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The 2020 season will be a rebuilding year for soccer coach John Delatorre, who begins his third year at McDonald County High School. Gone are the dynamic duo of Eh Doh Say and Jeobany Marcos. The two combined to score just about all of McDonald County's goals in the past few years. Also lost to graduation is Arturo Garcia, who stopped bunches of shots as the Mustang goalie. But the cupboard isn't completely bare. McDonald County has five return- ing starters in Irrael Marcos, Rony Lopez, Douglas Lopez, Julis Quetzecua and Ricardo Salas. "We graduated 11 seniors from last year's team," Delatorre said. "Seven of those were consistent starters. With that being said, we are going to have a lot of open spots to fill on this year's team. We expect quite a few returning players and incoming freshmen to fill those holes. Players that will come in this season and are expected to crack our varsity lineup full-time include Ricardo Salas, Douglas Lopez, Alexis Pedrosa, Melvin Ordonez and Eh Htoo." Other returners from last year include Alexis Diaz and Karlo Barreda. The disruption of school and any sense of a normal summer due to covid- 19 has had a big impact on the program. "Covid-19 has impacted us just as it has everyone else around the area," Delatorre said. "We lost months of offseason this spring that we had big plans for. We have had difficulty getting players to practice this summer due to the virus and due to transportation issues. I think these problems will more than likely follow us throughout the season, so we will do what we can to stay healthy and stay positive." Delatorre said Marcos, Pedrosa, Salas and Quetzecua are the leaders on the team. "Those four are guys who I have come to know very well in my time as head coach," Delatorre said. "All four of them are hard-working, high-character students who will lead this team on and off the field. They have earned great respect and acknowledgment from their teammates." Delatorre said the characteristics of his four leaders will carry over to the rest of the team. "This season our strengths will be our work ethic, our attitude and our fitness," Delatorre said. "We graduated some very important players and will have a lot of holes to fill in our lineup and will be a little inexperienced this season, but we believe this team has the work ethic and attitude to find some success." Even with the losses of some very talented players, Delatorre said he expects his team to compete in every game during the upcoming season. "Our goals for this season are to keep improving as student athletes and as a program," Delatorre said. "Over the last two years, we've had higher team GPA's and have exponentially improved as students in the classroom. That has replicated to success on the field. We have, I believe, become a team that can compete toe-to-toe with some of the best teams around the southwest Missouri area. Although we've graduated some important players, our expecta- tions will remain the same — we expect to compete at a high level again this season. To be successful this season we will need to stay healthy, stay academi- cally eligible, stay positive and believe in ourselves and our ability." McDonald County opens its season at the Cassville Tournament which runs from Sept. 1-5. The Mustangs' home opener is set for Sept. 8 against College Heights. 10C McDonald County Press Thursday, August 27, 2020 F a l l S p o r t S p r e v i e w Mike Thornton - R.Ph. 704C 59 5-Hwy., Anderson, MO ( next to Town & Country ) 417-845-7799 MUSTANG DRUG Go Mustangs! New Players Have Big Roles To Fill Soccer roSter Name Grade Alexis Pedrosa 12 Irael Marcos 12 Douglas Lopez 12 Alexis Diaz 12 Melvin Ordonez 12 Karlo Barreda 12 Victor Lopez 12 Ricardo Salas 11 Julis Quetzecua 11 Bryan Montero 11 Luis Valdez 11 Rony Lopez 10 Saw Eh 10 Jesus Lara 10 Tucker Dill 10 David Burlseon 10 Elias Bail 10 Antonio De La Cruz 10 Jacob Zuniga 10 Cesar Diaz 10 Robert Lemons 10 Esteban Martinez 10 Francisco Blancos 10 Aldo Sanchez 10 Hasler Lopez 9 Tomas De La Cruz-Mendez 9 Griffin Schutten 9 Oscar Mora 9 Jahan Villagran 9 RICK PECK/ SPECIAL TO MCDONALD COUNTY PRESS Senior members of the 2020 McDonald County High School soccer team. From left to right: Melvin Ordonez, Karlo Barreda, Alexis Pedrosa and Douglas Lopez. RICK PECK/SPECIAL TO MCDONALD COUNTY PRESS The 2020 McDonald County High School soccer team. Rick Peck Special to McDonald County Press