For sophomore forward Omar Ortiz, trying to follow in the footsteps of Christian Munoz at Bloom is almost like trying to replace Michael Jordan or Tom Brady.
“It’s definitely a big responsibility to take up Christian’s shoes,” Ortiz said. “He was an icon at Bloom. He was one of our greatest players and it’s going to be hard to fill his shoes.
“I don’t know if we’re going to be able to, but we can try. We need to move up together as a team.”
Munoz graduated as the leading scorer in Blazing Trojans history with 126 goals. He scored 51 last season and was named Daily Southtown Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
Ortiz, though, also made an impact in 2021 as just a freshman. He scored 16 goals and dished out 12 assists.
Although he has a long way to go, a solid rookie season has Ortiz thinking about going after Munoz’s record.
“His record really motivates me,” Ortiz said. “I just need to push myself forward. This year, I know I have to step up. That’s the one thing I really have to do. I have to be a leader and lead by example.”
Bloom coach Zack Radtke, who sees Ortiz’s potential as virtually unlimited, believes Ortiz has a chance to be the Blazing Trojans’ next great goal scorer.
“He’s a very strong player that has an incredible amount of talent,” Radtke said. “He’s got some size. He’s a big sophomore. He’s got composure on the ball. He’s not afraid of contact. He’s tough to stop.”
Radtke said playing alongside Munoz last season helped Ortiz learn about what it takes to be a great soccer player.
Ortiz felt some of Munoz’s best lessons were about how to do the little things.
“High school is very different from club soccer, so I learned a lot of things from Christian last year that I’m able to use to help make my team better this year,” Ortiz said. “He helped me with a lot of touches and simple passes to do.”
In the first week of the season, Ortiz felt his chances to shoot were limited as opposing defenses put more focus on him without Munoz in the lineup.
Ortiz responded by contributing four assists in a season-opening 5-0 win over Joliet Central.
He has two goals and five assists through four games for Bloom (3-1).
“Sometimes, it’s better to have an assist than a goal,” Ortiz said. “I know my teammates can score. We have a lot of chemistry because I grew up with most of these guys.
“We’re a really good team because we all know each other and know our style of play.”
Second-half surges: Lockport trailed or was tied at halftime in each of its first three games but picked things up in the second half for wins of 6-1 over T.F. United, 2-1 over Bloom and 3-0 over Marian Catholic.
The Porters (3-0) advanced to the Windy City Ram Classic semifinals and will take on St. Laurence at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Reavis.
Senior forward Dominic Williams wasn’t surprised.
“It’s a mix of confidence and fire to win the game, even if we’re tied or go down one or two goals,” Williams said. “We have the hard work and confidence to keep fighting until the very end.”
Starting strong: After being upset by Shepard in a shooting during a regional semifinal last season, Sandburg has extra motivation.
“We are hungry after an early exit from the postseason,” Eagles coach Desi Vuillaume said. “We have a strong core group of guys who have been playing together for most of their soccer careers.”
Sandburg (1-0-1) tied highly touted Lyons 2-2 in the opener and then beat Brother Rice 4-0. Keith Monteclar and Sebastian Burzynski each have two goals.
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.