Elean Fajardo had no problem putting the ball into the back of the net this past season for Oak Grove. The goals were flowing, but that’s not what he’ll remember most about the Warriors’ stellar season.
It will be the team’s 3-1 win over Ocean Springs in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs. The Greyhounds had been a serious thorn in the Warriors’ side for quite some time. But they finally got over the hump.
Fajardo didn’t score in the win, but he did assist on two of Oak Grove’s three goals.
“I’m not that type of person who is all about me,” Fajardo said. “I like assisting my teammates and giving them passes. I celebrate when I assist, because I count it as a goal. I’m just excited about it. I love assisting.”
All in all, Fajardo finished his sophomore season with 10 assists to go alongside his 24 goals scored. Both were team-highs for the Warriors, who reached the Class 6A semifinals for the first time in a long time. For his efforts, Fajardo has been named our Sports601 Hattiesburg Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
“I didn’t know, and coach told me. He said congrats and sent me some emojis,” Fajardo said. “I was like, ‘Really? That’s fantastic’. I couldn’t have imagined it coming into the year. I didn’t think about it. It just happened.”
But it’s what he worked for. The drive to improve was there, especially after the Warriors got knocked out by George County in the second round of the playoffs the previous year.
“When we lost to George County last year, I was just in pain. I was ready to improve, practice and come back this year stronger. That was my motivation to get where I am today, scoring 24 goals.”
Fajardo said his personal goal coming into his sophomore year was actually to score 30 goals. Though he fell short of that mark, safe to say it was a successful season for him and the Warriors.
“I couldn’t make it, but that’s still pretty good,” Fajardo said. “I thought about it, and the goals don’t really count. The goals that really count are the last ones, the ones that are in the playoffs and state championships.”
The next step will be playing for that state championship, and Fajardo believes the program is closer to that ultimate goal after what they experienced this year.
“We didn’t go as far as possible, but this year, I think we learned something new. That’s to play hard every year and try to make the best out of it.”
