Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, Cesar Terrones: Terrorizing

goalies

Barry Faulkner

We’ve all seen the elaborate player celebrations and heard the

announcer folly that accompanies the rarest of soccer feats -- a goal.

But for Estancia High senior forward Cesar Terrones, the novelty of

ruffling the net wore off long ago.

If Terrones removed clothing, sprinted around imitating aircraft, slid

into a prone position, or ran serpentine routs into the pseudo spotlight

every time he scored, he’d have little energy left to, well, keep doing

just that.

“I might high-five my teammates,” said the soft-spoken four-year varsity

veteran, who is sending record keepers back through the archives to

chronicle his amazing scoring feats.

With 21 goals this season (through Thursday), including a pair of hat

tricks last week in victories over Ocean View and Costa Mesa, Terrones

has slapped hands enough to build calluses.

“He’s been our most consistent scorer since he’s been here,” Eagles Coach

Steve Crenshaw said of the three-time All-Pacific Coast League performer

(first team the last two seasons), who was second-team All-CIF Southern

Section Division IV as a junior.

Though Terrones trails fellow senior forward Esaul Mendoza (23 goals) for

top honors this season, unofficial estimates place the Daily Pilot

Athlete of the Week’s career total near 80 goals. Despite battling an

early-season ankle injury, which limited his production for a handful of

games, Terrones, who had six goals in a nonleague win over La Quinta, had

helped the Eagles (8-1-1, 2-0 in league heading into Friday’s league

clash with Corona del Mar) outscore opponents, 63-4.

Quickness, ballhandling skills, desire, and experience built by more than

a decade of year-round devotion to the sport, combine to make Terrones a

terror on opposing goalkeepers.

“He’s going to get his goals, no matter what the defense does,” Crenshaw

said. “He has great skills, he works hard to get into scoring

opportunities, he has a great sense around the goal and he pulls the

trigger so fast. Some guys are dangerous if they get a step on the

defender, but Cesar can beat you if he has half a step. When he gets the

advantage, he can turn and fire and he’s become much more accurate this

season.”

Accuracy was a point of emphasis, according to Crenshaw, who said

Terrones could have been even more prolific his first three seasons, if

not for a tendency to shoot a little too quickly.

“I talked with him about improving his shooting percentage this season

and he’s done it,” Crenshaw said.

Terrones said he does not have a favorite method of beating opponents,

but he enjoys “taking on defenders” with the ball, especially in

one-on-one situations.

Those one-on-one opportunities are coming more frequently with Mendoza’s

presence on the other side of the field.

“If teams decide to mark either one, it’s going to leave a deadly scorer

open,” Crenshaw said.

Despite his prolific scoring totals, Terrones is universally praised for

his unselfishness, a trait Crenshaw believes has been the key to team

success this year.

“Cesar wants to score goals, he enjoys scoring and he is pumped up after

he gets a goal,” Crenshaw said. “But I never her him boasting after a

game about how many goals he scored.”

Terrones said winning, not scoring, is his primary focus.

“It doesn’t matter to me who scores the goal, as long as we score,”

Terrones said. “If I see a teammate open, I give it to him.”

Terrones, who idolizes Brazilian star Ronaldo, said post-goal histrionics

just aren’t his style.

“I guess we expect to score goals, now,” he said.