With the 2022-23 season in the books, postseason soccer accolades have been awarded and leading the way with seven selections are the Mid-Valley League champion Yellowjacket boys, followed by the second place Williams girls with five.
MVL foe Maxwell had a total of four between the boys and girl’s teams, while in the Sacramento Valley League, Colusa had three selections apiece from its two squads and Pierce came away with five.
Here’s the rundown of the county players named to their respective All-League squads:
Williams boys:
As the MVL champs and the section runner-up, the ‘Jackets saw sophomore defender Andrew Bautista named the league’s Most Valuable Player.
Although no defensive statistics were kept, Bautista was a major factor in helping to hold the Yellowjackets’ opponents to 33 goals, which is half of what Williams scored this season.
Joining Bautista on the All-MVL team was senior goalkeeper Jair Ramirez, who averaged 6.1 saves per match, along with fellow defender, junior Angel Villanueva.
Also earning All-League honors for their roles on the Yellowjacket attack were junior Kaled Rosales (15 assists, seven goals), along with sophomores Ernie Lemus (13 goals) and Leo Hernandez (18 assists and seven goals),
Guiding Williams (14-4-6, 7-0-3) to the league championship was head coach Humberto Guzman, who was named MVL Coach of the Year.
Williams girls:
Leading the way for the Lady ‘Jackets (10-5-1, 6-1-1) was the dynamic duo of senior Brisa Garcia and junior Isabella Santillan, who accounted for a combined 51 percent of the offense this year.
Garcia found the back of the net 19 times in her final season for Williams, while Santillan recorded 14 goals and 11 assists.
For the defense, a pair of seniors in sweeper Celeste Ramirez and goalkeeper Trinity Tungasmita garnered All-MVL recognition as well.
Maxwell boys:
Competing in the MVL this season, Maxwell (5-5-2, 4-4-2) finished fourth and as a result received three spots on the All-League team including senior Eriberto Lara, along with sophomores Walter Avery and Massey Baker.
Avery was the leading scorer for the Panthers with 17 goals, while Lara tallied nine, and Baker performed admirably in goal.
Maxwell girls:
This season was a learning experience for the Panthers (0-8-1, 0-7-1), who fielded a team for the first time in recent memory, but the young group showed potential.
Sophomore Aaliya Rolon was fifth place Maxwell’s All-MVL selection.
Colusa boys:
In the Sacramento Valley League, the RedHawk boys (6-10-4, 3-5-2) finished in fourth place, which afforded them three All-League spots.
Three seniors in midfielder Marco Marquez, defender Antonio Garcia, and goalkeeper Andres Lopez were honored for their efforts in their final season for Colusa.
Colusa girls:
After a slow start in the preseason, the RedHawks (6-14-2, 4-4-2) came on in league play to finish third in the SVL.
Seniors Gisselle Vidal and Gabby Saavedra earned All-League honors, as did junior Allie Reading.
Pierce boys:
Third place Pierce (6-14-2, 4-5-1) had three of its players named to the All-SVL squad.
Seniors Erick Ambriz and David Medina, along with freshman Francisco Ruiz, were at the heart of the team that has exhibited continued improvement over the past two seasons, under Coach Daniel Ambriz.
Pierce girls:
Similar to its counterpart on the boy’s side, the Lady Bears (3-12-3, 2-5-3) also showed development this year after finishing fifth in the SVL.
Acknowledged for their performances were junior Angelina Alvarez and freshman Yarely Ruiz. ■
