Webb City senior Caetano Davila doesn’t remember a time when soccer wasn’t part of his day. If he is not at training with the Cardinals, he is usually somewhere with a ball at his feet, chasing the game he calls his passion.

Davila points first to home when he talks about where his drive comes from. He credits his parents for shaping his habits and mindset with their “love, care, and leadership,” and says their influence reaches far beyond the field. “Who inspires me is my mom and my dad, because they have helped me become the person I am today by guiding me and teaching me,” Davila said.

In the classroom, he gravitates toward entrepreneurship, and he says teacher Ms. Berziel has made that subject stand out. On the pitch, he studies former Manchester United and Ecuador star Antonio Valencia, drawn to the way Valencia responded to challenges and kept competing. Davila tries to bring that same resilience to Webb City’s lineup each time he checks in.

Ask him about his favorite part of high school soccer, and he does not mention goals or records. Instead, Davila talks about the locker room and training ground, where he says there is always something to learn from the people around him. “What I enjoy most about being part of the team is spending time with my teammates and learning something from each member of the team,” he said.

He refuses to single out a position or a player, arguing that every role on the field carries weight. “Honestly, I admire the team as a whole,” Davila said. “Each person has their own battles, and I admire that everyone fights through them and continues to play this beautiful sport.” It is why he believes soccer has taught him a lasting lesson: with the right attitude, where you start matters less than how hard you are willing to keep going.