Marcos Montoya has made a big impact in his first year in high school soccer, scoring seven goals and notching 16 assists for The Bishop’s School across 10 regular-season games. But he is no stranger to the sport and the grind to get better.
Montoya, a junior, kicked around multiple clubs and leagues the past few years.
Before arriving at Bishop’s, he attended San Pasqual High School in Escondido.
As a freshman, he played in a soccer academy in Germany. A year later, he met Bishop’s boys soccer head coach Joey Yusenas, who connected him with the Los Angeles Football Club Youth Academy and offered him the opportunity to play high school soccer.
Montoya further honed his skills for San Diego Surf Soccer, an elite competitive youth club.
His first high school competition this season with Bishop’s yielded great offensive success, including two-goal performances against Santa Fe Christian and Francis Parker for the Pacific League champion Knights.
Still, the assists and passes he contributes stand out more to him than the goals he scores himself, he said.
“Honestly, I felt like I’m not really [in] that goal-scorer mentality,” Montoya said. “My first choice is to get an assist or get a pass off. And our offense has really skyrocketed this year because of the passes I want to make.
“The goal-scoring part is … for my teammates. And I felt like they just needed someone who could get them the ball through breaking lines and making passes. That can really help us out as a team, which has obviously been the result of us scoring many goals throughout this year.”
The Knights have scored 56 goals in 17 games overall, vs. 17 goals allowed, according to MaxPreps.
Montoya first got acquainted with soccer as a young child.
“Honestly, my dad was my first bit of inspiration,” he said. “He was the first one that really brought me into the sport. … He basically said I was going to end up playing soccer no matter what.”
Once he warmed up to the sport, his father’s dreams became his own.
“The first two years, I honestly didn’t want to play,” Montoya recalled. “And now that I’m a little bit better at the sport and I am dominating in my region, I feel like this sport has really done well for me.”
Yusenas said Montoya’s soccer talent and drive for academic challenges make him ready for “almost any college in the nation.”
Several schools already have expressed interest in his play, the coach said.
“He is new to the community, but he has integrated himself exceptionally from Day 1,” Yusenas said. “Faculty and staff come up to me all the time saying how attentive and thoughtful he is, how much he challenges his classmates to be better and how he is driven to make himself the best he can be.”
Montoya said his hobbies outside of soccer are “more soccer” — whether extra training sessions by himself, competing with collegiate players or unwinding by playing a soccer video game.
Montoya contributed two goals and two assists in Bishop’s 4-0 win over Vincent Memorial High School in the first round of the CIF San Diego Section Division IV playoffs Feb. 17.
The top-seeded Knights next will take on No. 9 Mira Mesa at home at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19.
La Jolla Athlete of the Week features athletes from all sports in high school (La Jolla High, The Bishop’s School, La Jolla Country Day School) and other local youth sports. We’re looking not only for the stars of competition but also for student-athletes who set an example for teamwork, academic achievement and/or community involvement. Please email your nominations to Editor Rob Vardon at robert.vardon@lajollalight.com. ♦