Always a coach, always a fighter, forever a father

There is no pregame speech. No whistle to blow or hear. No sidelines to pace back and forth. But Alex Reyes is still fighting.  

The longtime head coach of Centennial High School’s girls soccer program and academy director of the UDA Program at New Mexico State, is now going through something even tougher than the game itself. A recent cancer diagnosis pulled him off the field and into chemotherapy. Not by choice, but by necessity.  

“You know, as a coach, you’re always telling your players to control what you can control,” Reyes said. “And now I’m living that advice every single day.” 

Reyes, who was born and raised in Mesilla of Las Cruces, is known around the community as far more than just a coach. For more than 36 years he worked at Albertsons. He did this to build a life for his wife Angela, daughter Alayna, and son Noah. On the field, Reyes has coached and mentored hundreds of players throughout his illustrious career.  Off the field, however, he is facing the fight of his life.  

“The night I got admitted to the hospital, I looked out the window and saw the lights of the city,” he said. “That was my moment. I had a choice. To sit in the darkness or follow the light, I chose the light.”  

In the weeks since beginning treatment, Reyes has gained back more than 15 pounds. He’s walking more, smiling more, and hearing from more people around the community than he ever thought he would.  

“The messages, the prayers, the support its overwhelming in the best way. I wake up every single day and remind myself I’m blessed.”  

Lorynn Guerrero, assistant principal at Gadsden High School, has seen Reyes’ impact stretch across generations. 

“I met Alex my freshman year of high school, which was like 1996,” Guerrero said. “Both he and Angela were my coaches and also supported my academics. They became part of our family and encouraged us to be the best at whatever we could be. Whether in soccer, school, or as people.”  

Now, years later, she watches her own students benefit from the same coaching Reyes once gave to her. 

“He was my coach and now he’s my students’ coach too,” she said. “It's powerful to see the same coaching style and learning carry through. The kids he works with are amazing students, and their families are great. He’s kept us connected. Through soccer, through family, and through what he gives to the community.”  

A GoFundMe created to help the Reyes family through the expensive medical costs has quickly spread through the locker room, group chats, and many classrooms around the city. It is not just the money that defines the moment. It is the amount of love behind it.  

“When you face something like this, it's not just about your body, it’s about your mind, spirit, and who’s walking with you.”  

Piper Coalson, a former player who now lives in New York City, remembers exactly what Alex Reyes coached her through.  

“My junior year, I was told I would never play soccer again,” Coalson recalled. “I told my parents I wasn’t going back to school and the first thing I did was go and tell Alex. I went to his work and told him. That night, he and Angela had me over to their house for dinner. We just hung out, and they gave me a safe place to be.” 

She said what stood out to her the most wasn’t just the coaching. It was who Reyes was when everything was hard. 

“He was just there,” she said. “He supported me through my recovery, and I learned so much from him. Not just as a player but as a person. I don’t know that I could have gone through that with anyone else.” 

As the city continues to unite behind him, one thing remains clear. Alex Reyes may not be coaching the game of soccer, but his fight with cancer is inspiring something even greater.  

“The fears you don’t face become your limits,” said Reyes. “I’ve always told my players that and now I get to show them what it means.” 

For now, the games will go on. But once you have coached, it never leaves you. Cancer may have taken him off the field, but it has not taken his fight.  

“This fight reminded me of who I am,” said Reyes. "I'm a coach, a husband, and a father. And I’m not done yet.”