TVHS Soccer Captain Wins Big At Football, Homecoming Senior Year

TEMECULA, CA — Temecula Valley High School senior Aubree Gessel has much to be thankful for this year. A high-performing student-athlete, Gessel has ticked nearly all the boxes this year for her personal record book. She was named co-captain of her varsity soccer team. She was chosen to be on the homecoming court. And, perhaps most thrilling of all, she won a spot on the varsity football team as a kicker — also winning her second California Interscholastic Sports championship ring.

"I began my football career as a senior, only playing one season," Gessel tells Patch. Until this year, her world has revolved around soccer. That changed at the end of her junior year, when she approached TVHS football coach Bert Esposito about being a kicker. This was no snap decision, according to Gessel.

As defender, she's a soccer player with a big leg. Gessel started playing soccer at age 4 and has grown into a solid defender. She was on the TVHS varsity soccer team that won CIF in 2017, and still wears her ring with pride.

For soccer players, it isn't unusual for a kick to go above the crossbar and through the uprights when they practice in the stadium. But could she do it, for real?

The idea of kicking for the football team may have started out like a Hallmark movie plot, but soon it turned into Gessel's next goal. Hard work, determination and gumption led her out to the practice field for an impromptu meeting with the coach.

"I was so nervous, but he didn't seem surprised at all," Gessel says. "He did tell me he was going to treat me like any of the players."

Though inexperienced with football, the turf under her cleats is her comfort zone. "I was out there with boys who had played the sport their whole lives," she said. "They were so kind to me, but it was one of the scariest experiences of my life."

Then, the unexpected occurred. Esposito slated her for the varsity team.

While her father wasn't sure about the idea, her parents supported her dream of kicking for TVHS, just as they had backed her for every other sport. "I started with soccer at age 4," she says. "So many life lessons come from being out there with a soccer ball." Football doled out a few more lessons.

At 5-foot 2-inches tall, Gessel stood well below the majority of players on the 68-man roster, especially when dressed out in full gear. Still, she refused to buckle under intimidation and earned her place on both the practice and the football field.

When it came time to play in her first home game, she did her best to calm her nerves. Her people were in the stands, lending support from the Gold Zone. Muscle memory, focus and sheer will all came to fruition as she lined up for that first kick.

"The crowd was unbelievably loud," she recalls. Then, they began chanting her name.

Although Gessel is used to being a clutch player on the soccer field, being the lone girl on a football team of boys was a new pressure that settled squarely on her shoulder pads. Nevertheless, she hauled back and connected with the football with that perfect feel on her foot. She then watched as it sailed through the uprights.

The crowd exploded in a cacophony of cheers, which she calls "the best feeling in the world."

Homecoming came early in the fall of 2019. The news came over the loudspeakers that Aubree Gessel would appear on Temecula Valley High School's homecoming court.

Excitement blended with anxiety as she realized she would be on the field during halftime, dressed in full football attire — no fancy dress for this member of the homecoming court.

Peers and friends quickly helped her brush her worries aside with their positive outlook and support.

Although the rest of the court sparkled in formalwear, Gessel stood proud in her brown-and-gold uniform. When she heard her name announced as homecoming queen, "all of the doubts and worry disappeared," she says.

TVHS's football kept winning over the 2019 season as it headed into the CIF championships. Meanwhile, the soccer season was beginning, and tryouts for the varsity team were underway. But despite being a two-sport athlete, her focus remained on football. There were games still to play, and a CIF championship on the line.

Hard work and focus, training with the football team paid off "in a huge way," she says. TVHS claimed CIF, and she added another ring to her collection.

Overall, Gessel scored seven points for the football team this season. Now with soccer underway, as co-captain with her friend and "soccer sister" Emma Thrapp, Gessel said she looks toward the season with the eyes of a champion.

She wants another ring.

The last time TVHS women's soccer headed out to the championship field, Gessel was injured, according to coach Jennifer Guinn. "We are so proud of her. She is so versatile out there," Guinn said. "She'll own that role, leading her team."

Gessel has taken the field with tenacity and consistency from the back line.

"My team is full of amazing athletes," she says. "They are all sisters to me."

Her goal for varsity soccer this year? Lead her team to a Division 1 CIF title.

"I look forward to every game, every moment I get to spend with my teammates, because this is going to be an incredible season," she said.

This week, four of her "soccer sisters" signed letters of intent to play soccer (and one, field hockey) after high school. Weighing her options, Gessel is deciding where to play soccer after high school, possibly with a few of her current teammates.

Her teachers also have played a considerable role. She thanks Mr. Turray and Mr. Vom Steeg, saying both have played "a huge part in her success, and support system this year," Gessel says. After high school, she plans to study business with an eye on the medical device industry after graduation.

After school, she's at the stadium, practicing with her team, doing what it takes to get to the next level. There is no obstacle too big, she says.

"For any young girls that want to try out for a sport in high school, any sport, I tell them to go for it, wholeheartedly and always with confidence," she says. "You can accomplish anything if you are determined enough."