Inside how East boys soccer and Ivan Quezada wrapped up Class 6A’s best record
To watch the East boys soccer team is to watch a team that has a system in place and plays within that system.
They’re methodical in the back, making their opponent chase until they find the pass to a midfielder that springs the attack. And once they start attacking, they might be the most dangerous team in the area.
Junior striker Ivan Quezada, with 26 goals to his name, is the dynamo for East, but the Blue Aces proved Thursday in a 3-1 victory over Derby, when Quezada didn’t net any goals, that they are much more than one player.
In a showdown for the No. 1 seed in the Kansas Class 6A playoffs, East (15-1) showed its quality and handed Derby (11-2-2) just its second loss of the season.
“Ivan is a great player, but the reason why we’re such a great team is because he has a supporting cast that is actually helping him stand out even more,” East coach Fred Koepp said. “We’re showing you can’t just worry about Ivan. In the past, that might have been how it worked. But now if you worry too much about Ivan, we’ve got three or four other guys who are going to put you to bed.”
The stronger balance is what has elevated East from the good team that won 11 games and reached a regional title game last season to the great team they’ve become this season that’s won 15 matches in a row and secured homefield advantage through the playoffs.
It starts with Isac Macias in goal and Juan Orona anchoring East’s back line. Then the trio of Jaime Guardado, Abdullah Ahmed and Martin Rodriguez are the motors in the middle of the field that generate the attack.
“And then we have the three fastest guys in Kansas up top,” Guardado said with a smile, referring to Quezada and East’s two wingers, Lalo Derath and Calixte Gutierrez.
Surrounded by weapons, Quezada has thrived this season with a career-high (26) in goals.
“Honestly, this is the most fun I’ve had playing soccer in a while,” Quezada said. “Playing around my friends, playing around kids I’ve known my whole life. When we step on the field, it’s just a bunch of kids having fun.
“We all make each other better. If I wasn’t playing, I still believe we would be 15-1. They all play a major role in all that I do. From the defense to the goalie to the midfielders, we’re all one big unit, one big family.”
While Quezada may be humble in deflecting credit, opposing coaches make no mistake on the influence that No. 9 on East has on every game.
“He just controls everything out there,” Derby coach Paul Burke said. “You’ve got to give their whole team a bunch of credit because they understand how to use him. He’s their orchestrator. They can play into his feet and let him build and combine or they can get him 1-v-1 and he’s probably going to get a lot of people. He’s an amazing talent on the ball and honestly an all-around striker, which you don’t get a lot of those around here these days.”
Quezada has the pace, the technical ability and the creative flair. As his coach says, he has “tree trunks” for legs, so when he can’t sprint around a defender, he’s equipped to shield them from the ball.
His touches look as if they were planned three or four touches in advance. Sometimes Quezada admits even he doesn’t know what he’s about to do until he does it.
He credits that to his father, Juan Carlos Quezada, who Ivan says has helped make him into the soccer player he has become as a junior.
“Ever since I can remember, I’ve always had a ball at my foot,” Quezada said. “My dad basically taught me everything. He’s pushed me since I was 5 years old, running in the sand, doing moves on my own, teaching me how to strike a ball. Honestly, sometimes things just come naturally to me and I think that’s just the natural talent from my father.”
Quezada hopes this season will be remembered more than just scoring goals. He wants to lead East back to the state tournament, a journey that will begin next week.
“I’m very fortunate to have a team that finds me and understands me,” Quezada said. “Without them, I would have nothing. But together, we can go far.”
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