ONCE PACHECO GOT STARTED, he kept going.

Jonesboro sophomore striker Joe Pacheco had 31 goals in his freshman season in 2016.

With that in mind, Hurricane Coach Justin Cook believed an outstanding sophomore season was ahead for Pacheco.

“I didn’t think he would break the state record,” Cook said. “But I knew he would break the school record [for goals].”

Cook was right on Pacheco breaking Jonesboro’s single-season scoring record. However, Pacheco proved his coach wrong by also setting the state scoring record.

Pacheco scored 56 goals, breaking Central Arkansas Christian’s Eric Bentley’s record of 50 goals in 2014. He bested Luke Ferguson’s school-record 42 goals in 2011 as well.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has named Pacheco as the All-Arkansas Preps boys soccer player of the year for 2017.

Pacheco also had a teamhigh 29 assists for Jonesboro, which finished 24-3 and advanced to the Class 6A quarterfinals.

“You can’t deny his athletic ability,” Cook said. “You stick him out there and he knows where he’s supposed to be. He’s a student of the game. “He leads by example.” Through his first two seasons, Pacheco has 87 goals and 46 assists. Hot Springs’ Erick Guadron, a two-time All-Arkansas Preps player of the year (2015, 2016), holds the state record with a four-year total of 187.

Pacheco had 16 goals through Jonesboro’s first 14 games. That wasn’t to Cook’s liking, though.

“We had to get on him a little bit,” Cook said. “He was too unselfish.”

But beginning with a fivegoal performance in an 11-0 victory over Paragould on April 6, Pacheco stormed his way into the record books.

The Hurricane star scored in 22 games. He had at least two goals in 15 games and scored five goals three times.

Pacheco had a five-game stretch from April 24 (West Memphis) to Jonesboro’s firstround Class 6A state tournament game against Sheridan on May 11 where he scored 22 goals.

Bentley’s state record was broken by Pacheco on May 5 against Searcy. Pacheco scored four goals in that game, a 4-1 victory for the Hurricane.

“It got so routine for him,” Cook said. “He created opportunities. He’s able to take an angle and get the goalie out of position and curl the ball around him.”

Cook first saw Pacheco in the seventh grade and was impressed.

“He was almost untouchable in the junior high ranks,” Cook said. “Before Joe, I didn’t have too many younger guys like he was.”

Over the next two seasons, Cook expects Pacheco to continue his stellar career and could see him breaking Guadron’s record.

“He listens,” Cook said. “He’s very unselfish. He likes to assist more than he likes to score. It’s different for me because I see opportunities for him to score.”

Pacheco