CHICO, CA (MPG) – For the past two years, the Northern Section Division III soccer championship has come down to a contest between the Williams Yellowjackets and the Winters Warriors, with the ‘Jackets winning out 2-0, in 2022, and the Warriors claiming the title in 2023, with a 4-1 victory.
So, this year’s match, played on the turf at Chico High School, due to wet conditions in Williams, contained a great deal of history and, fittingly, was a nail biter, as the Yellowjackets had to come from behind to win the match 2-1 and claim the fourth championship in school history.
Having beaten Winters 4-1 in their only previous meeting this season and looking to keep their season unblemished, the Yellowjackets were caught off guard after the Warriors struck for the first goal in the match just 16 minutes into the contest.
After the stunning turn of events, Winters remained patient for the rest of the half using its well-organized defense to force the ‘Jackets into uncharacteristic errant passes and shots.
Coming out of intermission, Williams found itself in the unfamiliar territory of having to play from behind, but Coach Humberto Guzman stressed a message of unity at the half, knowing that if his team played as one they could overcome the first half errors and stage a comeback.
“I told them that the mistakes were in the past and to forget about them,” said Guzman. “We needed to play together, trust ourselves, and come out hard.”
Those words must have resonated because that’s exactly what the team did when just 30 seconds into the second half, leading scorer Ernie Lemus put one in the back of the net to tie the score at one all.
But Lemus wasn’t done yet, when three and a half minutes later he drilled another one that not only put the ‘Jackets on top, but proved to be the game winner.
“I was just trying to keep a positive mindset,” said the junior, who had won his first section title as a freshman in 2022. “I knew we were the better team. We had beaten them before and we could do it again. I guess it’s also a little bit of revenge for last year.”
With 36 minutes remaining, however, the Warriors put the Williams defense to the test, and it responded.
Goalkeeper Jesse Velazquez made three key saves, while everyone else on the team stepped up as well.
However, in the frenzied play that characterized the remainder of the match, things got a little chippy as no less than seven yellow cards were handed out.
Still, the talent and experience of the Yellowjackets won out in the end, bringing the season literally to a perfect conclusion as they finished with an 18-0 mark.
“What else could I ask for?” said Guzman, who now has been a part of all four of Williams’s soccer championships, three as a coach and one as a player.
Calling this squad one of the best he has ever coached, Guzman also singled out the play of Kaled Rosales, Adrian Solis, Leo Hernandez, Andrew Bautista, and Matthew Cervantes saying, “They played a hell of game today.”
With the win, the Yellowjackets received the No. 6 seed in the 2024 CIF NorCal Boys Soccer Championships and headed to Oakland to take on No. 3 Skyline on Feb. 27 in a first round match.