Keen on soccer

Keenan Emmitt's impact cannot be measured in goals or assists. His slender frame and massive head of hair rarely made it past midfield.

He did have steals, 172 of them, but numbers were not the determining factor in choosing the Gridley sweeper to be The Appeal-Democrat All-Area boys soccer Player of the Year.

They couldn't be, he had just two points all season.

It didn't matter. Because though he may never have notched a hat trick or been a master at making crosses, Emmitt was a difference-maker and a major reason why the Bulldogs finished 11-4-4 and went on to win the Northern Section Division II title.

With speed, poise and acumen fueling a playing ability far past his experience level, Emmitt was one of the most dominant forces on the pitch in the Mid-Valley. Put simply, there was no getting past him. Coupled with outstanding keeper work by Ivan O. Martinez, goals scored against the Bulldogs were aberrations.

"He saved us a lot of times with his speed getting to the ball," said Jesse Barajas, The Appeal-Democrat Coach of the Year. "We know if we get burned on defense that we have enough speed to back that up.

"He's the reason our stellar goalie isn't touching the ball that much because Keenan's getting to it first."

Roving the back third of the field, Emmitt looks like a soccer natural who has been perfecting his craft since adolescence. He keys in on the action and has a radar-like hyperawareness that picks up on everything taking place — from the play developing in front of him to translating the Spanish commands barked out by Barajas on the sidelines. Barajas says it's simply a byproduct of his "love for the game."

"I just focus on trying to not let anything get past me or let them score goals," said Emmitt, who was named first-team all-Butte View League. "I love stealing the ball and roughing some people up sometimes."

It's the words of a player who is entirely smitten with his sport.

While that's to be expected from athletes of his caliber, it's made interesting by the fact that Emmitt's true courtship with soccer didn't start until his junior year. Before then, in place of cleats, shin guards and mud-soaked uniforms were long shorts, high tops and games clear on the other side of campus at Farmer's Hall.

As a freshman and sophomore, Emmitt was a Bulldogs basketball player. It was never his favorite activity, just something he did with his friends. So when it came time to make a choice, he chose the game he had played recreationally as a kid.

"I'm glad I made the switch," he said. "It was a lot of fun."

His coach is glad, too.

Emmitt's soccer epiphany gave the Bulldogs not only a player who was "so athletic and agile," but a leader who quickly built a rapport with his teammates. That blossomed into him being a bona-fide leader who commanded respect, Barajas said.

"When he would speak, they would quiet down and listen," the coach said. "And I am sitting there thinking, 'he has only been there for two years? Man he is something special.'"

He endeared himself to the group he would eventually lead with hard work, intense play and a willingness to adapt to the team's culture. When Barajas communicates with the squad during games, he yells out in Spanish, the preferred language of the majority of the Bulldogs.

So Emmitt reached out to his teammates and displayed a willingness to learn the commands, like "sit back and cross," and eventually Emmitt "knew all those terms," he said.

"The other guys taught me," he said. "All the terms they yell are in Spanish because they can't speak English that well."

Eventually, those same teammates he leaned on to learn the nuances of being a member of the Bulldogs gave him a nickname — "Pelucas."

It's Spanish for "wig" and stands as more than a friendly nod toward Emmitt's notoriously long hair, which he can't even remember the last time he cut (aside from a "trim" for prom).

"I told (Emmitt) when you get a Spanish nickname, you know you are one of the guys, and he said 'I know,'" Barajas said.

Stories like Emmitt's nickname are indicative of the culture Barajas has instilled in his tenure as coach of the Bulldogs. His teams work hard, find success, represent the school and have fun during the entire process.

It's the reason why former players still straddle the sidelines at home games and one of the reasons Barajas was an easy choice for coach of the year.

"We've always told our players that if you are going to move forward, remember that you started at Gridley," he said.