Freedom's soccer program receives big lift with Edgar Zepeda's return

Benji Kimble never pushed Edgar Zepeda about it. But anytime the first-year Freedom High School boys soccer coach had a chance, he’d ask Zepeda the same question that everyone involved with the Eagles’ soccer program wanted an answer to: Was Zepeda going to play this season?

If Zepeda chose not to play this spring for Freedom and focus only on competing with D.C. United Academy like he did a year ago as a junior, Kimble would have been disappointed, but supportive of Zepeda’s decision.

Time, though, was becoming an issue as the starting date for spring sports season crept closer and quite honestly, Freedom needed Zepeda perhaps more than he needed them.

Although one kid on the soccer field may not make an entire difference between a win or a loss, Zepeda came darn close. When Zepeda anchored his team’s defense from his sweeper position as a sophomore, the Eagles had their best season in school history, going 7-7-2.

Without him last year, Freedom went winless. Granted, the Eagles lost some other key players from that 2010 team, but it was clear Zepeda’s loss made a huge impact, enough that the coaching staff believed Zepeda’s presence could have easily resulted in at least six wins in 2011. He was that important.

So the question remained: Was Zepeda going to play or not?

After a few weeks of checking in with Zepeda, Kimble finally got his answer.

“He said, ‘I’m playing for you,’ ” Kimble said.

Still to ensure everyone was on the same page, Kimble wanted to make sure Zepeda was in this for the long haul and that Freedom soccer would be the priority, even though he’d still have his academy commitments when the spring high school sports season begins Tuesday with tryouts.

“If we start making exceptions at Freedom, we’re running into problems,” Kimble said.

Zepeda assured Kimble Freedom was No. 1. He’d talked to his academy coaches about it and even his coaches at George Mason University, the college he signed with for men’s soccer earlier this month.

No one had an issue with it.

“My sophomore year when I did play, I had an impact,” Zepeda said. “This year, it’s going to be fun. I hope we can make progress.”

Besides his desire to enjoy his final year of high school, Zepeda’s decision to play for Freedom was aided in large part by the fact he had made his college decision already. One of the major factors for Zepeda playing for D.C. United Academy was to get more exposure, especially from colleges.

He was spotted at a tournament one day by someone from the academy and was brought in for a tryout. He earned a spot, but realized that between his studies (he was taking three AP classes at the time) and his academy commitments, there would be no time for high school soccer.

His coach then, Chris Valenti, understood Zepeda’s decision. But he’s glad to see him back on the field this season for the Eagles.

“I am very happy to see Edgar had decided to help us lead the team this season during his senior year,” said Valenti, who stepped down as head coach to work with an after-school credit recovery program, but will still serve as the head junior varsity coach. “I guess we will have to wait and see how the season goes, but I guarantee that a lot of the teams this year will have a hard time getting past him on defense.”

Beyond his soccer abilities, Zepeda is held up by Freedom coaches to other students and players as an example of how to conduct yourself. Zepeda is only the second Division I signee in the school’s history with the other one being basketball player Cam Long, who starred at George Mason.

“It’s something you can aspire to,” Kimble said. “He’s never led so much with his mouth, but he always does the right thing. That’s a great thing to hang your hat on. If you are not sure what to do, look at Edgar and think WWED, ‘What would Edgar do?’ ” Kimble said.

While he missed last year’s high school soccer season, Zepeda, who carries a 3.5 grade point average, did his best to keep tabs on the team. He’d come to a few games when he could and would always check in with the coaches when he saw them at school to offer words of encouragement.

But he has no regrets about missing last season. Beyond the college interest, Zepeda got the opportunity to play in Brazil and Holland. The one-year cost to participate in the D.C. United Academy program is $1,100, but to Zepeda the trade off was worth it.

“Technically, he’s so much better,” said Nolan Sheldon, Zepeda’s D.C. United Academy U-18 coach.

Last Wednesday inside the Freedom gym after school, Kimble held an informational meeting with those boys and girls interested in playing soccer for the Eagles. Zepeda was in the first row of bleachers, listening to his coach speak.

Later that evening, he’d have an academy game up in Arlington. But the good thing was there was time to do both. And Zepeda is glad for that, especially since this is his final year of high school.

“I kind of want to have fun,” Zepeda said. “I’ve made all my decisions. I’m kind of on the backburner.”

Sports editor David Fawcett can be reached at 703-530-3911

The rest is here:
Freedom's soccer program receives big lift with Edgar Zepeda's return