It’s hard to think about Rock Ridge soccer without thinking of senior Prince Amarante. A star on and off the field, Amarante has been a devoted student, teammate, and player for the school for the past 4 years. As his senior year comes to a close, his stats for the season shows how he made his mark: almost every game included a goal or assist by Amarante himself. 

Amarante started playing soccer for the first time at 7 years old after his mom signed him up. He began by playing recreational soccer around the local area and eventually “fell in love” with the sport. Amrante has continued to play soccer over the last 11 years and has been on the Rock Ridge boys varsity soccer team since his freshman year. 

Amarante’s most fondest memories of his high school soccer career are the relationships he has developed with his fellow teammates. “The best part about playing at Rock Ridge is probably my friends,” Amarante said. “I’ve made some of my closest friends, and we’ve had so many fun experiences [like] going out to eat after, playing X-box after games, and celebrating the wins and even the losses. We’ve all become really close and I know we will be friends for life.” 

Throughout high school soccer, Amrante has had a close relationship with senior Dylan Sams. “We were both faced with similar challenges throughout the season, which made us work together and overcome those hardships together,” Sams said. 

Despite the losses the soccer team has taken this year, Amarante believes that the growth of the team makes up for it. “It was hard at first [because] we didn’t win games,” Amarante said. “But everyone was willing to get better and grow in the off season, and it really showed this year.” This year, the Phoenix were able to win 6 games, which Amarante touts as one of the “best records that Rock Ridge soccer has been able to have” since 2019. 

For his final season, Amarante went above and beyond in his accomplishments. Amarante made the first team for the Dulles District and finished the season with 18 goals, setting a new Rock Ridge record for most goals made. “I was really happy… I played with the record holder my freshman year, and he was kind of like a mentor to me,” Amarante said. “He helped me grow into the player I am now.” 

Fellow teammate junior Nick Canfield has been extremely proud of Prince’s accomplishments in his senior year. “When you give Prince the ball, you know he’s not gonna lose it,” Canfield said. “He’s worked so hard this year and for all four years he’s been here. I’m really proud of him.” 

Amarante not only had success in his high school soccer career, but he also had success in club soccer. He was picked as an all-star player in the country and got to play in an all-American game in the fall. After getting first team and breaking the record, Amarante finally felt content with the diligence and effort he had put into the sport.

Amarante’s success has also come with many hardships. “My biggest struggle [in soccer] has been injuries,” Amarante said. He suffered from a total of three injuries from freshman to soccer year: once on his knee, once on his shoulder, and once on his collarbone. Amarante felt that the injuries were hard to bounce back from, as it put a test on his mental strength. “Even when things go bad, I have to constantly push through them and find a way to get through that and get better,” Amarante said. 

The all-star player will not continue soccer in college. “I’ve given a lot of time to it throughout my youth, and I kind of want to do something different now and pursue my academics and really give my focus to another area of my life,” Amarante said. However, soccer will always be an unforgettable aspect of Amarante’s youth. Amarante hopes to coach younger kids and stay around the game to teach what he has learned throughout his soccer career. 

Amarante will be attending James Madison University to major in International Business on a Pre-Law track.