Prep Spotlight--Breaking New Boundaries: The Solace of Soccer

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Wednesday, June 2, 2021

MOGULS WRAPS FIRST PREP CAMP OF YEAR—The U.S. Freestyle Mogul Ski Team was back in action, having just wrapped their first prep camp of the 202122 Olympic season at Snowbird, Utah. Mogul skiers nominated to the 2021-22 Freestyle Ski Team took advantage of one of the longest seasons in Utah to get back to skiing and jumping. The camp marked the first time the group came together following the end of their competitive season in March.

Sports

10TH ANNUAL JOHN MCCLATCHY “BIG FISH” DERBY COMING SOON—The 10th annual John McClatchy “Big Fish” Memorial Fishing Derby is set to make an epic comeback for 2021. The event is scheduled to be Saturday, June 19, at Magic Reservoir from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. with a weigh-in and barbecue to follow outside Dam Fools’ Clubhouse. Like always, there will be a $1,000 guaranteed winner. For more information on the fishing derby, contact Idaho Mountain Express legendary photographer Willy Cook at 208-721-2658.

EDITOR JON MENTZER: (208) 726-8060 sports@mtexpress.com

Prep Spotlight - Breaking New Boundaries

THE SOLACE OF SOCCER How the beautiful game gave senior Isaac Esparza purpose

By JON MENTZER

A

Express Staff Writer

s life and sport blend into one another they become poetically synonymous.

Even if for only 90 minutes, players can forget their surroundings and just be.

They can be the grass, they can be the ball, they can be free.

That is why Wood River High School graduating senior Isaac Esparza loves the beautiful game of soccer. It helped save his life.

“I don’t know what I would do without this sport,” Esparza said. “I would be out in the streets looking for trouble and I’m trying to break that mold. It made me want to do better in school because that was the only way I could continue playing soccer.”

Life has been an odyssey for Esparza. Born in Ketchum, he and his family moved multiple times when he was young. After the 2008 recession, his family moved to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, when Esparza was in kindergarten. Then they went to Compton, Calif., where his mother, Marlene Perez, and her family are from. Then they were on the move again, only this time to Sammamish, Wash., before coming back to the Wood River Valley when Esparza was in the fourth grade.

It was a long journey just to wind up right where he started, but going through adversity is what built Esparza. However, the hard times didn’t end. His father, Gerardo, is since estranged and his mother has battled alcohol abuse, which forced Esparza to grow up quicker than his peers.

Searching for an outlet, his older brother, John Henry McElhiney II—who now lives in Pocatello—introduced Esparza to soccer.

“I saw him smile because of soccer so I pursued it,” Isaac said. “Once I started getting the rush and joy of soccer, it gave me a sense of hope.”

He loves the smell of freshly cut grass, the competitive release and the comradery of his teammates. Esparza—who turned 18 on April 16—owes a debt of gratitude not only to the game itself, but to those who helped him along the way.

WRHS head coach Luis Monjaras had an on-field bond with Esparza, in which Monjaras saw potential when Esparza was a freshman, which caused him to become one of the team’s leaders.

He was a four-year varsity player and an important piece to the 2020 Wolverines.

Despite the season being cut short due to COVID-19, there was success on the pitch.

Because WRHS was forced to cancel five games, those games went down as forfeits, according to Max Preps. The team’s official record wound up being 6-5-2. However, in the games that WRHS managed to play (actual on-field performances), the Wolverines went 6-0-2, including three wins against cross-valley rival Sun Valley Community School.

As a senior, Esparza was named as an honorable mention in the Great Basin All-Conference Team. For his final year as a Wolverine, he also led the team with eight goals with his best game coming in a 4-2 win over Minico on Sept. 14, where he scored a three-goal hat trick.

Before his high school success, however, he was a skinny, lanky kid trying out for the Wood River Isaac Esparza, Middle School boys soccer team, which is where WRHS senior he met head coach Greg Gvozdas. Their bond ran deeper than just on-field connection. According to Esparza, Gvozdas became a father figure.

“I felt like I connected with him because there’s just something about him,” Esparza said. “[Gvozdas] was the first one to show me discipline and respect and what this game means and how to play it. He showed what you can get out of it if you’re good in school.

That really stuck with me even in high school.”

On top of being the former WRMS boys soccer coach, Gvozdas was also the WRHS head girls coach for five seasons from 2004-2008 (79-16-6 record). He is currently a math teacher at Ernest Hemingway STEAM School in Ketchum.

“When I took over the middle school program, I looked for the best soccer players in seventh and eighth grades,” Gvozdas remembered. “When Isaac showed up for tryouts, I noticed he had something extra. I held those guys to a high standard, and I think he benefited from that.”

Gvozdas provided Esparza with something that was missing in his life, a strong male role model to keep work ethic high all while instituting the joys of soccer.

