MOULTRIE – Carlos Bautista has taken the position of Colquitt County High School Lady Packers varsity soccer head coach for the 2023-24 season.

“I can describe it as nothing but a monumental hire for my people and culture,” said Bautista, who made history by becoming the first Hispanic varsity head coach in the CCHS soccer program.

“He has been involved with boys and girls at Colquitt County for numerous years,” said CCHS athletic director Cleve Edwards. “It was an easy move for us, especially because he coached JV [soccer] last year and the team showed growth.”

Though Bautista’s love is soccer, his coaching career actually began with CCHS football.

“It’s great to see Hispanic kids coming out for the football team,” said Bautista. “At first it was only for the kicking position, but now I’m seeing Hispanic kids trying out for other positions as well.”

Just as Bautista broke the barrier for Hispanics in the varsity head coaching role, he was also the first Hispanic to be a part of the CCHS football roster.

“I knew absolutely nothing about football,” said Bautista, thinking back to his time as a kicker for the CCHS Packer football team. “Hispanics don’t typically play football. But, I could kick through the uprights because in soccer you have to have good eye-to-foot coordination and the coaches kept telling me they really needed me.”

Though Bautista holds great pride with the strides he has taken for his culture in the football program, he still wanted to be involved with his No. 1 sport.

“I wanted to also be in the soccer program as a coach,” said Bautista. “But you can’t just do that. You have to wait for a position to open, interview for it. There are a lot of steps.”

Finally, Bautista got his chance and was the assistant coach for boys coach Jimbo Jarvis when he was asked to help with the first ninth grade soccer team in the county.

“When he asked me, I immediately was like, ‘Yeah, that’s what I want to do,’ “ said Bautista. “It’s the sport I love and can coach. I was still learning football. Soccer is second nature to me so it was easier to coach.”

After three years Bautista took a small hiatus from soccer but before long he was back and transitioned to something completely foreign to him.

“Colby Simpson approached me about being his assistant coach,” said Bautista. “But, he told me there is a

curveball, it’s the girls.”

Up to that point, Bautista had only coached boys teams.

“I had always been so comfortable coaching because I knew the game from being a player and knew what to do,” said Bautista. “But, that first day walking up to coach the girls? I was so nervous. I didn’t know what to expect or how they would handle things. I didn’t know how to break the ice with them.”

As most things do when they are new, it didn’t start out perfect, but by the end of the season Bautista had created the bond he was hoping to have with the Lady Packers.

“He has already made relationships with the girls,” said Edwards. “That’s a big part of coaching, and he can help the girls realize they can continue to win.”

Bautista is making sure to keep those relationships strong heading into the summer soccer program.

“I went to their all star game,” said Bautista. “They all perked up when they saw me, and one of the girls would always wave to me when she went on the field. After the game they all asked me to come out on the field and we took pictures.”

As Bautista moves into his first year as varsity head coach, he hopes to continue the trend Simpson started.

“Colby did a great job stopping the bleeding,” said Bautista. “The girls made a lot of great accomplishments last year winning three region games.”

The last region win for the Lady Packers came during the 2019-2020 season where they won one region game before COVID stopped the season.

“We are right on the edge of being able to play competitively,” said Edwards. “It was a huge positive to see that the girls had chances to win more than usual last season.”

Bautista’s goal is to continue to grow the Lady Packers and see them reach further than they have.

“The main goal this year is to host the first round of the regional tournament,” said Bautista. “That would be a huge accomplishment.”