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Ortiz signs with Tennessee Temple
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In terms of soccer, Garrett Ortiz was certainly a late bloomer.After picking up the game as a sophomore in high school, Ortiz will continue his career in college as he signed a scholarship Tuesday to attend Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga.Collegiate athletes often have a history with their sport going back to the time they were toddlers, but Ortiz didn’t start playing soccer until he reached Warren County High School as a sophomore.His journey to the game of soccer didn’t begin until he moved from Japan, arrived in New Mexico and ultimately landed in Warren County.Gathered in front of family, friends and teammates Tuesday, Ortiz’s story was told by his father Paul, who has seen his son shift from a baseball player to a star at soccer.“When Garrett was growing up we were living in Japan and he loved baseball,” said Paul Ortiz. “When we moved here, he made the eighth-grade team and won two city championships.“It wasn’t until we moved to New Mexico for a brief period when he gave soccer a try. The rest is history.”Ortiz and his family moved back to Warren County during his freshman year and he was determined to make the soccer team as a sophomore.