GRANTS - How does this sound for a high school athlete's resume: first team All District, District Player of the Year, first team All State, All West region team and All-American scholar?

Most athletes would be satisfied to receive one of those accolades throughout his or her high school playing career, but unbelievably, Grants High School senior César Soria accomplished all of this, and did so in just one season, his final as a member of the boys' soccer team.

Oh, and there's one more - Soria is the 2008-09 Beacon Boys' Athlete of the Year.

“I am really surprised,” a stunned Soria said in a recent interview, and his surprise comes from the fact that he did not play basketball this season - which he had done in the three years previous - and because he could not finish the track season due to a back injury. But his accomplishments as a soccer player and scholar this year cannot be overstated.

The GHS valedictorian was named first team All District 6-4A and Player of the Year in the district as well. He was named to the 4A All State First Team, joining a roster of similarly-talented individuals, and it is widely believed that Soria is the first Grants Pirate to be a first team All State selection for 4A in the school's history.

Then, once state competition wound down, Soria kept reeling in the prizes.

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America named him to the Adidas All West Region Team, where he joined players from Idaho, Texas, Colorado and California. The NSCAA also named him to the Adidas Boys' Scholar All-America Team to cap off his year.

All of this happened despite the fact that midseason, even after he had racked up 18 goals, GHS Head Coach Mike Hatfield moved him to defense, which at first confused the departing senior.

“It bothered me a little at first, because I felt I might not do well,” Soria said. “But Hatfield said it would help the team a lot, and when he said that, I knew I would do it no matter what.”

The move was a no-brainer, Hatfield said.

“He simply was our most gifted player on the team,” he said. “And I told him that his ticket to All State was on defense, because our district is loaded with good midfielders.”

The move proved fruitful, and not only just for Soria. His defense was instrumental in helping Grants snare a spot in the state tournament, and besides that, the whole shebang turned into a learning experience for Soria.

“Looking back, I'm glad that I was willing to make the change,” he said. “I had always played in offensive positions, but playing defense opened up my game a little more. It showed that my game was a little better-rounded.”

Of course, Soria has been an exceptional athlete throughout his youth. Signs that he was something special began to emerge during his middle school years at St. Teresa School, where he stood head and shoulders - literally - over opponents from other basketball teams. Soria, along with other GHS athletes like Nick Black and Pablo Valdivia, formed a formidable team with the Warriors, and there were few teams that could hang with them. Soria said that he never considered himself to be that much better than those he faced.

“I never thought about us being overpowering,” he said. “I knew we could beat good teams, but we had to play to our full potential.”

Soon, he said, he began to learn other lessons from playing basketball, which he only picked up in his fifth grade year at the urging of his friends.

“After each win, each game, my mentality started to change,” Soria said. “Especially from the hard games, those that we lost. It's games like those that make you realize what you're capable of.”

That road led to GHS and a spot on the soccer team. Through the years, his love for soccer has never swayed, even as soccer continues to struggle to gain popularity in the U.S. and in Grants.

“Up until now, there really hasn't been a soccer team that has put Grants on the map as a team that could play well,” he said. “But even with all of the success we had, getting players named to All District and All State, it seems like not a lot of people in Grants paid attention to us. We didn't get the support we deserved.”

Yet, it should not be construed that Soria holds sour grapes. His respect for his teammates and Hatfield still rings true in his head, and that they should get their just desserts is just as important to him. And, though the season is now months gone, Soria still replays GHS soccer moments in his head.

With his playing career up in the air at this point (Soria plans to try out for the University of New Mexico soccer team), those memories will have to sustain him.

“I don't think it will be completely satisfying to not play soccer competitively,” he said. “When I'm watching soccer games, or thinking back to games we played, I miss it and I want to keep playing that way. If I can't play competitively, I will definitely keep playing, even if just for fun.”

Mr. Soria, the fun of watching you perform on the field and in the classroom has been all ours.