Those who play a sport often see a parent in the stands cheering them on. But for a few, the parent is much closer.

Junior Christina Rodriguez only has to look over to the sideline to see not only her father but her soccer coach as well.

“When I look over and I see him I honestly see my coach and not my dad.”

Christina also knows that when it comes down to it her father will judge a player by her ability, not the fact that they know one another. “I’ve told them many times that I’m not your dad on the field,” varsity head coach Hector Rodriguez said. “I’m your coach.”

“We have always bumped heads when I thought I was right, but at the end of the day we always seem to just talk it over,” Christina said.

Hector has been coaching his children for about 14 years and has played the game since he was a kid.
He has now coached three of his daughters here, and one more still on junior varsity will play for him as well. His brother Alfredo has coached for 14 years as well, not always with Hector, and has coached all of Hector’s daughters, whether it was for a youth team or for Stagg.

“I treat them as a regular player and not my nieces,” Alfredo said.

“I’ve never really had any help from him because he never just sticks on one person, he helps everyone equally,” said his daughter Jennifer, a freshman.

Jennifer and Christina have been around soccer for practically their whole life and watched as their older sisters played here.

When they were little they would watch their older sisters and see how much the game really meant to them and how it would change their lives.

“I was never forced by them to go and join soccer because it was my choice, and my dad knew that it was my best decision,” Christina said.

Even when they did not play for their father they had their uncle there on the sidelines as he is the junior varsity head coach. “There was no favoritism towards us,’’ Christina said. “If we did bad then we would sit out and the better player would step up.”

As they look on, Christina does not want to continue as far as college. Christina wants to continue on her soccer career by coaching some younger teams and to be able to inspire them to continue.

“Everyone in my family plays soccer— and that’s nine kids— so we really never get away from the sport,” Christina said.

She doesn’t just play for her father, but for her coach.