Q&A with Crestview soccer player Brandon Reyes
CRESTVIEW, Fla. — A Q&A with Brandon Reyes who is a soccer player at Crestview High School.
Name: Brandon Reyes
Age: 17
School: Crestview High School
Grade:聽 2023
Sport: Soccer
Team: Bulldogs- Varsity
Years in current sport: 13 years
What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?
Brandon Reyes: I want to continue to play Soccer after high school at the collegiate level.
What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
Reyes: The biggest challenge has been playing with confidence. I remind myself, I鈥檓 better and I perform better with that simple reminder.
What do you love about your sport?
Reyes: I鈥檝e played soccer since I could walk. My dad has coached me throughout my career from YMCA to Crestview.聽 I love the sport, it’s not always been fun, due to health challenges but, these last 4 years in high school, it鈥檚 been fun again. And, I have improved physically and mentally so I play better.
Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?
Reyes: Actually, I do not. I pack my gear, fill my water bottle, grab the practice balls, and head out.
If you could compare yourself with any animal, which would it be, and why?
Reyes: Ya, I don鈥檛 really compare myself to an animal.
What do you like to do outside of your sport?
Reyes: Hanging out with friends, driving around and grabbing food at Chick-fil-a, or going to the field and kicking the ball around.
What has being a member of a team taught you?
Reyes: Soccer is not a selfish sport.聽 You have to work as a team with the same goal in mind – to score. You have to rely on your teammates to move the ball up the field. There鈥檚 trust and respect for each other on the field and off the field. We need to be open to other perspectives and realize that we are all playing at different levels, it doesn鈥檛 help to blame one person. We are a team and we succeed together.
What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach or mentor?
Reyes: Coach told the team the other day, 鈥淵ou will make mistakes, it’s not the mistake that matters, it’s how you recover鈥�.聽 I am proactive in asking for feedback from my coaches, there is always room for improvement, advice is given every day.
Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.
Reyes: In Soccer, I see plays beyond one touch, meaning, I see the field, the players, the space and the goal. As a midfielder, I try to place the ball to create opportunities to score. When those passes don鈥檛 connect, I adjust and sometimes recover or move towards the ball to create a new opportunity.
If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life what would it be?
Reyes: Spicy grilled chicken deluxe sandwich from Chick-Fil-A.
Anything else you鈥檇 like to add:
Reyes: I am actively promoting myself to get recruited. I attend college ID camps and send film to the coaches weekly.聽 I have currently been accepted to 12 different colleges academically with nice scholarship packages. But, my ultimate goal is to play soccer.
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