Like his older brother, Bryan — a former captain and now an assistant coach to Todd Scott beginning in 2022 — Luis found himself connecting with the program well before his freshman year. Back then, Velasco wouldn’t have predicted his role in leading Ogden to back-to-back state titles, but it’s safe to say soccer tryouts were on his to-do list.

Velasco is the 2025 Standard-Examiner All-Area Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

When it comes to club ball, Velasco finds himself at the 11 spot, just left of the striker, but it wasn’t until his freshman year, after four years of watching his brother play the 6 role (defensive midfielder), that the North Idaho commit reshaped his game to become an even greater support system on the pitch.

“Growing up watching my brother play, it was fairly different,” Velasco said. “Ever since I was little, Scott always involved me, even at practices, when I’d go with my brother. Just watching him play and watching all those guys having fun and connecting with one another from different levels, it really lit a spark in me where I wanted to start trying and play more.”

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

Upon learning his older brother joined the coaching staff, Velasco turned his attention to the Tigers’ 6-role full-time. Transitioning his “attack-minded” philosophy to the midfield saw the siblings grow a bit closer, and Velasco’s game followed.

This spring, Velasco led Ogden with the state’s fifth-highest assist total (25) and racked up 18 goals as a top-10 nationally ranked midfielder, according to MaxPreps. Velasco also received a nomination for the Gatorade Player of the Year award.

The position change elevated Velasco’s game, but only with a willingness to morph his perspective did he make the adjustment count.

“It was a bit difficult at the start to stay defensive,” Velasco said.

“Once I got the hang of being able — because, of course, I had my teammates that would help me track back and all that — I was still able to attack but, defense-wise, I was able to adapt to it very quickly because my brother played that position and just looking up to him and watching him play, I realized how to master that position.”

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

Heading into 2025, Velasco had his doubts about recreating the magic of last year’s title team. He’d return with fewer familiar faces from his club team and a host of young talent eager to squash the idea that the Tigers’ previous champions were a one-off.

Eight total seniors, as well as returning Jace Rodriguez (forward) and Xavier Peregrina (goalkeeper), both juniors, were all critical to the mission.

Still, the senior pieces fueling 2024’s 15-3 finish and first state title in 19 years were nowhere to be found when the first official practice rolled around in March.

“Every other school would say that we didn’t have a good team this year, that everyone left last year, but I mean, I guess we kind of took that personal,” Velasco said. “I feel like everyone stepped up and filled those positions to be able to play as a family and unite as a team. The connection that we were able to build up to this season, it’s a crazy connection.”

Ogden opened the season by cleaning up its nonregion slate, including two local marquee matches with Davis (3-0) and Layton (2-2 PKs) before embarking on a 10-0 region run.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

Passes were sharper, practices were intentional, and by April, the Tigers were on the fast track to become the top seed in the 3A postseason race.

But not publicly visible was Velasco’s maturity as a leader, someone who wasn’t afraid to point something out and communicate with his teammates. Accountability, something entrusted to Velasco and his fellow captains, became a hallmark of his senior season.

Those intangibles don’t show up on the stat sheet but, come kickoff, it’s what made the Tigers a weekly storyline.

“It’s that connection, it doesn’t go away,” Velasco said. “Even after a couple of months apart, we still came back and were like a team, like a family.”

He continued:

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

“As a captain, it was a big responsibility for me. … After that (first practice), I got everyone’s attention and started playing as if it were a big tournament because we have competitive schools like Morgan and Ben Lomond that always come out for blood, so I feel we had to, especially choosing 6A and 5A teams for the preseason, it was very difficult to not take it serious.”

It would take postseason meetings with Morgan and BL — programs Ogden compiled a 6-0 combined record against following a 2-1 win over the Trojans in May’s state championship — for Velasco and the Tigers to earn that second consecutive ring. They’d become the first program in school history to win back-to-back titles, and to do so with an unblemished record (18-0).

But the time for reflection is nearly over as Velasco reports to North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene later this month for his collegiate debut.

Velasco first caught North Idaho’s attention during an identification camp earlier this year thanks to a mutual connection from his club team. Cardinals head coach Brad Williams, formerly an assistant at N.C. State and a goalkeeper at Division I Saint Francis (Pennsylvania), won over Velasco after a few talks and received his commitment.

Velasco mostly kept the news to himself but signing off with Scott, who Velasco heralds as a mentor and family friend, was an essential part of cementing where he’d land this fall.

“(Scott)’s helped me and my brothers out, my whole family out, through a lot,” Velasco said. “I just feel like he’s always supported me in every position I’ve made, and he’s helped me out a lot with school, work, outside of school, and I just feel like he’s part of my family, so having his support meant a lot to me.”

The Cardinals, a junior college previously of the Northwest Athletic Conference until 2023, are slated to begin their second season as a member of the Scenic West Athletic Conference (with Utah’s three junior colleges) with an exhibition on Aug. 14 at the College of Idaho.

Connect with reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.