9-year-old Reynaldo Reyes wins Western U.S. soccer shootout
The flight was bumpy and the weather in Utah was predictably
overcast, but Reynaldo Reyes made the most of it by scoring a
weekend of firsts.
9-year-old Reynaldo Reyes wins Western U.S. soccer shootout
The flight was bumpy and the weather in Utah was predictably overcast, but Reynaldo Reyes made the most of it by scoring a weekend of firsts.
The 9-year-old made his first airplane flight, his first trip to Utah and finished first in the Region 9 Under-10 Soccer Shootout.
Two weeks after winning the Northern State Soccer Shootout finals in
Hollister with a perfect score, Reyes nearly duplicated that performance in the
Western U.S. championship round.
Reyes scored 40 out of 45 possible points to win the Under-10 Boys bracket. Reyes’ score will be compared with shootout participants on the East coast to see if he is the national champion.
Although the competition was stiff and there were hundreds of people watching him shoot, Reyes easily beat out Daniel Delgado of Safford, Ariz., who tallied 37 points, and Tanner Degiovanne of Minden-Douglas, Nev., for the trophy.
“I was a little nervous at first,” Reyes said.
He quickly shook the nerves and did what he does best as a midfielder for the Hollister Tremors – score goals.
The object was to hit as many of the three shots as possible into each of five makeshift goals, lined up side-by-side. The first goal was five-feet wide and each shot was worth one point. The second goal was four-feet wide and worth four points and so on. The goals were made out of PVC piping.
Reyes started the competition perfectly. He hit his first 12 shots but faltered on the five-point goal. The missed shot, however, did not stop Reyes from taking the title. Reyes was the only Hollister resident out of the six who participated to advance to the championships in Utah.
“I had fun,” said Reyes. “I would do it again.”
As for the plane ride, Reyes said he enjoyed it and could not wait to fly again.
