XI with… David Arciga

Welcome to XI with… where I ask the same 11 questions to high school soccer players from across the state. Today it’s XI with… David Arciga of Schuyler.

*The following has been edited for clarity.*

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1. Of course, in Nebraska, we have all sorts of weather in the spring. Do you have a least favorite element to play in, whether that’s rain, snow or wind?

My least favorite would be playing in the snow. I think getting hit when the ball is really cold leaves a mark. I would say that’s pretty bad. It would leave me a bruise.

2. Outside of soccer, what’s something you’ve gotten way too competitive about?

Probably playing keep it ups, like kicking the ball in the air and controlling it with our teammates outside of school. I think that it gets really fun and really competitive around my teammates and stuff.

3. What usually is a good indicator that it’s going to be a good night for you?

Sometimes I just go to the field, look at it. Go to the corner with my headphones on and just prepare myself for what’s going on. And whenever we vibe with the team, I feel like that’s going to be a really great night for us.

4. What’s something you do differently than most people?

Sometimes in one of my shoes, I play loose lace. I don’t tie them. I feel like more free with my shoes, and that’s how I leave them throughout the game. Until the ref tells me something.

5. What’s just a player team you actually got your way to watch, and what do you like about them?

I would like to go watch Creighton Prep play. I think they’re an amazing team. I saw them a little bit in the state final last year and not last year, a couple years ago. I like the atmosphere when they play. It’s a really competitive team.

6. What’s something special about high school soccer in Nebraska that people outside of the state wouldn’t expect?

I think coming here watching Nebraska State soccer, it gets really competitive. The atmosphere is really good with the fans. Last year it broke the most attendance in the state, so that’s really cool.

7. What’s a game or moment from your time playing soccer that you’re probably going to remember for a long, long time?

I think this is against Hastings scoring the fourth goal. I think that really hit me like I felt a lot of emotions during that game.

8. Over the last couple of years, what’s something you’ve changed your mind about?

I think at the start of the year, I didn’t want to continue my soccer career, but after that, I really thought about it and put my mind into it, and I didn’t want to give up the game because I had too much love for it. I think when I started recognizing it, and as soon as soccer season started to come by, I wanted to keep pursuing it and eventually play in DI or keep going on with my soccer career.

Is there a reason you thought about hanging up the soccer cleats?

I think mostly it was my career, what I wanted to study. I feel like it was going to get in the way or a little too hard. But knowing me, I feel like I can do it. I can also continue my career and also play soccer during that time.

What do you want to do for a career?

My career is majoring in radiology, rad tech.

9. Typically, with these all spring long, we’ll be asking 11 questions. Nine of them will be exactly the same. One of them I picked specifically for you. What did it mean to the community of Schuyler to win the state championship last year?

Honestly, it meant a lot. We were in a drought for a lot of years, and bringing back home a state championship meant a lot to the community because here in Schuyler, the Mexican culture is a big part of us. Schuyler is a big part of this town, and the people that showed out during that game meant a lot to us. No matter where they were from, they still. came from everywhere, wore Schuyler merch, and I think that made a big impact on Schuyler.

10. What is the best school lunch that Schuyler has to offer?

I would say a crispy chicken sandwich. That’s what we usually get. Some of my teammates stay back and eat that during lunch, and we just bond together.

11. Finally, this is what I call the pass-along question. This one comes from Miles Oksman of Omaha Westside, and he wants to know,

I think it would be a backflip since I hit that a couple games last year.

When did you learn you could do a backflip?

I did it during my club soccer season. I always thought about learning how to do a backflip, so in my head I just said I’m gonna go for it and whatever happens happens so I ended up doing it.

Next week’s XI with… on the boy’s side is with Hayden Schwartz of Kearney. What’s the question you have for him?

What is your pregame song before a match?

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I want to thank all of you for checking out the latest edition of XI with… Be sure to check out our online store and buy some “Chasing Morrison.” merch, and give us a follow on social media. As far as where I’ll be the rest of this week, you may see me in Gibbon this afternoon for its first-ever home games as a soccer program, and potentially in Lexington for its home opener against Hastings. Friday night, I’ll be working television for News Channel Nebraska as Lincoln Northeast takes on Columbus, so hopefully I’ll catch some of you at one of those matches. Until next time, have a great day and I’ll catch up with you on Tuesday for XI with… Vanna Reitsma of Bellevue West.