“Soccer seemed like a release for Isaac,” Gvozdas added. “I pushed him to be better and he responded to that.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Esparza and his family weren’t alone during the struggle, but they felt the ripple effect to a greater degree. His mother lost her job and they were forced out of their home in Hailey because it sold, which caused Esparza, his mother and his younger sister, Camila Esparza—who is 13—to scramble for a place to live during a time when there weren’t many places to live.

Thankfully, they were able to find a house in Ketchum, which gave Esparza a new sense of responsibilities. He worked over the summer to help with the bills and rent.

During the trying times of his early days to the pandemic, sports were the one constant.

“Playing soccer and being in basketball, it uplifted my mood and I forgot about everything,” Esparza said. “[Sports] helped push through all these problems. My mom had so many issues that piled up on my sister and me, so sports built happiness in me.”

“Once I started getting the rush and joy of soccer, it gave me a sense of hope.”

Express photos by Roland Lane

Esparza led the Wolverines with eight goals during the COVID-shortened season.

Since life’s lessons taught him things he could never learn in the classroom, he wants to help his mother become sober, and be a mentor to a younger generation, including Camila, who is going into eighth grade at WRMS. His advice to the younger kids growing up is to play sports—or be active in an extracurricular activity—because it’ll open doors.

“I foresee Isaac being successful in whatever area he decides to go into,” Gvozdas said. “He has a contagious smile and I’m glad to see him standing tall. Sports doesn’t build character, it reveals character.”

With the help of steady mentors and the game of soccer, Esparza has built the next phase in his life. He plans on attending the University of Idaho, where he wants to study to become an architect.

See ISAAC, next page

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Wednesday, June 2, 2021

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Getting to know Isaac Who is your favorite athlete?

Kobe Bryant. He’s the Mamba, how can you not like him?

What is your favorite place to take a date?

Leroy’s Ice Cream in Ketchum

What teacher has had the greatest impact on you?

I have three teachers. Mrs. Susan Worst, my advisory teacher. She guided me to graduate so that’s pretty big.

Mr. Jesse Neet, my history teacher. He’s been straight up with me like a homie. Then Mr. Liji Waite, my Spanish teacher. We knock heads all the time, but he’s a good person and a good man.

What is your dream car?

1991 Ford Mustang 5.0 in cherry red.

Who is your favorite musician?

Lil Baby

What is your favorite restaurant?

Zou 75 Where is your dream vacation?

Venice, Italy What are your pre-game rituals?

Before I go on the field, I have to touch the grass and feel it. Then I kiss my hand. I’ve done that ever since I started playing soccer.

What is your favorite outdoor activity?

I like hiking and going to different places. I’ve hiked Mount Borah two years in a row.

What is your favorite movie?

“I Am Legend” Wood River senior Isaac Esparza has a special place in his heart for soccer, a game that helped shape him as a young man.

New BCSD assistant superintendent brings an array of talents Adam Johnson was 2020 Idaho Principal of the Year

By JON MENTZER Express Staff Writer

Finding a steady fit in life is never an easy thing to do.

But some people just fit into the Wood River Valley, and new Blaine County School District Assistant Superintendent Adam Johnson is one.

Johnson, 38, will be joining the BCSD in July and along with his wife, Rocio, and their three dogs—Benley, Macie and Ella—Johnson will bring an array of talents that will fit perfectly in the valley.

“I’m excited to join the district, it’s going to be a good opportunity,” he said.

Before accepting the position, Johnson, a Rupert native who graduated from Minico High School, was the 2020 Idaho Principal of the Year at Murtaugh High School. He was also the 2013 Idaho Human Rights Educator of the Year.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in history and secondary education from Boise State University, along with a master’s degree in education leadership and an education specialist degree in education leadership from the University of Idaho.

For most of his career, Johnson has worked at small schools. After his college days, his first job was teaching at Challis High School in fall 2005.

“That’s the good thing about small schools, you get a lot of opportunities to work in many different areas,” Johnson said. “You get a little bit of the athletics, a little bit of curriculum and then everything that they can find for you.”

While Challis wasn’t on the map to begin his career, it was one of the best moves he made. It gave him a chance to blend into a small community and have his hand in different aspects of learning. It’s also where he met his wife, a Challis native.

After a year at Challis, Johnson moved on to Murtaugh High School for the first of his two stints. While at Murtaugh, he was a social studies teacher and coached football, basketball and golf for five years. Then in 2011, his high school alma mater, Minico, had a varsity boys basketball coach vacancy and social studies position open.

So the Johnsons were off to another adventure.

Of all the teaching positions that Johnson has held, one constant is his desire for coaching kids.

A sports junkie himself, Johnson participated in just about everything in high school from football to basketball to golf. He even got into refereeing games. His sports background has also shaped his success as a teacher and principal.

“I think that coaching was really influential in helping me with the psychology of leadership and

how you sell an idea to a team and develop a common goal,” he said. “I think I’ve developed professionally as a result of coaching with communication skills, and how to listen to [kids’] viewpoints and come to a common ground.”

