ALL-NORTH COAST SECTION
Player of the Year JONAS SKULSTAD, MONTE VISTA
By NATE SMITH Prep2Prep
It would have been impossible to predict Skulstad’s impact this year at the end of last season. That was because the Norwegian transfer student was not yet attending Monte Vista. That changed
for the 2015-2016 season, and so did the Mustangs’ fortunes.
Skulstad controlled each game from the midfield, while also scoring 10 goals and registering six assists. Six of his 10 goals were game-winners, and he assisted on the game-winning goal
in the NCS championship game win over San Ramon Valley.
But it was his intangibles, his patience and vision as described by other coaches, which really made him stand out in the field. And he played his best when it mattered the most, getting
on the score sheet in three of Monte Vista’s four playoff games. The one he did not, the semifinal against Santa Rosa, may have featured his most aggressive approach, peppering the
Panther net with seven shots in the match.
His play was key for a Monte Vista program which lost in the quarterfinals a year ago and was seeded fifth this season before finishing the year as North Coast Section Division I champions
for the first time since 2007.
Coach of the Year ANTONIO GARCIA, SANTA ROSA
Antonio Garcia led Santa Rosa to a league title in the NBL and a trip to the NCS semifinals.
By NATE SMITH Prep2Prep
Prior to the 2016 winter season, the discussion around the Division I North Coast Section championship had always been centered among the top schools from the East Bay Athletic League,
and rightfully so. With Monte Vista’s victory this season, the EBAL has now won eight straight section titles, dating back to a 2008 victory for Pittsburg. But this season, a new
contender from a new region emerged, led by Garcia and a cast of standout senior student-athletes.
Santa Rosa had not finished first in the North Bay League since 2009, but after playing a strong non-league schedule, the Panthers overcame a loss to second-place Rancho Cotate
and draws with Windsor and Casa Grande to emerge as the NBL champions. They also earned the top seed in the Division I playoffs after non-league wins over Dublin and San Ramon Valley.
“This was just a great group to go through the season with,” Garcia stated. “It was disappointing to see the season end when it did, but any of the final four teams were
deserving of a section title.”
Santa Rosa, in fact, pushed eventual section champion Monte Vista to the brink of elimination, scoring the equalizer in the second half before the Mustangs emerged victorious
in the second overtime. The Panthers were led by a cast of seniors which included first-team All-NBL defender Edwin Martinez and keeper Jairo Villalobos.
“These guys just really enjoyed playing together, and a lot of them also play club together,” Garcia said. “It made this year a great experience, and just real fun to be a part of.”
That enjoyable senior class also included defender Andrew Williams, defender Ryan Lorenz, and forward Seamus Young. All three joined Martinez and Villalobos as All-NBL
selections. But the cupboard is far from bare for Garcia, who will look to keep the Panthers in the hunt next season. Junior Gavin Weitzenberg joins sophomores Anthony Lopez
and Brian Sanchez as key parts of the foundation going forward.
Another key part of the Panthers’ success this season, and a key component going forward, was the work of assistant coach Rand Parlo, making this almost a staff of the year award.
“We had a great time, and know we can compete at the highest level in the section,” Garcia said. “Our senior class this year set the standard for future groups to live up to.”
For his efforts this year in getting Santa Rosa to the precipice of an NCS Division I title game in its first ever winter season, Garcia is the Prep2Prep NCS Coach of the Year.
Senior of the Year LUIS LOPEZ, DE ANZA
Lopez, the MVP of the TCAL-Stone division, led the Dons to a NCS Division II title, notching 29 assists to go with 10 goals scored. After losing in the first round of last year’s
playoffs, Lopez spurred a run through the post-season, ending with a title game victory against Campolindo.
Junior of the Year JOSE DIAZ, YGNACIO VALLEY
Diaz was the Diablo Valley Athletic League’s Defensive Player of the Year, leading the Warriors to the first ever NCS Division III title. Diaz was the key defender for an Ygnacio
Valley team which did not allow a goal in the post-season.
