Sterling, Va. — Park View High School senior forward Elton Quintanilla has committed to Virginia Commonwealth University to continue his academic and athletic pursuits, beginning in the 2020-2021 school year.
Quintanilla has been a four-year varsity starter for a very successful Park View soccer team. Under head coach Arturo Jimenez, Quintanilla has already won two district championships and a region championship in his three years on the team.
“Playing for Park View has been the best years of my life,” Quintanilla said. “I’ll never forget the first day I tried out for the team and how I moved my way up, and now, I’m a captain.”
[adrotate banner=”29″]Quintanilla – who is originally from El Salvador – has always found comfort on the soccer field.
“I play soccer because it’s the one thing that will always keep my mind off any negativity and will forever continue to keep me happy and motivated with life,” Quintanilla said.
Quintanilla has accumulated a long list of accolades throughout his high school career – including first team All-LoCo in 2018 and 2019, first team all-state in 2019, second team all-state in 2018, first team all-region in 2018 and 2019, and first team all-district in 2017, 2018, and 2019. Despite his accomplishments, Quintanilla remains humble and will no doubt look to make an impact right away at VCU.
“VCU is a college I’ve looked into for a while now,” Quintanilla said. “Going down there and visiting and hanging around the coaching staff and players made me feel super happy and comfortable while being there.”
The Division I Rams are in the midst of a strong season, currently sitting at 6-1-1 in the Atlantic 10 conference, and Quintanilla hopes his skillset will pay dividends right away.
“My strengths on the field are speed and scoring, so I’m hoping to bring a lot of that,” Quintanilla said. “I also want to be devoted and committed to helping the team win.”