Johnson then had an opportunity to put all of his teaching and coaching together when Murtaugh’s principal position opened in 2013. His love for teaching is what keeps him striving for greatness. He especially enjoyed teaching 11th grade, and specifically U.S. History 2.

On top of teaching and coaching, Johnson loves the great outdoors, which means he’ll fit in nicely. An avid bow hunter and an overall outdoor enthusiast, he remembers going on family camping, hunting and fishing trips during his childhood in Rupert. Living in Hailey also presents a perfect middle ground for him and his wife since Hailey is right between Rupert and Challis.

Taking on the new position at the BCSD, Johnson knows he has his work cut out for him, but he also thinks there will be room for growth and longevity.

“Coming in I’m going to have to work hard to build trust and convince people that everything that I’m doing at the district office is of service and support,” he said. “I am on their side. I’m really a public servant to them and my job is to help them do their job better.”

Johnson added that he’ll meet with the BCSD in July to assess what will be under his umbrella at the BCSD. Welcome to the Wood River Valley, Adam.

Hole-in-One

By EXPRESS STAFF Robert Todd of Meridian scored a holein-one during play of the Idaho Senior Golf Association Match on Thursday, May 27, at the Sun Valley Resort’s Trail Creek Golf Course.

Todd scored the hole-in-one shot on the 17th hole from 146 yards out using his 9-iron.

Witnesses were Dale Closner, R.P. Shields and Dennis Bishop.

2021 WR AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL SCHEDULE This year’s 2021 Wood River American Legion program includes the Wranglers “A” varsity program (15 regular-season games), coached by Jay Moeller. Founders Field home games are in bold.

Wranglers “A” Team DATE, DAY ....................................... OPPONENT............................... LOCATION June 2, Wednesday ................................................. Wendell .....................................................Away, 4/6 June 3, Thursday ................................... WR Spurs ................................. Home, 5:30 June 6, Sunday ................................................Pocatello Rebels ..............................................Away, 1/3 June 8, Tuesday..................................................... WR Spurs .................................................Away, 5:30 June 9, Wednesday ....................................... Canyon Ridge AA ................................................Away, 6 June 14, Monday ............................... Mountain Home ..............................Home, 4/6 June 16-19 .......................................... Pocatello Wood Bat Tournament ..................................... Away June 16, Wednesday .................................................Malad .....................................................Away, 3:30 June 17, Thursday...................................................Box Elder .............................................. Away, 8 a.m.

June 17, Thursday.................................................... Skyline ...................................................Away, 3:30 June 23, Wednesday ................................. Buhl. ......................................Home, 4/6 June 24, Thursday ............................... TF Cowboys .................................Home, 4/6 June 28, Monday ................................... Kimberly....................................Home, 4/6 June 29, Tuesday.......................................................Burley .......................................................Away, 5/7 July 6, Tuesday ........................................................ Jerome .....................................................Away, 4/6 July 8-11 .....................................................Meridian 18U Tournament ............................................ Away July 13, Tuesday ............................................... Canyon Ridge A ..............................................Away, 4/6

Spurs “B” Team June 3, Thursday............................................... WR Wranglers ............................................ Away, 5:30 June 5, Saturday ................................Canyon Ridge ................................Home, 11/1 June 8, Tuesday ................................. WR Wranglers .............................Home, 5:30 June 12, Saturday ............................ Pocatello Rebels ............................. Home, 1/3 June 17-20 .................................................Meridian 16U Tournament ............................................Away June 22, Tuesday ..................................... Burley .................................... Home, 4/6 June 25, Friday....................................... Jerome.................................... Home, 4/6 June 29, Tuesday............................................. Mountain Home............................................. Away, 5/7 July 6, Tuesday .................................................... TF Cowboys................................................. Away, 4/6 July 7, Wednesday................................................. Kimberly ................................................... Away, 4/6 July 10, Saturday .................................... Wendell .................................. Home, 12/2 July 14, Wednesday.....................................................Buhl ........................................................Away, 6/8 July 17-19 ...........................................Area C “B” Districts at Idaho Falls .......................................TBA July 25-30 ..............................................Area C “B” State at Lewiston ............................................TBA Aug. 5-10 ...............................................Area C “B” Regionals at Alaska ..........................................TBA NOTES—New this year are two Wood River American Legion teams. The Wranglers “A” squad comprises players ages 15-19. The “A” team will play five home games, six away.

Wranglers will also compete in the Pocatello Wood Bat Tournament from June 16-19, and the Meridian 18U Tournament from July 8-11. The Spurs “B” squad comprises advanced players ages 13-15, coached by Chris Carden. The “B” team will play six home games, five away including the Meridian 16U Tournament. The Wranglers and Spurs meet twice during the regular season at Founders Baseball Field in Hailey. Both games are seven-inning single games.