Joahan Lopez is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Heritage Academy Laveen for AZPreps365.com

The concept of an offseason does not apply to the Soltero family.

Going through the stat sheets for most Heritage Academy Laveen sports during the 2024-25 school year reveals a common name appearing time and again: Soltero.

The Soltero family consists of two-sport twin sisters Sieana and Savana, an older brother, and a three-sport athlete, Paul “PJ” Jr.  The siblings play a combined five sports at Heritage Academy Laveen.

The identical twin sisters play varsity girls flag football and softball, delivering the Heritage Academy Laveen softball program a third state championship since 2017.

Sieana and Savana also helped Heritage Academy Laveen have a successful inaugural season in girls flag football, going 11-2 and finishing first in the 4A West Valley Region.

Savana was the starting quarterback, and Sieana was the starting wide receiver, and the duo hooked up for multiple touchdowns during the season.

“Too many (touchdowns) to count,” Savana said.

Flag football is becoming one of the more popular sports in girls athletics across the country. The Soltero twins, who grew up playing mainly softball, jumped at the opportunity of being on the first-ever girls flag football team at Heritage Academy Laveen. 

“We like to stay busy,” Savana said. “We chose flag football because it's more fast-paced and more entertaining.”

Cynthia Soltero, the mother of the threesome, emphasized how important sports – and each other – are in their lives. 

“They (twins)  just love sports, especially softball,” Cynthia said. “I think it's in their nature. They feed off each other, they compete against each other, which keeps them motivated and driving for the same goal. It's all up to them and what they want.“

Steve LaDrigue, head coach of the Heritage Academy Laveen softball and girls flag football teams, has coached the Soltero twins since they were under 10 years old, when they joined his club softball team, Team Hustle.

“They were just doing a lot of good things at a young age, and you could just tell they were gonna be good.” LaDrigue said.

Another factor why Sieana and Savana chose to play flag football is because they wanted to be like their big brother, whom they look up to. 

“We see him (PJ) doing great things. Academically and athletically, and I feel like my Cy (sieana) can be there one day,” Savana said.

PJ plays football, basketball, and baseball.

 In his senior season, as a wide receiver, he caught over 30 receptions with 10 touchdowns. In the basketball season, he averaged six points a game and had 30 steals in the season, as a point guard.

He is also the ultimate utility man on the diamond as he’s a switch-hitting catcher who can pitch as well on the Heritage Academy Laveen baseball team.

“You know how people say Bo knows? I say PJ knows,” said Cynthia, comparing him to Bo Jackson, the legendary multi-sport athlete who played in both the NFL and Major League Baseball.

He's not only a superstar in the field but also in the classroom, as he is salutatorian, finishing second in his class.

“His academics are so important to him (PJ),” Cynthia said. “He is just one of a kind,  he's the calmest, most respectful, big-hearted, kind-hearted person you’ll ever meet.”

Paul Soltero Sr., PJ’s father, said his son can achieve anything he sets his mind to.

“He's really a great kid and a great athlete,” Paul said. “He puts all his heart in everything he does as far as academics, sports  whatever he puts his mind to, he puts his 100%.”

PJ grew up playing club football and baseball, and when he entered high school, he believed he could take on an additional sport while continuing with the two he knew best. His parents were fully supportive of his decision to play physical sports year-round and gave him the freedom to make his own choices.

“I feel like this is exactly what he has wanted to do,” Cynthia said. “Whatever they wanted to do, we've always been by their side and supported them, pushed them along the way, I wouldn't change a thing.”

As PJ is entering his final stretch of high school sports and prepares to begin his next chapter, studying at Northern Arizona University, he reflects on the support and love his parents gave him through his sports career. 

“It means the world,” PJ said. “Growing up, they (Paul and Cynthia) didn’t really have much support. Knowing that, and seeing how hard they try to support us now in the best way they can has been super important to me.”

PJ is setting a strong example for his younger sisters, and while the bar he’s setting is high, they’re not shying away from it, according to Sieana and Savana.

“We try to be like PJ and go up and beyond,” Sieana said. “We’d like to get to his level.” 

Savana, in a more competitive way, enjoys the challenge. 

“He’s (PJ) is at the top of his class,” Savana said. “I'm hoping me and Cece (Sieana) can get there someday and prove to people that we can be just as good as him.”

The success of the multi-sport siblings wouldn’t be made possible without the parents' support.

Paul Sr. and Cynthia make it a point to have at least one parent at every game their children play, a challenging task during baseball and softball season, when games often overlap multiple times a week.

“From dusk to dawn,” Cynthia said. “We work around it as a team. We talk to each other, Paul gets off earlier, so I let him choose which game he goes to. I’ve personally been going to PJ’s games more since he’s a senior, and there's not a game I want to miss.  It’s tough, but we make it work.”

Paul supports the twins as a parent during the Heritage Academy Laveen softball season, but in the offseason, he shifts roles to join Coach LaDrigue as a club softball coach for the twins for the past eight years.

LaDrigue’s philosophy when it comes to his club team, Team Hustle, is effort, attitude, and family, and he expects that not only from his players but also from their parents as well.

“What I want from parents is for us all to be in this together,” LaDrigue said. “We're all rooting for each other's kids and to have success. Now, what you find sometimes is their families out there, who root for other kids not to have success, so their kid gets playing time.”

But that’s not the case for Paul and his wife, Cynthia. They’re not only supporters of their own kids but supporters for the entire team, even for players who aren’t theirs, according to LaDrigue.

Paul and Cynthia originally enrolled their kids in sports, believing it was the best way to help them grow by committing to something meaningful. Their oldest daughter, who played softball, set the tone for her younger siblings to develop a love for the game.

“I always thought that it would be good for them to play sports, keep them off the streets,” Paul said. “They play a sport that they love, and watching their older sister play, it was just perfect science that they grew up watching, and it was fulfilling to see them love the game that their older sister played.”