As the wind of the Indian Summer finally turns cold and area football teams wrap up their seasons, the gridiron is getting converted from American football to what the rest of the world calls futbol.
After missing the playoffs last season, the Harvesters, in year four under Head Coach Martin Moreno, will be seeking a return to the postseason in the 2025-26 season.
“We’re looking pretty solid,” Moreno said. “We’re very junior- and senior-heavy.”
Last season the Harvesters finished fifth in District play with a 6-6-2 record (10-9-3) overall behind Perryton (champions), Dumas, West Plains and Borger.
The Harvesters graduated heavy contributors Aaron Diaz and Edgar Saavedra. Returning to the varsity squad this year will be Seniors Fabian Calzeda, Jairo Rios and Hector Maldonado. Ismael Perez, Oswaldo Anguiano and Alex Britten are some juniors returning to the team.
“When they were freshmen they had a really good team dynamic,” Moreno said. “They went undefeated as freshmen on junior varsity. Hopefully they still have that good mentality coming into varsity this year. They’ve all moved up along together. That’s going to be great for team chemistry.”
Some new faces on the team include Junior Edward Galindo and Sophomore Bryan Montelongo. These new faces and the new opportunities created by graduation last year are creating new opportunities for the Harvesters.
“It’s going to be hard for me to choose the midfield,” Moreno said. “I’m going to have to displace some either in the midfield, winger, or striker position. We have a lot of competition. And it’s good competition.”
The Harvesters’ district is made up of Perryton, Borger, Dumas, Hereford, West Plains, Canyon and Randall.
“It’s pretty even all of the way around,” Moreno said. “Perryton lost their coach and graduated quite a few players. Dumas has a second-year coach, but their team is pretty solid and has a club team that competes in Amarillo. Perryton has club kids who compete in Kansas/Oklahoma. West Plains is solid and is coached by (Former Pampa Soccer Coach) [Hugo Aguillion]. For the most part it feels pretty even all of the way around.”
District play is a round-robin where each team plays each other twice and tally points based on whether they win. Wins are three points, ties are one point and losses are zero points.
“Going to a tie and giving one point makes it super competitive,” Moreno said. “The last two years it’s come down to the last game for playoffs and seeding.”
The Harvesters had a scrimmage against Snyder on Friday, followed by a scrimmage at Plainview on Saturday. They round out their scrimmage schedule at Lubbock-Liberty and Palo Duro Dec. 16 and Dec. 19.
They officially open the season on Jan. 1 at the Sulphur Spring Tournament.
“That’s a very competitive tournament down around Dallas,” Moreno said. “We’re going to be playing some big games down there. Hopefully we can compete and give the guys some confidence. Having to play against those types of schools makes the guys' mentality step up.
“They see the level that they are at and the level they need to be at. The Sulphur Springs Tournament is 4A so they get to see the level they can get to if they can focus and hone in.”
They don’t have a home non-district game until Jan. 23 against Canyon. Moreno just wants to see his squad take ownership of the team and lead them where they want to be.
“The guys are very motivated and know the type of team they have,” Moreno said. “They know if they make some sacrifices and show some discipline, they know we can go far. I’ve told them, ‘A good team has a good coach that leads, and a championship team has good leaders as players who hold each other accountable.”