Honing His Skills

Tomas Serna was trying to enjoy the moment. But the moment Serna put the finishing touches on a magical season at Santa Ana College that included conference and state tournament MVP honors and a state title, he sensed there was more to accomplish.

“It’s funny, I immediately started thinking, ‘OK, what’s next?,’ ” Serna said. “ ‘That was nice, but that’s history.’ ”

What came next was a flood of flattering offers that would make any 19-year-old’s head spin. Two minor league teams in the United States--the Zodiac and U.S. Pro Select of the A-League--invited Serna to their camps, and a second-division team in Mexico also inquired about his availability. In addition, UCLA, UC Irvine, Creighton, Santa Clara and Clemson have expressed their interest in Serna to Santa Ana Coach J.P. Frutos.

Serna said he’s trying to stay grounded. Only a freshman, he plans to return to Santa Ana next fall.

“It’s a good feeling to have people send you letters and recognize you,” Serna said. “But at the same time, if I want these people to keep calling me, I have to improve.”

That’s exactly what he has been doing ever since his injury-riddled junior season at Saddleback High. As a senior, Serna led Saddleback to a 20-2 record by scoring a remarkable 45 goals in 22 games. This past season at Santa Ana, he played through a nagging groin injury to score 33 goals in 26 games, including both in a 2-1 state semifinal victory over DeAnza and one in the 5-0 finals rout of Santa Barbara on Nov. 30.

Ricardo Minaya, the Zodiac’s director of soccer operations, found those numbers hard to ignore.

“He can score and he’s strong,” Minaya said. “The A-League is a physical league and we believe he would fit in well.”

Minaya also said he believes Serna should stay in school and get his degree.

“I think that would be the best thing for him,” said Minaya, who plans to meet with Serna next week. “But if he’s thinking of turning pro, I want to be the one to pick him up.”

Frutos understands why Serna, who stands 6 feet 1 and weighs 170 pounds, is so attractive to professional coaches.

“He has the natural gift for doing the right thing with the ball at the right time,” Frutos said. “You can’t coach that. I think sometimes he expects everybody to have that gift. That’s why, in some ways, it would be easier for him to play at the next level, where more people have those skills.”

Serna admits the offers are tempting.

“It’s been my dream since I was 12 to play professionally,” he said. “Soccer runs in my veins. I just want to play and go forward. I know I can do it.”

But he also knows the pitfalls of turning pro.

“I have to see the future,” said Serna. “I could get hurt. I have to have something to fall back on. I think [a four-year school] would be a very good experience. That’s something I’d like soccer to lead into. It could be very exciting for me.”

It would also be exciting for Serna’s parents, who still live in Agua Caliente, Mexico, a small town north of Jalisco. None of Serna’s 10 siblings has attended college.

“My mom knows playing pro is my dream, but she also wants to see someone set an example for the family and the town,” said Serna, who moved to Orange County from Mexico five years ago to live with his older brother Anfelmo.

Serna, who lives with Anfelmo and his wife in a Tustin apartment, said his brother supports him emotionally and financially. When Anfelmo isn’t around, Serna often turns to Frutos for guidance.

“I always tell these kids soccer is a means to an end, but not the end to itself,” Frutos said. “Tomas is very comfortable with this environment and he’s the first in his family to go to college. He would be a great role model.”

So far, Serna is thriving in the community college atmosphere. He compiled a 2.6 grade-point average during the fall and he is on track to complete his Associate of Arts degree by the end of the calendar year.

“He’s doing very well grade-wise, but he should be doing better,” said Frutos, who added, “We’re trying to polish his study skills and his time-management skills. His soccer skills are way ahead of his academic skills. It’s not because he doesn’t want his academic skills to be better, it’s just that he hasn’t honed them.”

Lately, Serna has been limited to honing his academic skills. His groin injury hasn’t completely healed and he isn’t expecting to touch a soccer ball again until March 1. Then, he hopes to spend the summer training and pick up where he left off last year.

“Sometimes the future scares me,” Serna said. “Sometimes I want to run away. I say, ‘What’s this? What am I doing now?’ It’s a big responsibility, but I have to keep going forward.”