Antone Jarvis is one of the most prominent defenders on the UTRGV Men’s Soccer Team. He is known for his dedication, hard work and leadership both on and off the field, but life for him was not always sunshine and rainbows.
He had to adjust to living some days with his mother and others with his father, but life on both sides was completely different.
Jarvis recalls living with his mother in the nice side of London, but he spent most of his time living with his father in an area filled with violence, gangs and poverty.
While living with his father, Jarvis attended high school. He said he remembers some people finishing school and others giving up.
“Some people fell off,” said Jarvis. “I have a lot of friends that have gone to jail now. I have a lot of friends who are fathers now. I also have friends who have, unfortunately, died because they got lost in gang violence.”
Even though Jarvis was not involved in any of those things, he said he had to be aware of where he was and with whom.
“I was never involved in that, but when you know everyone involved, you kind of can get yourself dragged into the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said. “It is like death by association, basically.”
Jarvis knew he had two options. He could either be a part of a statistic in the world of crime or he could go to school and get an education. That was when soccer came into his life.
He said soccer offered him the opportunity of doing what he loves and getting the education he desired.
“I find it fortunate to be able to leave the area and still be able to come to see what it is for what it’s worth,” Jarvis said. “Every time that I see myself in this position, I realize my childhood has shaped me to how I need to be. You can’t take things for granted.”
Soccer was his way out, but initially Jarvis said that when he was younger, he never envisioned himself as a soccer player.
“It was kind of funny, I was doing a lot of stuff, gymnastics, sprinting, rock climbing, I don’t know how I got into that, swimming,” he said.
“I was playing [soccer] as, like, a joke. I didn’t start [soccer] until I was 13 years old. My mom and dad sat me down and they told me, ‘You have to choose one because your body won’t be able to take it all,’ and I just chose [soccer].”
From 2015 to 2017, Jarvis played at San Jacinto College in Pasadena, near Houston, where he served as team captain and played as a striker and left midfielder. He began his career as a defender during the 2016-17 season.
“What happened was in my sophomore year, at my other school, my defender wasn’t eligible to play and I was the only left-footed guy who was adaptable to play in that position,” Jarvis said. “So, I played in that position and they would say, ‘Oh, you’re really good at this, you’re a natural.’”
At San Jacinto, he received National Soccer Coaches Association of America First Team All-American honors and participated in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I National Semifinals.
On Sept. 16, 2017, he made his debut at UTRGV against Our Lady of the Lake University. Jarvis is co-captain of the soccer team and was awarded Defensive MVP at the RGV Invitational Tournament hosted by UTRGV in early September.
He said his biggest dream is to sign a professional contract and play at the next level.
“I want to say I tried, not that I could’ve done this,” Jarvis said.
“It’s all about having the opportunity to play and not many people can say they’ve played at the professional level.”
