Castro poised for successful senior season at Classical

It was the Lynn Classical soccer team’s first game against crosstown rival English, and with 10 minutes left, the Bulldogs seemed poised for a victory, holding a 2-1 lead. Yet while the ‘Dogs had the lead, the Rams had Miguel Castro.Castro, playing in what would become a dominant junior season, would stun English with two goals in the last 10 minutes as Classical prevailed, 3-2.”Junior year, I used to have three players on me every game, every time,” Castro, who is going into his senior season, said on Tuesday. “I’d hear coaches saying, ‘Don’t let number 10 do anything.’ I worked pretty hard.”That he did, and this fall the Rams standout, who plays offensive midfield, can set a school record by reaching 100 career points. He is 20 points away. He said that one of his goals for the season is to “get more than 20 points.”Talk to his coach, Joe Skahan, and you’ll come away thinking that with a player of Castro’s skills, anything is possible.”He’s unreal,” Skahan said, describing Castro’s achievements with the precision of his day job, science teacher at English. “He’s the best player I either a) coached or b) witnessed playing at this type of level.”With Castro on the brink of a successful senior season, it’s worth taking a look back at the accomplishments of his first three years on O’Callaghan Way.About three and a half years ago, Castro immigrated to the US from his native El Salvador to join the rest of his family.”My dad was here, and he said there were better opportunities for me (in the US),” Castro said.Castro was born in San Vicente, El Salvador, and grew up in the capital city of San Salvador. He played for the Real Madrid Academy, a youth program founded by the president of the Spanish team that is among the top competitors in the world, and was going to join his fellow players on a trip to Spain to see the actual Real Madrid team, which included British star David Beckham. Going to the US prevented this ? but it also opened up opportunities to play at Classical.Both Castro and Skahan remember their first meeting. Neither one of them was on the varsity, but what Castro showed Skahan would have a tremendous impact on the school soccer program.”I was a freshman, he (coached) JV,” Castro said. “He put me on the team. I scored eight goals in the first half. I didn’t play the second half.””The first time he came out, he said, ‘I play soccer. Can I play with you guys?'” Skahan recalled. “The first game, he scored eight goals. I said, ‘You can play.'”Castro scored 22 goals in seven games on the JV. He also saw limited varsity action in a 3-0 state tournament loss to North Andover.After the season, varsity coach Ken Norris stepped down and Skahan – a 2000 graduate – replaced him. Castro made the varsity, and North Shore opponents had a new player to watch out for. As a sophomore, he put the Northeastern Conference on notice when he scored all four of his team’s goals in a 4-4 tie with Gloucester. The Rams missed the tournament by one game.Last year, everything seemed to click. Castro, who was a co-captain with then-senior Carlos Cifuentes, led the NEC with 34 points (25 goals, 9 assists). The Rams finished 11-4-3 and qualified for the tournament. After receiving a first-round bye, they lost to Brookline in the next round.”He did good (in that game),” Skahan said. “There was an outstanding amount of pressure. He had two players marked up on him 100 percent ? It was hard for us to play out of that scenario.”The loss may have ended his scholastic season, but the honors and opportunities kept coming. He was named NEC player of the year and was made the top pick in the conference to represent the EMass team. And in the summer after his sophomore year, he tried out for the Junior Revolution team, an under-18 squad affiliated with the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer. He was one of between 600 and 1,000 players who tried out. (Cifuentes also tried out, and did not make the cut; Castro said, “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn