On this day, Edgar Herrera is on a two-mile run with his soccer teammates at South Johnston High School. All the while, he pays special attention to what's taking place to his left on the football field. At any moment, Trojans head football coach Joe Salas will blow his whistle.
That's when Herrera stops being a soccer player and becomes a football player.
"It can be tiring and frustrating at times," Herrera admits, "especially when the two schedules intertwine like this."
Still, the 5-foot-4 dual-sport star wouldn't have it any other way.
"He's one of the best athletes I've ever seen," marvels South Johnston soccer coach Jeremy Byrd. "He's electric on the soccer field and can do anything he wants with the ball."
Edgar Herrera jokes with his soccer teammates
Just look at the numbers: During his freshman year, Herrera scored an amazing 44 goals and followed it up with 35 as a sophomore. A knee injury cost Herrera most of his junior year, but he still tallied 14 goals in just 10 games. In 15 games this season, he has found the back of the net an area-leading 43 times.
Yet in the small Johnston county town of Four Oaks, Herrera's exploits with the round ball can't match what took place one Friday night earlier this football season. That's the night Herrera kicked the game-winning, 30-yard field goal, twice, with five seconds left against rival West Johnston.
A timeout wiped away what would have been the first winning kick. Herrera then proceeded to make an even truer boot for a 10-7 win.
"It felt great," Herrera said. "It was nerve-racking. One side of the stadium was yelling and screaming and the other side was quiet. But when the ball went through the uprights, it was unbelievable."
So where does that kick rank compared to some of his greatest goals?
"I've never had a game-winning goal in the last seconds of a soccer game," Herrera said. "So kicking the game-winning field goal with five seconds left was amazing."
"He's got ice water in his veins," Salas said.
But soccer is Herrera's first love, and he'll play that sport when he heads off to college next year. UNC-Wilmington and Virginia Commonwealth have shown interest, as well as St. Leo's College in Florida where his brother is wrapping up an All-America career.
"He may be better at soccer than anyone else here ever was in their particular sport," Byrd said.
That's a tall statement for a young man of such small stature.
"Most people think they can push me around, but I take it all in stride," said Herrera. "People see me as the underdog, and that motivates me."
Herrera has always been a good athlete. In fact, he was the leading receiver for his middle school squad.
Herrera sets his sights on the goal post
"We've been tempted before," Salas admits to the thought of putting Herrera into harm’s way, "but Coach Byrd won't let us do that."
And Herrera says that's fine with him.
"Some of those guys weigh 100 pounds more than me, so maybe it's not a good idea."
Not when you consider how much he means to his soccer team. If he keeps up his scoring pace, Herrera will finish as one of the top five goal-scorers of all time in the state.
Herrera, who says he might eventually try to be a placekicker in college, does wonder just how good he could be if he devoted his full attention to kicking. His coach, though, has no doubt.
"He'd be a Division I kicker," Salas said. "He's never even been to a kicking camp and look what he's done. He's just a great athlete who happens to play soccer.
"He's going to be successful no matter what he does."
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