One goal for Gomez. Two goals for Gomez. Five goals for Gomez!
The No. 1-ranked Guntersville High School soccer team was frustrated as they watched a single Jasper High School junior score all five of the Vikings’ points at the 2025 Lake City Cup.
Who is this kid playing forward for Jasper? It’s Gomez. Axel Gomez.
His name has become a fixture on the Viking boys’ soccer team, led by head coach Gunter Wisdom. This is a tough player scoring goals under the banner of a tough name. When asked the story behind a name as cool as “Axel,” he simply responds, “My parents named me after some rockstar guy.”
Nobody in Axel’s family is an avid Guns N’ Roses fan. Axel even admits he has never listened to his namesake’s music. But when his parents, Idelma Orozco and Omar Gomez, heard the name Axl Rose, they decided to add an “e” and set their son up with a legendary signature.
Soccer is ingrained in Axel’s life. He grew up sitting cross-legged on the sidelines, watching his father play in local leagues. Omar instilled in Axel a love for the sport. When Axel was 5 years old, he started passing the ball back and forth with his dad.
“My dad has always been by my side,” Axel says. “I grew up watching him play soccer. That is where I got my skills.”
Axel saw a genuine passion for soccer in his dad and in community members, who encouraged him to pursue the game. He now has fond memories around the sport, including being selected for the 2024 Class 5A All-State Second Team, scoring five goals against the number one 5A team in the state and making lifelong friends along the way.
“My teammates mean a lot to me,” he says. “They are like my family. They are like brothers to me.”
Whenever Axel finds an opportunity to play, he takes it. He comes alive when his cleats hit the turf. Once he’s in the game, once he has the ball, there’s no stopping him.
Axel hopes to play college soccer, with his eyes on a few Alabama schools, like UAB and UAH, as well as out-of-state programs including Clemson and Penn State.
Axel now understands why his dad brought him along to pickup games and local tournaments growing up: to share the things we love with the people we love. TG
Photos by Al Blanton
A special thanks to our sponsor Carbon Hill Coca-Cola Bottling!
