Aptos High last week announced that Edgar Cuellar, 31, was named new head coach for the boys’ soccer program.
Cuellar, who was previously the junior varsity coach since 2017, will replace longtime head coach Roberto Zúñiga after he spent 19 years at the helm.
“It meant a lot just because I’m homegrown,” said Cuellar about Aptos choosing him as the new head coach. “I come from the roots, from all the values that the school instills. I’m very proud to be a Mariner. What that school has delivered to me is just like my second home.”
Cuellar has spent more than 10 years coaching youths in Watsonville, working with players ages 5 to 17.
The Aptos alumnus played soccer for three years before he graduated in 2013. Cuellar studied kinesiology at Cabrillo College then quickly began coaching as an assistant in 2016 under Zúñiga.
“We both got here early and left late from the pitch,” Zúñiga said. “We were able to just be able to connect a lot on a personal level and, of course, on a professional level.”
Cuellar was promoted to JV head coach in 2017 and hasn’t left ever since then.
“We’ve been working together, me and Roberto Zúñiga, with with these boys, and it’s the positive culture that we’ve created to help these young individuals believe in themselves,” Cuellar said.
Zúñiga recently led the Mariners to their first-ever Central Coast Section title after they won the Division IV championship against Carlmont in the 2025-26 season.
He stepped down from his position during the offseason so he can spend time with his daughters, Alessandra and Gigi, who are both actively playing soccer.
“I think it was actually perfect timing,” Roberto Zúñiga said. “I want to take a step back and just enjoy the game without having to be there in a mix of coaching and working, dealing with everything that comes around.”
Zúñiga added, “It’s not just being on the pitch and coaching.”
Cuellar plans to preserve the program’s culture, training process and mentality while incorporating new ideas. He kept most of Zúñiga’s assistant coaches with the exception of goalkeeper coach Abel Corona.
Esteban Garcia remains as a varsity assistant coach, while Arnulfo Monroy was promoted to head coach of the junior varsity squad.
“We’re gonna keep it roughly the same, but definitely I will instill a little bit of my taste into it,” Cuellar said.
Cuellar said his vision is for the program to continue growing, and to keep the doors open for anyone who is interested in joining our boys soccer team, whether it’s a player or a supporter.
The first order of business is reconnecting with fellow members around the community to provide the resources for their student-athletes.
“Just in general, have good opportunities, training sessions for all these boys who are interested,” he said. “I have high expectations and I’m very excited to work with the coaching staff again. Seems like we’re all ready, all on the same page, and we’re ready to rock and roll.”
