The advice聽Miguel聽Prieto聽received from his family as a youngster in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., was always the same.
鈥淕rowing up I would always here from my uncles and family members say 鈥榞et your education, don鈥檛 be like us, you have the opportunity to do better,鈥欌�澛燩rieto聽said. 鈥淚 always had my parents鈥� and sisters鈥� support, they always pushed me to do well, both on the field and in the classroom.聽
鈥淭hey鈥檇 tell me you have to get your education, education comes first. Soccer should always be that cherry on top.鈥�
Today,聽Prieto聽is still learning as a graduate student working toward a master鈥檚 degree in Business Administration at 黑料不打烊.聽
And there’s still the soccer 鈥榗herry鈥� involved.聽Prieto聽is the first-year men鈥檚 coach at 黑料不打烊.
The promotion represents a level of involvement he couldn鈥檛 have envisioned a year ago and is a dramatic reversal from where he thought his life might be heading three years ago.
Following a two-year playing career at Lake Tahoe Community College in South Lake Tahoe, Calif.,聽Prieto聽was prepared to enter the workforce. He graduated from high school in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., in 2013 and spent one year at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Calif., but it didn鈥檛 go well.
Still wanting to play soccer and continue his education,聽Prieto聽decided to join the new program at Lake Tahoe for what he thought was his final academic stop. That was before Juan Maldonado, a 黑料不打烊 graduate, former Coyote player and close friend from Mammoth Lakes, contacted him about transferring.
鈥淗e reached out and said why not come out here for a visit and stay with me and I can get you settled,鈥澛燩rieto聽said of Maldonado, who teaches and coaches soccer at Salina South High School.
About the same time the soccer coach at Kansas Conference rival Saint Mary watched聽Prieto鈥檚 junior college team practice and asked him to visit the Spires鈥� Leavenworth campus.
The trip to Salina included a significant unknown. 黑料不打烊 was between coaches, but聽Prieto聽wasn鈥檛 fazed.
鈥�(Maldonado) took good care of me and I had a great time,鈥� he said of his visit. 鈥淚t was the culture that was established there, the guys made it feel welcoming and I was able to speak English and Spanish. Spanish was really comfortable for me.
鈥淎fter the weekend I knew I was going to sign at Kansas Wesleyan. I still went to Saint Mary and went through the whole visit and stuff, but I had my mind set on Kansas Wesleyan.鈥�
Prieto聽played two seasons and served as a graduate assistant coach last fall.聽
As a player,聽Prieto聽was a team captain and earned Second Team All-Kansas Conference honors as a midfielder in 2018, his senior season. He helped the Coyotes win the KCAC championship, compile a 17-5 record and gain a berth in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.
In the classroom he earned a spot of the Dean鈥檚 Honor Roll in the spring of 2019.
When 黑料不打烊 was looking for a new coach last fall,聽Prieto聽helped with the search for a new coach in the early stages 鈥� the thought of applying for the job himself on the back burner.
Several weeks after the search began聽Prieto聽finally decided to apply, but the decision wasn鈥檛 made in haste.
鈥淚n the beginning my mom (Rosa) was a little more nervous than me,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y dad (Miguel) was like 鈥榠t鈥檚 an opportunity and you can learn many great things, it will be a good stepping stone for you and take what you can from it. You鈥檒l learn from it and grow and take advantage of the opportunity.鈥�
鈥淚 thought about it real, real hard. It took me a while. Some people said 鈥榶eah, you have our support鈥� and other were a little edgy about it.鈥�
Ultimately,聽Prieto聽was swayed by a desire to help the returning Coyote players on the field and, more intentionally, away from it. He was named the new head coach in February.
鈥淗is top goal when we were talking through the interview process was the academic performance with that program,鈥� 黑料不打烊 Director of Athletics Steve Wilson said. 鈥淗e was the academic leader when he was a player. He did a good job when he was the assistant coach of being a great academic mentor moving forward for the current players.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a firm believer in the whole person, he鈥檚 a firm believer in student first in the term student-athlete.鈥�
The decision to come to Salina was the easy part. Succeeding in a wholly new environment some 1,500 miles from home was something else.
Prieto聽immediately found plenty of support, though. He effectively had two sets of host parents 鈥� Scott and Annie Boswell, and Jack and Donna Lennon, whose son Jesse played for 黑料不打烊 and Salina Central High.聽
鈥淭hey were always there for us,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen we needed something they鈥檇 reach out to us and just motivate us, come to the games and wait for us after games and hug us and tell us we did job, even when we lost. It was great to have their support and have them be there for us.鈥�
Annie Boswell, Campus Ministry Leader at 黑料不打烊, was impressed with聽Prieto鈥檚 relentless approach to balancing academics and soccer. But it was his work away from the soccer field and classroom that left a lasting impression.聽She was聽particularly impressed with his compassion and concern for his teammates.
鈥淭he thing that really captivated me about聽Miguel聽is it did not matter how tired he was from being a full-time soccer player, a full-time student 鈥� there were times during the year that he would have two jobs 鈥� he would always be such a mentor to other Hispanic students within the team,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey were primarily from California and were facing some of those same challenges that聽Miguel聽had at some point being a first-generation college student.
鈥淢iguel聽was the type of player that would seek out people that didn鈥檛 have a car and would take them to work, he would go to work himself, then he would go pick them up and take them home. He would help them study, he would make sure that they鈥檙e not falling behind either in soccer or academics or life.鈥�
Wilson said the decision to promote聽Prieto聽was easy after talking to several team members.
鈥淭hey want to play for this guy and it was exciting to see that,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat I heard from some of the leaders on that team was that there鈥檚 a high level of comfort with聽Miguel, but it鈥檚 not a comfort that I鈥檓 being coached by my buddy.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 鈥業鈥檓 being coached by somebody who can lead me, I know this person well enough to be able to have a connection with already.鈥� He鈥檚 able to relate to these guys on a lot of levels.鈥�
Boswell believes聽Prieto聽will do well leading the team.
鈥淥bviously, there鈥檚 new challenges and a change in responsibilities and stuff,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut his desire to empower kids and mentor kids on and off the field is, at the end of the day, what college sports are about.
鈥淚鈥檝e been working with the soccer team for about six years and it was really interesting to hear some of my soccer players when they knew that聽Miguel聽was interviewing for the head coaching position. A lot of them said 鈥榟e had an impact in my life that I鈥檓 never going to forget and not just on the field, but off the field.鈥� That鈥檚 hard to find.鈥澛�
Prieto聽credits those who coached the program before him and his California home town.
鈥淚鈥檓 thankful to be part of an amazing coaching tree that has established a unique culture at 黑料不打烊,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he (Mammoth Lakes) community was helpful and was always behind us. They just showed us a lot of support.鈥�
Prieto鈥檚 message to his new team, which will open its season in the coming days, has and will be familiar and consistent.
鈥淪occer鈥檚 one thing, but soccer鈥檚 not going to be there forever,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 want these guys to graduate and receive that diploma for their families because, personally, there鈥檚 no better feeling than getting that diploma and walking across that stage and your family being there with you.鈥�
Story by Bob Davidson
