The Central Catholic soccer team has made themselves well known throughout the state. For the past three years they have been dominant during season play and off-season play, ending the last three seasons with TAPPS state championships. Although every player has their own unique skill set to offer the team, senior Franco Querido has been a standout player since the beginning.

Querido began playing soccer at the age of six, and he has grown to truly love the game. Querido told me that along with “enhancing his soccer IQ” and “teaching him advanced field tactics”, that the Central Catholic soccer team has also “instilled in him many core values that have shaped him as a person.” Querido says that his biggest accomplishment is winning three back-to-back-to-back TAPPS State Championships, all while maintaining high grades throughout his high school career. His favorite subject is Astronomy, and he said he enjoys learning about space and our relationship with it. Querido is loved by all at Central, and can be seen smiling and nodding to everyone he passes. “I’m going to miss Franco,” says Senior Luke Garcia. “The attitude he has towards anything is always positive.” I spoke to Querido about leaving the school and his friends and he said ”I’m going to miss all my friends and teammates, but I’m looking forward the next step of my soccer career.” Franco will be heading off to Europe next year, in the hopes of signing with a soccer club. He has steadily gained the attention of teams overseas, and now he is looking to reap the benefits of what he has sown the past four years while excelling at the game of soccer. A list of Queridos accomplishments include:

Hawaii ODP, South Texas ODP, TAPPS Division I State Champions 2017- Central Catholic High School, TAPPS Division I State Champions 2018- Central Catholic High School, TAPPS Division I State Champions 2019- Central Catholic High School, Rated number 1 team in nation Top Drawer FAB 50, TAPPS Division 1 All State First Team Soccer Forward.

Querido’s advice for any aspiring soccer stars is: “Stick with it if you really love it. Don’t neglect practicing the basics. Always find something to motivate you to keep getting better.” Inspiring advice from a young man who has always looked up to Cristiano Ronaldo, and is now on his way to becoming a pro as well.