New players, new games: Hispanics common on high school teams in Hall

July 3, 2005
By Morgan Lee

Oscar Carmona remembers when he was one of the few Hispanic soccer players at Gainesville High. "There weren't a lot of us," said Carmona, 27, who graduated in 1996. "Not even really in the school. Things have changed a lot now."

Little did he know it, but Carmona, a native of El Salvador, was helping blaze a path for future Hispanic athletes at Gainesville.

Indeed, the 1996 Red Elephants team that reached the Class AAA/AA/A quarterfinals had five Hispanic players, including Carmona, a defender.

High school rosters average between 18 to 22 players. This year's Gainesville squad, which also reached the Class AAA quarterfinals, had 13 Hispanic players.

To the south, Johnson's semifinalist squad had 17 Hispanic players and Flowery Branch, which reached the Class AAA final, had 16.

"I guess we were the first ones to get it started," Carmona said.

It's not a big deal for Carmona because, like so many Hispanics, playing sports was something he was going to do no matter the location or sport.

Carmona, who also wrestled for the Red Elephants, said sports were a big reason he remembers high school so fondly.

"It does help (immigrants) out if you know how to play sports," Carmona said. "You get to know everyone at the school, and we had a lot of fun."

Jesus Noriega, a 2005 Johnson High graduate and former standout for the football and soccer teams, agreed.

"During my freshman year, nobody knew who I was," Noriega said. "After I started playing football my sophomore year, I knew everybody in the school."

Players aren't the only ones enjoying the influx of Hispanic athletes to area high school programs.

"It's definitely increased the skill level overall of teams around here," said Mark Dunn, who coached soccer at the school from 1982-2005.

"It's been a positive avenue for people, because all of the Anglos and Hispanics I've coached have got along great."

Nearly every Hall and Northeast Georgia high school has been influenced by the influx of Hispanic players into their soccer programs.

Yet its not just soccer that has prospered from the addition of athletes whose first language is not English. And schools like Gainesville and Johnson, in particular, are beginning to add Hispanics to rosters in nearly every sport.

"There's more and more Hispanics trying out for football," said Franuel Perez, a current Red Elephant and native of Mexico.

Teammate Mario Sanchez, who also hails from Mexico, agreed. "I've always liked the contact, hitting people," he said.

Newcomers may choose to try an American sport because it appeals to them, and coaches and teammates have helped ease their learning curve along the way.

"You get to know more people, and it's a lot of fun," said Gainesville's Pablo Picazo, who moved from Los Angeles.

So much fun that at Carmona is going to ensure that his two sons follow in his footsteps.

"Once they're old enough, they're going to try everything," Carmona said of Dean, 2, and Jonathan, 1. "I'm going to make sure of that."

Source: The Gainsville Times