• Slug: Sports–San Luis Soccer. 1375 words.
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By Jack Barron
Cronkite News

SAN LUIS – Friday night lights mean something else in this tiny border town. Soccer goals stand where American football uprights are typically found, while a penalty box is painted where hash marks would normally line the field.

Located roughly three hours south of Phoenix, San Luis High School has made itself into an Arizona soccer powerhouse ready to compete with nearly any team in the state, backed by the support of an entire town. Even though the Sidewinders are still seeking their first trophy after decades of dominance following a devastating 4-3 loss in penalties to Washington in the quarterfinals of the AIA open division tournament Wednesday, the community’s fierce love of the team is unwavering.

San Luis is a border town of over 40,000 people caught between two worlds. Its southern stretches terminate at the towering border wall. Main Street San Luis is a place of comings and goings as day workers and family members cross the border from San Luis Río Colorado, Mexico.

Hailing from San Luis Río Colorado, a city in the state of Sonora, Mexico, Sidewinders’ boys soccer coach Jesus Rojas knows border town life better than most. Rojas crossed the border to attend high school in San Luis, where he climbed the ranks to become the Sidewinders’ captain. After earning his teaching degree from Arizona State, Rojas returned to San Luis and eventually took over the coaching gig with his former team.

“Like I was 24 at the time, 25 maybe,” Rojas said. “And (former coach Tim Conroy) said, ‘You got this.’ So ever since it’s been eight years, I’ve been coaching the varsity team and teaching math.”

While he was initially hesitant to take the coaching duties, Rojas’ record shows he was ready for the job. Over eight seasons, Rojas has built a 93-22-4 overall record, with his players smashing records each season and taking the team on deep state championship runs.

“When Rojas took over, I know he didn’t feel like he was ready, but both coach (Tim) Conroy and I, we knew he was,” former San Luis coach Ian McDougall said, referring to the line of coaches who have helped build the team’s legacy. “The awesome part has been, now that I’m just a fan, I’ve got to watch him grow as a coach and this program continues to excel year after year.”

San Luis High School opened its doors in 2002 and launched its soccer program in 2003 with Conroy in charge of coaching duties. Over 15 years, Conroy’s Sidewinders won 81 games while only losing 28, but none of his teams were able to capture a state title. The same could be said for McDougall’s four years at the helm in which the team went 42-10-3 but couldn’t win the biggest game.

A San Luis state title has been elusive. In the 2023-24 season, the Sidewinders suffered another defeat in the state championship against Perry after also falling to the Pumas in the 2022-23 final. Last season, the small San Luis players matched up against the towering Pumas players in what looked like a lopsided affair.

It was anything but as the teams went to a shootout that ended in Perry squeaking out a state championship win. Throughout the game, San Luis players seemed to run laps around Perry’s defense, highlighting the team’s speedy style that has been its bread and butter for years.

“Like me personally, when I used to like come watch the games as an eighth grader, I would look like how they played like with intensity,” said senior midfielder and team captain Luis Garcia. “It made me want to play like that. And also, because we always put in the work even outside of school, like me and some team members play in the gym.”

Even though the team beats nearly all opponents, players have been told they are too short or not strong enough to play in college. Rojas still remembers a visit to Arizona Western College when, according to Rojas, the coach wouldn’t consider players under 6 feet tall or, in essence, the entire San Luis roster.

The seemingly discouraging message only reinforced the Sidewinders’ unique style of play. Rojas said his players put in more time to be physically ready to face taller competition. Rojas believes his players have what it takes to jump for headers and contend on the pitch with much bigger opponents crashing down on them. It’s a mentality that reflects San Luis itself.

“It’s just that it permeates everything around here,” said Kofa High boys soccer coach Jamie Nicewander. “You know, it’s the thing to do. So you don’t have to tell kids to go practice that they’re playing pickup games already, you know, it’s that kind of thing.”

San Luis is a town without a single hint of American football. The Sidewinders discontinued the sport in 2014, paving the way for soccer’s popularity. The town’s neighborhoods butting up to the border are filled with parks outfitted with old soccer goals.

A baseball diamond is the only other type of field in the area.

“I’ve heard a lot of younger kids (say), like, ‘Oh, when I grow up I’m going to play for San Luis,” Rojas said. “Where the parents are telling us I want my kid to be there already. Even family members, like he’s getting ready for high school because he wants to make the team.”

The same enthusiasm for San Luis soccer is felt by the team’s former coaches. San Luis is 95.3% Hispanic, with 91% of households speaking Spanish at home, according to the city government. However, the Sidewinders’ first two coaches are both white.

McDougall and Conroy overcame their apparent outsider status with their Spanish fluency and love for the community. Though neither are no longer coaches, they still come to watch San Luis games and are often approached by fans and neighbors who want to talk soccer.

Originally from Washington, McDougall has called San Luis home since 2006 and become a staple in the community.

“I came over and coached the boys for four years, and that’s how people see me in this community, even though I haven’t coached in almost a decade,” McDougall said. “Rojas has taken over and just taken the love and taken it to the next level. I still walk around town, and everyone refers to me as coach, and the first thing they want to talk about is soccer.”

McDougall’s passion for soccer is hardly unique among those who call San Luis home. At last year’s state final game, Sidewinders fans made the long road trip to Mesa to cheer on their neighbors’ kids. The San Luis fans stayed passionate throughout the game and were there to support their team after the Sidewinders came up short in penalties.

“It’s been the most successful program here at school, and I think because of that, it gets recognition from the community,” Conroy said. “But several years ago, the school ended up doing away with the football program and that was kind of to put a little more emphasis on maybe the soccer program.”

The school and town’s emphasis on soccer has paid off. The Sidewinders compiled an impressive 54-6-2 record and made three state championship appearances in four years. The only thing missing from the team’s dynasty-like reign is a trophy.

This season has been another quest for the Sidewinders’ first state title. After losing the opener against Desert Vista, San Luis went on an 11-game winning streak to close out the regular season and was ranked third in Arizona and top 100 nationally. All signs pointed toward another deep tournament run.

Like clockwork, the Sidewinders quickly advanced out of the tournament’s first and second rounds to reach the quarterfinals. But at home against Washington, things didn’t end the way the Sidewinders wanted as their season ended 4-3 in penalty kicks.

The unceremonious end to the season leaves the team to start anew. Rojas and his Sidewinders will surely keep pushing to win their first state championship, just like Conroy and McDougall did in seasons past.

“All three of us made it to the final,” Conroy said. “We haven’t been able to get the big one yet. So hopefully one of these days it will happen.”

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