Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, Hilario Arriaga: Rested, but

always ready

Barry Faulkner

For most of the past three months, Estancia High boys soccer

goalkeeper Hilario Arriaga saw less foot traffic than the receptionist at

Tanya Harding’s fan club headquarters.

Positioned behind a dominant offense, which often rendered him a

uniformed spectator, Arriaga battled boredom more than opposing strikers.

Yet the Eagles’ last line of defense refused to be caught napping at his

post, compensating for game-day inactivity with a consistently rigorous

practice regimen.

“He worked his tail off,” said Estancia Coach Steve Crenshaw, who often

marveled at his keeper’s dedication. “He gave it everything he had all

the time and he never complained.”

Though largely a forgotten contributor to the Eagles’ 20-1-1 campaign,

which culminated Saturday with a CIF Southern Section Division IV

championship, Arriaga meticulously prepared himself for the fleeting

moments when he could show his skills.

“I worked hard in practice to become better and coach kept telling me it

would be worth it,” Arriaga said. “Going against the guys we have in

practice, I knew if I could stop their shots, the shots I’d see in games

would be nothing. I knew my team would need me and I wanted to be there

when that time came.”

After an unbeaten Pacific Coast League campaign, the postseason finally

cast some spotlight on the talented keeper. And, according to his coach,

he proved to be just as big a star as his high-scoring teammates.

“He came up big every time we needed him,” Crenshaw said.

Arriaga came up with 11 saves in the 5-2 tilte-game triumph Saturday over

top-seeded Bishop Montgomery. He also posted seven saves in a 4-1

semifinal triumph over third-seeded St. Francis Feb. 29. For his efforts,

he is the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week.

“I had a lot of fun in the playoffs,” Arriaga said. “I saw a lot more

shots and I had the chance to prove what I had.”

And, Crenshaw said, Arriaga had plenty.

“He’s very experienced, so he knows how to read the game well,” Crenshaw

said. “He directs his own defenders very well back there and, when the

need arises, he can throw his body in any direction.

“Hilario had the hardest position to play this year, because he was

behind the kind of team we have (which outscored opponents, 122-14).

Because of the way we dominated, it would have been real easy to become

complacent and lose focus back there. But I don’t think he allowed a goal

that he could have done anything about. He made big saves on point-blank

shots and he blocked penalty kicks. He’s a very disciplined player and he

just loves to play.”

Arriaga’s love for the game was apparent nearly every practice.

“He did all the conditioning the rest of the team did, then he’d get in

goal and spend hour after hour working against his teammates in shooting

and finishing drills,” Crenshaw said. “He would fly through the air, land

on the hard, dried ground, then get up and do it over and over again.

There were times when he’d get up a little slowly and I’d ask him if he

was hurt. But he would just waive me off, get set again and take another

shot.”

Arriaga’s expertise could give him a shot at playing collegiately. Loyola

Marymount is among the school’s pursuing him.

“I seen some Division I (college) games the last two year and I

definitely believe I can play at that level,” he said.