MAKING A NAME

When the Animo Leadership Charter School opened in fall 2000, one of the administration’s main goals was to provide a small college preparatory experience for students while encouraging them to become leaders in their communities.

Excelling in athletics was not at the top of the school’s to-do list.

But the success of the boys’ soccer team has gained some notice for the Inglewood school, which draws most of its 430 students from Lennox, an unincorporated, predominantly Latino area of Los Angeles that lies beneath the incoming flight path to Los Angeles International Airport.

Animo, which is a Spanish word with meanings that range from “courage” to “fortitude” to “valor,” is currently made up of freshmen, sophomores and juniors.

The soccer team is in its first season of varsity competition. Yet the Aztecs, 18-2-1 with two games left in the regular season, are ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section Division V coaches’ poll.

A 6-2 loss to Pasadena Muir and a tie with Ventura Buena came with junior forward Richard Flores injured.

The other loss, 3-0 to Hawthorne, came in Flores’ return, when he played half the game.

“We knew we had some talent,” Coach Sergio Medrano said. “So our goal was to qualify for the playoffs. The players have really taken it upon themselves to commit themselves. They look at it like, ‘We’re a brand new school, so we want to make a name for ourselves.’ ”

Junior midfielder Angel Rodriguez concurs with his coach.

“Last year, we didn’t get a chance to do this,” said Rodriguez, who, along with Flores, has taken part in the Olympic Development Program for elite players in the last three years. “So this year, we all wanted to play really well.”

Animo compiled an 11-4 record last season while playing against mostly freshman-sophomore and junior-varsity opponents.

Thirteen players, including 11 starters, returned this season, but the program suffered a huge loss last summer when its team manager, 17-year-old Ricardo Perez, died of a heart attack.

Perez had a great passion for soccer, but a heart defect prevented him from playing competitively. He was a big part of the Aztecs’ team, however, because he videotaped games and offered advice to players about what he thought they could do to improve.

“He hung around with everybody and had no problems with anyone,” Rodriguez said. “He was like a best friend to everyone.”

Perez’s death was devastating to his teammates, but they have rallied around his memory and dedicated the season to him. His initials, RP, are printed on the left sleeves of their uniforms.

“We were real down,” said Flores. “But we knew he would have wanted us to go out and play as well as we could.”

And they have, outscoring opponents, 108-29. Flores has a team-high 32 goals to go with 12 assists and Rodriguez has 25 goals and 10 assists. Ten players have scored and five have at least 10 assists.

Flores’ statistics are particularly impressive because he missed the first eight games of the season after being injured in a car accident. The accident occurred when a sport utility vehicle Flores was riding in rolled over after the driver swerved to avoid hitting a stalled car on the freeway.

Flores had a large abrasion on his right arm, two broken fingers on his right hand and cuts to his head that required stitches. Rodriguez was also a passenger but was relatively unscathed.

The accomplishments of Flores and his teammates have gained them attention on campus, but academics remain the top priority at Animo.

As a charter school, Animo has been granted a specific amount of autonomy concerning its structure, curriculum and educational emphasis.

In return, it is held accountable for the academic achievement of its students. If performance standards aren’t met, the school could face suspension or be closed.

Most of Animo’s classes are held on the second and third floors of the University of West Los Angeles School of Law building. The remainder are taught in bungalows across the street on property leased from a freight company.

The school doesn’t have a cafeteria, locker rooms or athletic fields, but it does have wireless access to the Internet and approximately 140 laptop computers that students can check out for their school work.

The boys’ and girls’ basketball teams spend most of their practice time on the outdoor courts at Rogers Park in Inglewood, while the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams practice and play their home games at Lennox Middle School..

“What we’re trying to do is set a mark,” Rodriguez said. “We want kids who come here in the future to say, ‘Oh, they set the foundation, and now we have to stay with what they started.’ ”