Manny Tellez has tried to keep a good perspective on having his senior season cut short by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Berryville soccer forward scored 11 goals in the Bobcats' first five matches as his team started 5-0 with victories over Harrison, Green Forest, Gentry, Lincoln and Eureka Springs.
At a glance
NAME Manny Tellez
SCHOOL Berryville
SPORT Soccer
GRADE Senior
NOTEWORTHY Forward for Berryville’s boys soccer team. … Scored 11 goals in Berryville’s first five matches in 2020 before the season was canceled. … Was part of the Bobcats’ 2018 Class 4A state runner-up team. … Had 11 goals and four assists as a junior in 2019. … Will play soccer at Ecclesia College in Springdale.
The 28th in a series recognizing some of the state’s best spring high school athletes who had their seasons canceled by the coronavirus pandemic.
But once the Arkansas Activities Association instituted an athletic dead period March 15, then canceled the season entirely for soccer, baseball, softball and track and field on April 9, Tellez came to terms with never representing the Bobcats on the field again.
"For me, God has a reason for everything in life," Tellez said. "Not everything is going to be good in life. Hopefully, I'm able to recover from that."
Tellez was determined to get the Bobcats back to the Class 4A boys state tournament, which they missed in 2019. The preparation began shortly after the 2019 season.
"It wasn't a team. It wasn't a family," Tellez said of his junior season. "So, we started from the beginning of summer. We started hustling and getting stronger. We just couldn't finish it [senior season]."
Jesse Frost, who was Berryville's head soccer coach for Tellez's last two seasons until taking an assistant football coaching position at Newport, praised Tellez for his leadership.
"Manny was one of our senior captains," Frost said. "He was highly motivated. He got off to a hot start. The sky was the limit for him. There's no telling what he could have done this season."
Berryville went 13-2-1 and reached the Class 4A state championship match in 2018 when Tellez was a sophomore, losing to Warren at the University of Arkansas.
But Berryville went just 8-9-3 in 2019 and missed the state tournament.
After the successful start in 2020, the outcome left an emptiness.
"It's unfortunate for the seniors," Frost said.
Frost said he was proud to coach Tellez during his career.
"He was highly competitive," Frost said. "He was self-motivated. He didn't cut anybody any slack.
"Manny was like almost having a coach on the field. He always had a good attitude. You never had to worry about him doing a good job."
Tellez had five goals and three assists as a sophomore in 2018. In 2019, he finished with 11 goals and four assists.
In 2020, Tellez matched his 2019 goal total in five matches. Tellez had two four-goal matches against Eureka Springs on March 2 and Lincoln on March 12.
Although his high school career ended prematurely, Tellez will continue playing soccer. Tellez will play at Ecclesia College, a NCCAA school (National Christian College Athletic Association) in Springdale.
Frost said Ecclesia saw Tellez play two matches this spring. Tellez's cousin Leslie is a freshman on the women's soccer team at Ecclesia, and his high school teammate Junior Perez will join him with the men's soccer program.
"It's a small college," Tellez said. "It reminds me of Berryville. Me and Junior, we'll get to go together. I can't wait to continue our careers together."
Tellez grew up in Berryville. The Carroll County town in Northwest Arkansas is a place Tellez will always cherish, he said.
"I'm going to miss Berryville," he said. "I have a lot of memories here. My teammates were like little brothers. I love Berryville."
Frost said he hopes Berryville's younger players will take Tellez's lessons and use them for next season.
"There are four freshmen that could lead them," Frost said. "I hope they know that hard work pays off. It still feels good to have won those matches. Winning is a lot better than losing."
Sports on 05/28/2020