Araceli “Cheli” Flores, one of Madill’s proud hometown graduates, was treated as a celebrity when she returned to Madill on Friday April 16, 2021 to help coach her Seminole soccer team. The game was held on the exact field where she once played. She is the daughter to the proud parents of Jeronimo and Gumercinda Flores and a Madill graduate of 2013.
Flores said her family and the community has been an integral part of her life and who she grew up to be.
“My family has been my strength through my educa tion and career journey,” Flores said. “I was born and raised in Madill, so this entire community has been my family.”
“My family has traveled hours to come watch me play,” she continued. “So, when having an opportunity to play again on the Madill field, it was a must.”
After graduating from high school, she started her college journey at St. Gregory’s University and continued her masters at East Central University. Originally, Araceli received a soccer scholarship to attend St. Gregory’s and then four years later ,received a cross country scholarship while attending the university. She graduated from SGU with her bachelor’s in psychology and a Communication minor May 2017. May 8, 2021, she will graduate East Central with her master’s in counseling.
Flores noted that she has been involved in sports since the time she started walking. She closed her athletic career in the fall of 2017. However, prior to that, she became the leading goal scorer for St. Gregory’s and made history her junior year, was a part of Hispanic American Student Association, and became the Miss HASA in 2014. After graduation, she plans on coming back to Madill and pursue a job in her field.
Her duties as a coach consist of planning practices, recruiting new student-athletes, scouting opponents, and preparing the team. The off the field duties are her favorite because she said she enjoys the opportunity to learn about the players as people.
“Mentoring the girls is one of the most rewarding things about my job,” Flores said.
When she first started coaching, she helped with the programs. In her second year as assistant coach, Seminole won five games. Last year, they finished the season with twenty wins, ranking fourth in the nation and went to the national tournament. Cur rently, the team is ranked sixth nationally and is leading the region with six wins and zero losses.
The game on April 16 was not originally slotted to happen at the Wildcat Stadium. Due to Tishomingo’s field being flooded from the rain, they were given the opportunity to play on a nearby field, which so happened to be Madill. The final score of the game against Murray State College was nine to zero in Seminole’s favor.
Flores said it was an amazing feeling being back home.
“It felt absolutely amazing to be back at home,” she said. “Everyone welcomed the team and me with open arms. I’d like to thank the Madill Public Schools for hosting us, in particular I would like to thank Coach Weiberg and Coach Cortes.”
After the big win, Flores’s family graciously hosted the team for dinner. She expressed how she felt this was a great opportunity to get a chance to catch up with her family but also allow the girls to meet her family and hometown.
“It has been a pleasure to get to work alongside Coach Hill who was at one point my All-State coach,” Flores said. “I would also like to thank my family for supporting me in my soccer journey that be as a player and a coach.”