CALISTOGA, Calif. — Isaac Garcia of Calistoga High School is approaching the end of a long four-year journey of navigating two sports in one season. The current senior has been playing varsity football and soccer since he was a freshman. Not an easy feat to say the least.

Football and soccer are both fall sports and are both physically and mentally taxing. Being a dual athlete is always difficult, however, these two sports specifically require an athlete with great fortitude and desire if that athlete wishes to accomplish playing both simultaneously. An average fall day for Garcia is longer and more exhausting than it is for a full-time working professional. It is an 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. job: school, football practice, soccer practice, gym, dinner, sleep and repeat.

Having this much commitment to the sports that he loves comes with its rewards. This 2021 fall season, for both soccer and football, has been eventful for him and his teammates and he has been at the forefront of the action.

Soccer

Garcia originally hails from Distrito Federal (Mexico City), Mexico. He arrived in Calistoga, California, when he was five years old. His club career followed at age eight: he started at Saint Helena United near Calistoga, then moved to Briseno Soccer Academy in Petaluma, then to Tawichi Soccer Academy in Santa Rosa, and finally, earned a spot at Napa Academy in Napa. These cities range from 30 minutes to an hour away from Garcia’s house, further proof of his commitment to the game.

Garcia made the Calistoga varsity soccer team as a freshman where he wears number 19 and plays in the attacking midfield role.

This year, after being forced to take the last season off due to COVID-19, the Wildcats and Garcia were hungry. With the guidance of head coach Hector Contreras and the leadership of Garcia and Alex Escobedo as captains, the Calistoga boys went 7-4 in the regular season. They then went on a hard-fought playoff run, defeating three solid teams, Roseland, College Prep and Sonoma, only to fall to the Athenian Owls in the dying moments of the NCS Championship game. A heartbreaking end to an incredible season.

However, Garcia and his teammates can remember this season and be proud of what they accomplished. Garcia ended the season with an astonishing 25 goals and 18 assists.

“Starting off, we didn’t have experienced players, not many seniors and juniors, all underclassmen,” Garcia explained. He attributes much of this season’s success to on-field “communication” and the fact that most of his teammates, him included, play for a club team outside of just high school play.

“My most memorable moment was making it to the championship game,” Garcia said. “Calistoga hasn’t been to the championship game for 11 years. We were the first since then. It was also pretty cool that my coach (Hector Contreras) saw me play my first game as a kid and my last high school game.”

Garcia 19 hopes to play soccer in college. His focus, drive and technical ability will make a difference at the college level.

Football

While Garcia had always been interested in soccer, his peers and coaches always believed he had the makings of a great football player as well.

“I started playing in seventh grade,” he said. “A lot of people knew I was the fastest in my grade and they all wanted me to play. I decided to try it.”

Changing direction on a dime, accelerating and instantly stopping and going are all sought-after abilities of an offensive football and soccer player. Doing this with a ball at your feet or with a ball in your hand is certainly different but can translate with the right amount of focus and dedication.

Calistoga High School competes in the eight-man North Central League.

“We were 11-man a couple of years ago, we have been eight-man since I have been playing,” Garcia explained. He wears the number 10 and is captain for Wildcats football as well. He has been on varsity since he was a freshman, playing wide receiver, safety and corner.

This season has been equally colorful for the football program. They went 5-2 during the regular season and earned their spot in the North Coast Section Football Tournament. Recently, their playoff run came to an end after they took on the Branson Bulls in the semifinals of the playoffs. It was a valiant effort, but in the end they lost 68-37.

Like Garcia’s soccer coach, the head coach of the football team, Shane Kohler, was around for Garcia’s first days as a football player and was there to see him play his last high school game.

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