With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, so is Wildcats and Lady Cats soccer practice. UIL rules say the first official day for practice is December 2, the first day back from the Thanksgiving holiday break. Scrimmages can begin as of December 12. The first day for games that count will be January 2. Wildcats Soccer Coach Alexi Upton was the guest on KSST Radio and Cable Channel 18’s Saturday Morning Coaches Show Saturday (November 16). With an earlier date than usual for scrimmages, Coach Upton says he has set up four this year. The Wildcats scrimmage Mount Pleasant Chapel Hill, Sabine and Mineola at home on December 14, Paris on December 17 at home, North Mesquite and Rowlett at North Mesquite on December 27 and the always popular Alumni Scrimmage on December 28. Coach Upton is very excited about the Wildcats regular season opening tournament. He says the Frisco ISD Tournament beginning January 2 is perhaps the biggest and he says it is loaded with powerhouses. Coach Upton explains you have to be accepted and he says the Wildcats were on a waiting list for 7 or 8 months. He says he believes a team only gets better by playing tough opponents. The Wildcats are in a pool with two Amarillo teams and McKinney North. Coach Upton says none of these teams lost more than 6 games last year. He says he has a new assistant coach this year, Salvador Mejia. Coach Upton says Mejia is working to make the Wildcats stronger and more physical. He says he lost four valuable seniors: Andrew Escobar, Enrique Arellano, Alexis Escobedo and Daniel Moreno. But he says everyone else returns including some help from the JV team. Coach Upton is solid in goal with returners Noe Ponce and Eleazar Brena. He has two good attacking forwards in Omar Hernandez and Alejandro Diosdado. Solid center back defender David Moreno returns. Coach Upton also mentions Bryant Sanchez, Jose Salazar and track distance runners Nabian Ramirez and Ricardo Torres. He says once again Mount Pleasant will be the district team to beat. He says Greenville and Royse City and to a slightly lesser degree Lindale, lost a lot of talented players. Texas High could be a sleeping giant awaking at any time. Coach Upton sees the Wildcats right in the middle of things.
