Mohave Community College Soccer camp draws regional interest
MOHAVE COUNTY – Mohave Community College Soccer recently wrapped up its spring Boys Camp...
MOHAVE COUNTY – Mohave Community College Soccer recently wrapped up its spring Boys Camp, with Athletic Director and Men’s Soccer Head Coach Camilo Valencia noting regional interest in the program evidenced by the camp’s number of talented out-of-town attendees.
Valencia was pleased with the camp’s turnout, with a large number of participants from surrounding states and municipalities making the trip to Anderson Fieldhouse in Bullhead City.
“We had kids come from Las Vegas, Mesquite, St. George, Tucson and Yuma, which shows the interest in our program at a regional level,” Valencia said. “This shows our local boys that attended from Laughlin, Kingman, Lake Havasu, Fort Mohave and Bullhead City that the competition is real. Without having played a single game, we already have a lot of eyes on us!”
Camp attendees began the day in a similar fashion to the way collegiate training sessions are executed, with activities such as stretching, cycling through a number of drills and one-on-one trainings for goalkeepers. While the purpose of an ID Camp is for players to show they can perform at a high level and with high intensity, Valencia said such camps also allow players to gain an impression of the Mohave Community College Soccer programs.
“Players also have to decide if this is the type of environment they want to be in day-in and day-out while they attend our college,” Valencia said. “We pushed everyone to keep the intensity high and they all left understanding what our standards are for anyone trying to earn the opportunity to wear our jersey.”
The camp also provided athletes, especially those from throughout the region, the opportunity for a first look at MCC’s Bullhead City Campus and facilities, all of which received rave reviews from attendees, who in turn received similar reviews from Valencia. The visit to the “top facilities” included the new athletics building, Rotary Park and the Mohave Village Apartments still under construction.
“We saw great effort,” he said. “Kids come to these camps because they want to be here, and they hope they can impress and earn a spot on the team. We, unfortunately, can’t take everyone that is interested in our program. Playing college soccer and college athletics in general is a great privilege and we take that to heart.”
But Valencia did note that a number of players at the camp were identified as being potential future Bighorns.
“There are always a couple that you keep tabs on,” he said. “We will follow their development and hopefully they improve as much as we think they will. But we will have some conversations in the next couple of weeks to see who from this camp might be a Bighorn this fall.”
Next steps of note include finalizing the 2024 recruitment class and announcing the programs’ first-ever schedules.
“It is exciting to see how every time we announce a player, we get more and more followers on our social media accounts,” Valencia said. “We will also be able to announce our first ever schedules in a few weeks so our community can mark their calendars and know what days and times they need to be at the Rotary Park this fall!”
National Community College Month, observed in April, celebrates the contributions and achievements of community colleges in providing accessible, affordable, and high-quality education to millions of students across the country. It aims to raise awareness about the important role community colleges play in fostering workforce development, economic growth, and social mobility. The month also highlights student success stories and the wide range of programs and services community colleges offer to meet the needs of their communities. 