99 goals and counting. Caldwell soccer star chases milestone, place in history
Caldwell High School has produced a bounty of great athletes.
Its graduates include several NFL players, a college football hall of famer, an LPGA champion and Major League pitchers, including one who played in the World Series.
But Damian Arguello may graduate with one of the most decorated high school careers in school history.
The senior midfielder for the Cougars’ boys soccer team sits on 99 career goals entering Thursday’s regular-season finale at Vallivue, nearing a historic milestone for himself, his school and soccer in the Treasure Valley.
Idaho doesn’t keep official record books. But if it did, Arguello would likely find his name littered throughout it.
No current 5A or 4A Southern Idaho Conference coach knows of a boy ever scoring 100 goals in his career. Weiser’s Jose Perez was the last to do it at the 3A level, where gaudy goal totals are more common. He scored 121 between 2013 and ‘15.
“I know that Caldwell has had some really good athletes and some guys that have gone pro in other sports,” Caldwell soccer coach Ryhs Yeakley said. “But as far as where he’s at compared to where his peers are at, he has to be among one of the best athletes ever to go to the school.”
Just finishing as one of the all-time soccer greats at Caldwell would be quite an accomplishment. The Cougars remain one of the state’s perennial powerhouses. But they continually fell short at the state tournament until Arguello arrived.
He helped Caldwell to a second-place finish as a freshman starter. He then rescued the Cougars as a sophomore, scoring two goals in 5 minutes to erase an early deficit in the final and lead them to their first championship since 1996 — before soccer was a state-sponsored sport in Idaho.
Caldwell figured to take a step back last year with Arguello as the only returning starter from a historic team. But he wouldn’t allow it, carrying the Cougars to another state title and getting elected Idaho’s all-class player of the year by the state’s coaches.
“Some kids are born with incredible talent,” Yeakley said. “And some kids are born with just enough talent to push them to work hard.
“… Every single year, he comes back better. He was the state player of the year last year for all levels, and he’s been better this year. He just constantly never stops working.”
The raw soccer talent stems from a family full of it. One uncle played professionally in Mexico. And his grandmother was a pioneer in the sport, playing for the Mexican national team during unofficial World Cups long before FIFA sanctioned the first Women’s World Cup in 1991.
She remains a constant at Caldwell games, instructing Arguello how many goals he needs to get each day, which he dutifully fulfills.
“I’ve never seen her play,” Arguello said. “But I’ve heard from my dad and my grandpa she was a real baller. So maybe there are some genes in that.”
Yeakley expected to receive a talented player when Arguello arrived as a freshman. He followed his older brother, Adrian Arguello, then one of the state’s top players. But Yeakley said he never could have anticipated a career like the one Arguello is putting together.
He began with 12 goals as a freshman, then scored 27 as a sophomore and 41 as a junior. He has 19 through seven games so far in this COVID-19-shortened season.
He started out as a lightning-quick player few defenders could keep up with. But he’s continually added to his game each year. Yeakley said Arguello sees the game so well he can anticipate what everyone will do two, three, four steps in advance.
“It’s just incredible having a player like him,” Caldwell senior Chuy Gonzalez said. “He makes everything look easy.”
Arguello could have reached 100 goals a long time ago if the star player weren’t so unselfish. He’s the first to take himself out of the game during a blowout. He always tries to get his teammates on the scoresheet. He even allowed Gonzalez to take a penalty kick Saturday as he approached the 100-goal milestone.
“He’s one of the only superstar players I’ve ever seen where everybody just liked him,” Yeakley said. “There’s no jealousy. All of his teammates, all of his friends, everyone’s just so excited for him and happy for him.”
That excitement built Tuesday as Caldwell hosted Columbia for senior night. Arguello needed two goals to reach the 100-goal milestone in front of a friendly crowd that knew the stakes.
He provided the first in the 46th minute but never found the second, coming inches short when he hit the post in the 84th minute. Gonzalez tapped in the rebound for his third goal of the night.
“The post didn’t like me today,” Arguello said with a shrug after the game.
He knows No. 100 will come soon. His place in history is just a matter of time. But he’s not focused on that. He’s instead chasing a third straight state title.
“To me, it’s a good individual award,” Arguello said of the milestone. “But honestly, I’d rather have the win.”
This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 4:00 AM.
