POTEAU, Okla. — “My mindset is I’m the best player on the pitch and no one comes close,” said Poteau High School senior Salvador Jacob Gutierrez, describing the confidence that has fueled his standout soccer career. “I’m going to make the player I’m marking have the worst game of his life. When I’m on offense, I’m going to dominate anyone who tries to defend me and get my teammates involved. Every time I step on the pitch, I’m going to show my passion for the game.”

That passion translated into big goals for his final season. “My personal goals would have to be breaking the school record for most goals in a season,” Gutierrez said. “I want my legacy to be that I am the best player to ever come through Poteau. I want to leave high school with the scoring record. I want to be known as a great captain and a supporting teammate.”

For Gutierrez, soccer is as much about team as it is about talent. “The team morale has been based on the love for one another,” he said. “We play for each other and win and lose as a team. We have changed the culture of Poteau soccer.”

That unity has produced visible progress on the field. “The biggest improvement has to be the team bonding and the team chemistry,” Gutierrez said. “Everyone on this team understands their role and no one plays for themselves. We are all one big family.”

The Pirates enter this season with lofty ambition. “The first goal is to win our district,” he said. “We want to show that Poteau soccer is back and that we run the district. The biggest goal is to bring home the gold. We are going to dominate any team that’s in our way of accomplishing our goal.”

Gutierrez, a 6-foot-1, three-sport athlete, will continue his soccer journey at Friends University on athletic scholarship. “No one knows how much passion and dedication this team has,” he said. “They don’t know how well we bond and how beautiful it is to see us play but come February they will get to see it for themselves.”