Boys soccer: Skyline's Heredia is the Longmont Times-Call player of the year
Dec. 21—Skyline senior Brian Heredia probably won't remember the setup to every one of his class-leading, program-setting 68 points in the fall. Who could?
What he vowed not to forget were the struggles outside of soccer he was able to overcome during high school — which in part helped him get right on the pitch. The strength gained or realized from it (depending on how you look at it) — which the 17-year-old believes is a good starting point to take on life's next impending trial.
Heredia talked openly this past week about the off-the-field issues that at times affected his on-field performance, namely family and school-related issues that often kept him off the pitch as a sophomore. More so, he spoke about the idea of redemption, and how his own personal comeback story was behind the curtains on a 2023 showcase that earned him the Longmont Times-Call player of the year.
"You can accomplish anything in life. It doesn't matter how deep of a hole you're in," Heredia said, reflecting the ideals often spoken by Skyline's longtime soccer coach Luis Chavez. "Life will knock you down and show you no mercy. I'm not expecting failure but at the same time I expect life to knock me down again. I'll use my sophomore year to my senior year as a life lesson."
Heredia grew as a player the past two seasons. No more evident than this fall when he headlined the highest-scoring offense in 4A, finishing with a program-record and class-best 27 goals and 68 points.
As part of it, Heredia had points in 15 of 17 games and multiple tallies in 12 of them. He scored a career-high five goals against Severance on Sept. 16, which was more points (10) than he recorded in the entirety of his first varsity season two years prior (seven).
Then after assisting the overtime, game-winner in the first-round of the playoffs against Skyview last year, he had a pair of goals and an assist against the same program in the first round a couple months ago.
"Brian's strength on the field was his relentlessness, determination, perseverance and passion," Chavez said. "His strength off the field is his demeanor, humble attitude and thankful heart."
Heredia and the Falcons soccer team ignited a Skyline community desperate for more athletics success than they've seen of late. They swept league play for their first conference title in five years and believed they were a state-title contender before a premature second-round exit in the playoffs.
Heredia, of course, said he wished his high school career ended better than that 4-2 home loss to Niwot, a league foe it'd beaten earlier in the season. Both he and his coach said the Falcons didn't play their best on that cold November night, citing too many mistakes and breakdowns.
Time has made it easier to see the bigger picture.
"I am kind of surprised I went this far," Heredia said. "How far I've gone honestly surprises and amazes me. I'm proud of what I've done."
At year's end, Heredia was awarded the Longs Peak League player of the year and was named to CHSAA's 4A first team. It was the first time a Skyline player was named the league and Times-Call player of the year since Coach Chavez's son Josue won both in 2011.
