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09/09/2023 08:54 AMThe pride and passion for the pitch have been present in the collective pulse of Santi Barrera from a very young age, and as he has grown and come of age, it has just become more prevalent as he has served as a critical member of the Hand boys’ soccer squad.
As he grew up in Nebraska before moving to Connecticut, Santi had a love of soccer instilled in him by his father before he started with the game himself as an athlete at the club level when he was just 6 years old. Following a campaign that saw the Tigers reach the Class L State Tournament quarterfinals after a 7-7-2 regular season, Santi, a center back on defense this fall, will lead the focus for Hand as one of its team captains.
“With soccer, I love how you can make something from nothing. You can be down two goals with five minutes to go and come back like that. I also enjoy how it is not an individually-dominated sport, which helps build connections with teammates,” says Santi. “My dad has been a big help for me; he comes to almost all of my games. My friends have also played a huge role because they always want to practice and train at the Surf Club. The coaches have also been great, and I have never had a bad experience with them.”
Being a backbone of the defensive front on the field, nothing is more satiating for Santi than when he and the Tigers pitch a shutout or make a crucial stop on a breakaway. Yet he knows in order to fortify the stingy defense, it takes great expression and communication skills.
“It is really rewarding when a team does not score on you in 90 minutes of play. I also like making a great intercept or stop in a 1-v-1 situation,” Santi says. “It is always great to dominate another team’s offense, yet it can be tough talking with one another with the other defenders, including the midfielders, in order to succeed.”
In the early stages of his career with Hand, Santi would let negative or counter-productive thoughts fill up when he or the team had an off night. Still, with the guidance of his coaches and additional training on the track, he fortified his mental toughness and sharpened his swiftness and agility.
“My confidence as a player has improved. Through my sophomore year into early my junior year, I struggled if I had a bad game and could not shake it off. But my teammates and coaches helped me get out of that shell,” says Santi. “I also improved my decision-making skills on when to pass or move forward. I have become faster through growth naturally, but I also did track, and the training there helped with my endurance.”
New Hand boys’ soccer Head Coach Michael Shirley notes that given his ability to lay his body out and push himself to the limit for his squad, compounded with the impact he has made in the community, Santi was an easy choice for captain for his inaugural campaign at the helm.
“Santi is an especially hard-working athlete. He puts a lot of time into honing his soccer abilities, as well as his physical strength; that hard work inspires his teammates,” says Shirley. “He is a very brave soccer player. He is always prepared to commit himself into a big tackle on the field. Most players will not commit to the tackle the way that Santi does. Santi has a very unique mix of bravery and technical ability. Usually, players have one or the other, but Santi has them both and uses them to a high degree on the field. Santi is a lead-by-example kind of guy, which is what every coach needs. His teammates follow his example, and it’s clear to see that teammates see what Santi does and want to emulate his effort. Santi is also very community-minded. He has a leadership position within TopSoccer, a volunteer-based recreation program in the community for children and adults with intellectual, emotional, or physical disabilities.”
The love of the game for Santi flows freely into the leadership department, as he has taken a great sense of pride in how the boys have taken to very productive preseason meetings and training sessions.
“I love being a captain. We ran two captains’ practices a week during the summer, and it was great to see 20 to 30 kids show up,” says Santi. “Being able to do something like that at a high level is great. The intensity carried forward, and the kids knew what was expected of them. It has been really rewarding to see their hard work pay off.”
Following a deep postseason run and returning to the fold with a new and exciting coaching staff, Santi and the Tigers are very eager to get after it and take another step forward while he looks to leave a legacy at Madison by setting the program up well for years to come.
“As a team, we are excited about what we can do. We had our first scrimmage recently and did quite well. I feel we can go far in both SCCs and states,” says Santi. “For me, I want to leave the team prepared for next season. It is hard when you graduate players from a previous season, so I want to help the team be ready for next year and the future. It is also about building connections as a team and then building off of that.”