, he has been working on his interpersonal skills to be more productive on the field.

“Communication is definitely a big thing I’ve been trying to work on…not really a problem [for the team] but it’s always good to get better at it.”

In addition to communication, he’s faced obstacles that have impacted his learning. “I’m dyslexic, so language arts is a big struggle. That’s probably the biggest obstacle I’ve had to face in high school so far.”

While he has no plans yet to play professionally in the future he does have some words of advice that he wishes to share. “Never give up…Even when things are low, and all hope seems to be lost.”