Cisco Tharp pictures a soccer team as a well-meshed machine.

From his position as sweeper and the last man on defense on the Glenwood Springs high school soccer team, the senior has been instrumental to the Demons’ success this year.

“It takes a lot of coordination and teamwork for a team to be successful,” he said. “And when it is, it’s a beautiful thing to see.”

---

---

And the Demons have been a beautiful team to watch in 2002.

The school’s coaches and staff have noticed Tharp’s improvement as well, and have voted him to the high school’s weekly student-athlete spotlight.

---

---

“The new coach (Bob Guska) has made the game a lot easier for us,” Tharp said. “This year’s team is better than any team I’ve been a member of.”

Heading into the final week of the regular season, Glenwood has clinched a Class 4A state playoff berth and awaits the playoffs with renewed excitement.

“If we’re healthy and the team has no (red) cards, we stand a really good chance against the Front Range teams in the playoffs,” Tharp said.

The senior hopes that the team can win its final two games, so it can host a playoff at Glenwood’s Stubler Memorial Field, where Tharp feels the team has a big advantage.

“We always play well at Stubler. When we step on the field, the team feels that this is our territory,” Tharp said.

Soccer has been a part of Tharp’s life as long as he can remember.

Like most of his high school teammates, Tharp started playing in the town’s pee-wee league, then progressing to club soccer with the Glenwood Springs Soccer Association and to the high school team.

“My older brother (Adrian Glasenapp) played at the high school, and I just started playing after that,” said Tharp.

He credits his club sport coach, Royal Smith, as the most influential person of his soccer career.

“There was a time where I didn’t play, then I joined the club team and Royal Smith was my coach. That’s where I fell in love with the sport.”

“I owe a lot to him,” said Tharp. “Without him, I wouldn’t have continued to play soccer.”