In a season that saw a big injury to Goalkeeper Jose Bello in the middle of the year, younger brother Joel Bello stepped up in a big way, finishing the year strong at GK. Returning this season as a sophomore, Bello will look to have a lot of clean sheets throughout the year and help anchor a defense that should be very difficult to score goals against. “I’m thankful for the opportunity from last year and I’ve been working on getting stronger and getting better as a unit, talking more with the defense cause we all have to be on the same page,” Joel Bello said when he talked defense at media day. Bello will be helped out at GK by some very talented and tough-minded individuals on the defense such as Gio Ruiz, Carlos Garcia, Nathan Sanchez, and Dylan Mercado.
This defensive group is a unit that takes a lot of pride in the number zero. They finished the year really strong last year, allowing 1 or fewer goals in six conference games last season. With a couple of key pieces graduating, look for this years’ defense to be even better. Garcia and Ruiz played all year on defense, so they both have a lot of experience. Along with a lot of speed and size between Sanchez and Mercado, this group has a chance to be very special. “We’ve had some new people filling in the spots on defense and we’re very excited to see what we can do this year,” Gio Ruiz said on the new faces on the defense. Ruiz took a big step last season as a sophomore, and he looks ready to take another step and be one of the best defenders in 4A this season. Carlos Garcia is the other returning starter from the defense and the senior looks bigger, faster, and stronger this year. Nathan Sanchez is a guy that will more than likely be moving from around midfield to defense, Sanchez led the team in assists last season, but his size and strength will be a plus for the Bobcats defense this season. Another name that Bobcat fans will hear a lot about is Dylan Mercado. Mercado started games last year for Hope at wing ,and around midfield, but accepted the challenge and wanted to move to defense this season. “Dylan knew we needed defenders’ and he volunteered and wanted the opportunity to help us out on defense,” Coach Marshall said about Dylan making the move to defense.
Around midfield, 4-year starter Josh Ramos will be returning for his senior season and appears ready to be one of the leaders of this team. Ramos displays great leadership characteristics, as well as showcasing a lot of talent, and a very high IQ on the pitch. “We’re going to come out here and fix our mistakes from last year and implement them into this year and improve,” Ramos said as he spoke on the upcoming season. Another player to keep an eye out for is Yahir Velazquez. Yahir made a big impact last season for the Bobcats throughout the year and appears to be ready to do the same this upcoming season. John Gutierrez will be another reliable option for the Bobcats this season, as John has been working extremely hard in the off-season and has a great sense for the game of soccer. Freshman Elliott Vazquez will be a name to get familiar with, as he will look to be a difference maker for the Bobcats this season. “He’s not your typical freshman, he’s played a lot of soccer, and he should help us out a lot this season,” Coach Marshall said as he spoke on Vazquez. Freshman Bradley Brown is also a guy that can help this team in a lot of different spots on the pitch. Brown is very athletic and should be a player to keep your eye on throughout the season.
An attack that went from scoring at will almost early in the year, found itself in a rut the last part of the season, in large part due to injuries, but look for this attack to be one of the premier units in 4A this season. Returning for his senior season is 4-year starter Aniell Felipe. Felipe has led the Bobcats in goals the last two seasons and was named to the All-State team last year, despite missing about half of the conference games due to injury. He posted two 4-goal games last year in about a 10-day span and was on pace to be one of the top scorers, if not the top scorer in the state. Aniell is a guy that the opposition must have eyes on at all times, or it will more than likely cost them, as he not only scores at a high clip, but sets his teammates up for goals as well. Another key returner is sophomore Jonathon Hernandez. Jonathon was the 2nd leading scorer last year as a freshman and the striker will look to only get better this season. “Just keep working hard and getting better, we’ve worked on communication and passing, we also have to do a better job finishing and getting goals,” Hernandez said as he spoke on improving and getting better from last year.
You can’t have a great attack without good wing play and this group has a lot of talent at the wing position. With returners like Brian Jimenez, Alex Hernandez, Carlos Zapata, and Anthony Dominguez, that is a lot of speed and skill on the outside for the Bobcats. Brian Jimenez may be the fastest kid on the team and is a very aggressive player, as he looks to make the most of his senior season and help his team in anyway possible. Alex Hernandez is returning as well for Hope and will be a big part in the success of the Bobcats this season. “We’re expecting a lot from the attack this season, score a lot more goals this year, we want to play from ahead this year and work better as a team this year,” Alex said when asked on what to expect from the Bobcat attack this year. Carlos Zapata got some big minutes last year as a freshman and will look to build on that this year. Zapata will bring a lot of depth to this attack and help keep the Bobcats fresh throughout the entire 80 minutes night in and night out. Anthony Dominguez will also be a big part of the attack this year, as he had some great games last year. Look for Anthony to make a lot of winning plays this year for the Bobcats.
“First step is winning conference, that’s one of our goals,” Aniell Felipe said as he spoke on some of the goals this Bobcat team has this upcoming year. At the top of the table from last year is DeQueen, a team that has had the Bobcats number as of late. Nashville is another team that is going to be in the mix this year, as they finished second last year in conference. Arkadelphia and Malvern are back, along with Bauxite and Mena. Magnolia will be the new team in the conference this year. Like I mentioned earlier in the preview, this group of Bobcats appear locked in and ready to chase something special, but it all begins with a conference title.
Will 2025 be the year of the Bobcats?? They most certainly have the talent and depth to achieve everything they set their sights on, and all they have to do is believe in themselves and the work they’ve put in throughout the offseason. Like in the Apple TV show Ted Lasso, the term “Believe” is a core principle that means, “having faith in yourself, your team, and the future.” Well, this team of Bobcats believes in themselves’ and the future is very bright for this squad. “We just have to take it one game at a time,” Aniell Felipe said on media days as they gear up for what is making up to be a special season. February 28th cannot get here quick enough for this team. Tune into SWARK.Today for all things Bobcat Soccer and this season should be a really, special one for this group. GO BOBCATS!!!
