DAILY PILOT HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:

Emily Flores couldn’t help but laugh when she told the story about her daughter, Heather, as she walked off the field at Valencia High.

She had every right to be angry or at least offended, but she’s grown accustomed to these type of reactions to her daughter. This one came after the Estancia High girls’ soccer team won the North County Challenge Gold Division championship. Heather Flores, a 4-foot-11 freshman forward, was highly instrumental in the victory.

Apparently, a referee became suspicious of the speedy Flores, who might be mistaken for an AYSO player at first glance. The referee questioned Heather Flores’ age.

“She’s 14,” Emily Flores said with a smile and a chuckle.

“I was just kind of shocked,” Heather Flores said of the questioning. “I don’t know why I would be playing in a high school game if I was too young. I didn’t think they would bring something up like that.”

Flores expects most people to, pardon the pun, overlook her when it comes to soccer. She’s usually the smallest player on the field. Up close, she has a sweet, innocent smile, her teeth in braces, hinting that she might not have hit her teens yet.

But put a soccer ball in front of her and she becomes explosive. She tends to rise above the opposition.

“I’ve always been the tiniest on the field, so I’m used to it,” she said. “I guess I’m underestimated, but when I come out it changes the whole perspective of everybody. They’re like, ‘Get [Flores].’ It makes me feel good.”

Flores sure made the Eagles feel good while in the North County Challenge. She scored four goals in four victories, helping Estancia end a four-game skid.

Flores, who leads the team with seven goals, did all that while playing on a bad hip. She injured her left hip in a loss to Huntington Beach Dec. 16. It didn’t seem like a serious injury, more of a nagging hip flexor strain. Yet it is the worst injury Flores has suffered in her nine years of playing soccer.

At times during games, Estancia first-year coach Jessica Gatica had to take Flores out to conserve her energy or to relieve some of the pain.

Against Valencia for the tournament title, Flores got banged around a bit. She had to sit.

But when she was on the field, she was the fastest player. She also had a part in the Eagles’ lone goal in their 1-0 win. Her through ball led to a shot on goal and a subsequent corner kick. The Eagles then scored on the corner kick.

While it’s easy to notice Flores’ height is what makes her different from her peers, it’s her speed that truly sets her apart from the competition.

“They don’t expect that me out of me,” Flores said of her speed. “They expect a slow, small girl who can’t do anything. But when I get out there I try my hardest.”

Gatica has noticed Flores’ strong work ethic. Though she’s a freshman, Flores has been a leader when it comes to her effort in practices and games.

“She busts her butt,” Gatica said.

Along with the hard work, Flores also provides energy for the Eagles, who are 6-7-1 as they head in to Orange Coast League play next week.

“She brings a fun young personality,” Gatica said of Flores. “All the girls really like her. She’s not a cocky freshman. She’s humble and just excited to be there.”

Gatica is grateful for Flores, considering she could’ve followed in her older sister’s footsteps and played at Costa Mesa High. That’s where Kyla Flores starred. Now she’s playing soccer at Cal State Monterey Bay. The younger Flores wants to play soccer in college, as well. For now, she wants to bring as much success to Estancia as she can, even if it means beating her older sister’s alma mater.

STEVE VIRGEN may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or by e-mail at [email protected].