Why Crockett County soccer's Christopher Cerda can dare to dream big

Christopher Cerda spent his 2023 summer at the Crockett County soccer field.

The equipment shed was open, Cerda and several teammates just needed to get to the field. If it was raining, they’d make the trip to the Dyersburg Sportsplex, which has an indoor soccer field.

Anything to get some extra work in. Cerda, a sophomore forward for the Cavaliers, just wants to be on the field and help the team to success.

The players spent their time running drills as in practice or doing some one-on-ones, two-on-twos. Their season had just ended with a 2-0 loss to Knoxville Halls in the TSSAA Class 2A state quarterfinals .

“Every day, day after day,” Cerda said. “Maybe one day a week we’ll miss, and Saturday and Sunday. But basically, we just went.”

The extra work has paid off for Cerda, who has 14 goals and nine assists in 12 games this season. He has two hat tricks, the first in a pivotal district game against Dyersburg on April 19. The second came in Thursday’s 4-3 loss to USJ on the road, the first loss of the season for Crockett County (11-1).

Cerda has a passion for the game similar to that of his coach, Stanislav Jamscek. Cerda is a regular in Jamscek’s personal finance classroom at the school, and they just hang out and talk soccer – watching games, dissecting film, talking smack about their favorite rival clubs. Cerda is a fan of Barcelona FC and Manchester City; Jamscek is a Real Madrid and Manchester United supporter.

“It’s all about soccer,” Jamscek said. “He’s a great person to be around, great personality and a great big smile. Passionate about the game. ... He’s just super passionate about it, which is so beautiful.”

Cerda has speed and the finesse to put himself in the right positions to score big goals and change the momentum. While they didn’t turn into a win against USJ, his goals gave the Cavaliers a positive finish after they faced a 4-0 deficit in the second half.

“It’s just a lot of work,” Cerda said. “Not everything comes just out here. I just work.”

Cerda's offensive skills have helped get eyes on his talents. He competed in a professional tryout in Atlanta and has garnered attention not just from college coaches but also from professional clubs interested in having him join their development academy.

MORE: How high-scoring Christian Melton demonstrates importance for injured USJ soccer team

That decision is still a long way away. Jamscek thinks Cerda, who can play anywhere from center midfield to forward, is capable of doing whatever he wants to do with soccer.

“He can definitely go play college,” Jamscek said. “I know Chris and his passion for the game. If there is an opportunity for him to skip the college and go to pro, he’ll go to pro and I know his family will support that.”

Austin Chastain is a high school sports writer covering West Tennessee. Reach him by email at achastain@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ChastainAJ.

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Why Crockett County soccer's Christopher Cerda can dare to dream big