Pampa High School senior Bryan Alderete signed to play soccer at West Texas A&M University on Thursday afternoon at a signing party held at McNeely Field House.
“I like WT a lot because of the coaching staff. I’ve known Coach Butch (Lauffer) since I was a little and that’s the main reason (I chose WT),” Alderete said. I like the environment they have and expectations they put on the players. The culture they have of winning and becoming better every day is a great fit for me to become a better player and a better person overall.”
Alderete is the third soccer player from Pampa High School to play soccer at the next level in 2022, a testament to the growth of the program.
“It’s an awesome feeling to just know that these kids have the potential to go somewhere and you see them taking that next step,” PHS Head Soccer Coach Hugo Aguillon said. “It’s a great feeling not just for me but for Pampa High School and the soccer program overall.”
Aguillon added Alderete may be the first student in Pampa High School history to take his game to WTAMU.
“To my knowledge, it’s been either over 20 years, or even at all, that a player from Pampa has went to WT to play soccer,” Alderete said. “He may be the first to ever do so. It’s a strong competitive program, for their coach to see something in him (says something). What I love about Bryan is he doesn’t care about stats. He doesn’t care if he scores or if he passes the ball, he cares about the team’s success. He’s the type of player that reads the game very well and makes sure the ball goes to the player it needs to score the ball.”
Alderete leaves a team that was 19-3-1 in 2022 and went three rounds deep in the playoffs,” Alderete said.
“I love my guys. I’ve known since the beginning of last year that I wasn’t going to play because I had an injury (in 2020-21), but I always knew that this team was going to be special. I told these guys every day that State was something we could go to, unfortunately we fell short in the third round. But at the end of the day I’m always going to remember the team I had in my senior year.”
Alderete is also the nephew of Coach Aguillon.
“That 19-3-1 record has been an awesome journey, especially having Bryan by my side,” Alderete said. “It’s going to be something unforgettable for sure.”
Alderete added he wouldn’t be where he is today without the support of his coaches.
“Coach A has always been there for me since I was little,” Alderete said. “Giving me advice, training me to be better and being straight up with me. Coach Salazar has been here since I moved here and her love for soccer is cool. Coach Dodson and Moreno are good guys too, they’ve always pushed me to be better and be the player I am today.”
Alderete plans to major in music and music technology, turning that into a career producing music or as an audio engineer.
