FARMINGTON HILLS —Sixteen-year-old junior Moussa Zaatar is making a splash at Harrison High School in Farmington Hills. This year, he was selected by the school’s coach to become captain of the Hawks, the school’s varsity soccer team. For a position usually held by seniors, Zaatar’s years of practice and experience have made him a well-seasoned player on the soccer field. 

Zaatar’s parents say that he is an honor roll student and is a part of the Michigan Honors Society and also consistently participates in community service

Zaatar says he was introduced to the sport as a child by his father, when they would watch soccer games on television. That eventually led to him playing soccer on a daily basis since he was an elementary student. When he entered High School he quickly made it onto his school’s Junior Varsity team as a freshman. By his sophomore year he had tried out for the varsity team with a few of his friends and made it. After playing just one year on the team, he was selected to become captain by his coach Tim Russell. 

“The coach sees me as someone who can instruct well during the games and I know how to keep my team players motivated and staying positive,” Zaatar stated.

When playing for the Hawks, Zaatar plays both center and forward. The team has already played nine games this season and  so far seen good results, beating schools from other cities such as Garden City and Hazel Park, where they notably came out ahead in an 8-0 victory. During that game Zaatar helped his team score three points.  During their 2-0 victory against Garden City, Zaatar scored a point for his team in the first ten minutes, setting the tone for the rest of the game. 

But it’s not just soccer that he has crafted impressively. Zaatar’s parents say that he is an honor roll student and is a part of the Michigan Honors Society and also consistently participates in community service. His goal currently is to get a soccer scholarship to a college that would want him to play on their team. Right now he says he’s hoping to get into Northwestern but is open to the idea of looking at other colleges as well, hoping to eventually become a chiropractor. 

Zaatar says despite wanting to get into the medical industry, he will always want soccer to be a big part of his life. In the meantime he says, he will continue to enjoy his high school experience at Harrison, where he will continue to get an education and play soccer, as well as socialize with his friends. He says his team members and peers at school have been very supportive of him since he was selected to become captain.