Mitchell’s Ismael Flores thrives when it comes to football, boys soccer and the classroom

COLORADO SPRINGS – Ismael Flores can’t help but smile when asked how he keeps all of commitments and performs them at a high level.

He never waivers when answering a question, but his tone suggests he’s able to do simply because that’s what’s expected.

He soars far and above simply what is expected of him as he shines as a multi-sport athlete for the Marauders all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA in the classroom.

“I just feel like I do everything with passion and joy,” Flores said.

A five-minute conversation with him all but confirms that attitude. He loves being out on the soccer field and performing at a high level. He has played just four games for the Marauders (3-1 overall) but he leads the state, regardless of classification, with 17 goals.

When he can, he’ll strap on some pads and join the football team as the kicker. Mitchell coach Jason Cauley doesn’t hesitate when he says that Flores can hit field goals from around 58 yards.

After practices or games, he’ll go home and work on his own just to try and perfect his craft a little bit more. Then he hits the books and gets to sleep all so he can get to the next day and start the process all over again. When he describes his routine, it’s hard to imagine how he finds time to actually get some sleep in with that full schedule.

“I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but he’s also a gold glove boxer as well,” Cauley said.

And now he’s just showing off.

Boxing is a very important part of his story. While at the gym learning the sweet science, he’s being instilled with a level of discipline that allows him to accomplish everything he sets out to do.

“My coach down there is kind of a father figure to me,” Flores said. “He told me you always have to show up. It doesn’t matter if your nose is broken or your body hurts, you show up every day despite everything.”

He carries that mentality onto the soccer field, the football field and into the classroom.

“The mind is great,” Flores said. “People don’t realize it, but I do. I realized it when I was young. If you can manipulate your mind you can manipulate anything. That’s why I’m able to play these sports at a high level. I’m in shape, don’t get me wrong, but it’s all about the mind. I’m so strong-minded.”

He never complains and he never asks for a break. There isn’t a moment when he looks like he’d rather be anywhere else.

Perhaps his biggest asset as a student-athlete is savoring each moment that is given to him. Whether it’s scoring a goal, kicking a field goal or using his time in the classroom to learn, his mind has been trained to enjoy every minute of it.

“He amazes me with his ability to balance everything in his life,” soccer coach Adam Palmer said. “And if you watch him, he always has a good attitude. He’s smiling and laughing and having a great time with everything he does. I think he just enjoys life.”

And what more important is that everyone at Mitchell enjoys having him. Whether it’s his teammates, classmates or teachers, Flores has a way of just being liked throughout the hallways at Mitchell.

He has ambitions of playing soccer in college, but that’s a tomorrow problem. Today’s problem is his next game, his next practice or his next exam. That is where his focus lies and he makes Mitchell better with that mentality.

“People see that and want to be like him,” Cauley said. “Once they see his work ethic in the school and on the football field or the soccer field and what he does on his own with boxing, it’s going to make other people want to play more than one sport. It’s going to get other people to strive for academic excellence. That right now at Mitchell is what we need.”