Guillermo Ortega is only a few years removed from playing on the field for the Hart Pirates, but he’s confident he’s the right man to move the program forward as he takes on the head coach position.
Ortega played soccer, wrestled and ran track at Hart, graduated in 2023 and went on to also run track at Cornerstone University. He takes over from Jonah Kelley, who accepted a job at Shelby State Bank after coaching last season. Ortega said he was able to occasionally help out during the 2025 season after applying for the position at the time, and when it opened again, he pursued it again, this time with more certainty that it was the job he wanted. He is determined to make the Pirates a factor in the West Michigan Conference.
“I am a person who isn’t defined by my age, and my age does not define my work ethic and my ability to lead young men,” Ortega said. “I am here to win. I am here to move Hart boys soccer from a bottom-half team in the conference to a top-three team in the WMC. I am building a team made from integrity, accountability, work ethic, and trust.”
Ortega said he hopes to develop players who are willing to be leaders on and off the field regardless of their own age and are willing to work hard.
Two leaders Ortega will rely on this year are the two team captains - senior Logan Dean and junior Adriel Belmares. Both are capable goal scorers. Ortega said Dean brings a relentless mindset to the field and is a good leader. Belmares, whose brother Adrian was a key player on last year’s Pirates and has since graduated, showcased great talent last year as a sophomore and will be a big part of the offense.
The rest of the lineup is very young, including a group of 15 freshmen Ortega is excited about. Seven of them were slated to start in the team’s scrimmage prior to regular season play. Kaleb Edenburn is slated to take over the keeper position after Miguel Escamilla played it well the past few years.
“Miguel was a pretty big loss to the program, as he is now playing at the college level, but I have much faith in this new goalie, as he brings a great mentality, he’s coachable, and has a leader mindset,” Ortega said.
Other newcomers to watch include Anthony Parra, Augustine Hernandez, Damian Hernandez, Kacen Klotz, Jaden Lara-Gomez, Ramon Rosas, and Gabriel Velazquez. Ortega said each has impressed him with their fearlessness, speed and skill.
“I have no doubt that they can do great things from now until they are seniors,” Ortega said.
Returning sophomores Liam Mendez and Julian Tejada should step into bigger roles this year and are skilled at winning the ball in one-on-one situations.
The youth of the team could lead to early growing pains - Ortega was excited to see how they respond to Wednesday’s season opener against Traverse City St. Francis - but a focus on season-long improvement could lead to later success.
“How will we respond no matter what the outcome is?” Ortega said of the opener. “Our conference also has very tough competition, and we are very excited to compete. I know my boys won’t shy away from any of the players on the opposing team, and I believe we can do some great things this season.”