Sophomore of the Year ANTHONY LOPEZ, SANTA ROSA
One of the most talented players anywhere on the field in the North Bay League, Lopez led the Panthers in overall points as they advanced to the Division I semifinals in their first winter season.
Freshman of the Year ROBERTO BARAHONA, CONCORD
In his first high school season, Barahona scored 16 goals to go with six assists for the Minutemen, who advanced to the Division II semifinals before losing on penalty kicks to Campolindo.
FIRST TEAM ALL-NCS
Suliman Khorami, Dublin
Position: Forward
Year: Senior
Khorami was the overall Most Valuable Player of the Diablo Foothill Athletic League, after returning from the San Jose Earthquakes academy team. He scored 21 goals and had 12 assists,
and has an offer from UC Davis.
Edwin Martinez, Santa Rosa
Position: Defender
Year: Senior
The top defender in the NBL marked the top scorer from each opposing team. His impact may have been most illustrated in the two games against Heritage. Martinez missed the first
meeting, and the Panthers yielded four goals. In the section quarterfinals, Martinez was able to neutralize the Patriot attack in a 2-0 win.
Ryan Rossi, Campolindo
Position: Defender
Year: Senior
The Defensive MVP of the DFAL, Rossi anchored a Cougars’ defense that did not yield a goal in either the section quarterfinals or semifinals. Rossi is a dual-sport standout on the Campolindo
campus, also playing in the outfield for the Cougars’ baseball team.
Matthias Reimink, Redwood
Position: Forward
Year: Junior
Reimink is only a one-year player for the Giants, and will return to the Netherlands after this school year. His impact was huge, though, helping Redwood win the regular-season
MCAL title after scoring 14 goals and eight assists during league play. He was named MVP of the MCAL.
SECOND TEAM ALL-NCS
HONORABLE MENTION:
ACALANES:
Ian Franklin
ALAMEDA:
Cameron Burns
ALBANY:
Dylan Hayton-Ruffner
ALHAMBRA:
Jose Diaz
AMADOR VALLEY:
Jeff Klei
AMERICAN:
Ernesto Villegas
ANTIOCH:
Bernardo Mendoza
ARROYO:
Edgar Gonzalez
BEREAN CHRISTIAN:
Kaei Kamiya
BERKELEY:
Ivan Jutamulia, Alex El Ghaoui
BISHOP O'DOWD:
Nick Braithwaite, Johnnie Flynn
BRANSON:
Jack Singer, Adam Singer
CAMPOLINDO:
Rupert Dusauzay, Matt Ringquist
CARDINAL NEWMAN:
Kevin Flanagan
CASA GRANDE:
David Luis, Jeff Mondragon
CASTRO VALLEY:
Diego Ojeda-Juarez
CLAYTON VALLEY:
Taylor Heuerman
COLLEGE PARK:
Justin Bedig
DE ANZA:
Mario Santos, Ben Doherty
DE LA SALLE:
Kai Squires
DEER VALLEY:
Enrique Fajardo, Rudy Saucedo
DOUGHERTY VALLEY:
Laith Jamil Anqud
DRAKE:
Max Vibert, Isaac Vernon, Bennett Fries
DUBLIN:
Stefen Dillon
EL CERRITO:
Adonis Dias
ENCINAL:
Prawat Somwongsa
FREEDOM:
Grant LaFleur
GRANADA:
Alec Foster
HAYWARD:
Danny Hernandez
HERCULES:
Eric Gill
HERITAGE:
Jihobanny Lopez
IRVINGTON:
Tiger Chen
JAMES LOGAN:
Kenneth Amaral, Emmanuel Alvarado
KENNEDY-FREMONT:
David Ngandu, Adrian Cisneros
KENNEDY-RICHMOND:
Edgar Rivera
LAS LOMAS:
Matias Cassino
LIBERTY:
Carlos Hernandez, Miguel Larios
LIVERMORE:
Matthew Petrie
MARIA CARRILLO:
Diego Huerta, Josue Cabrera
MIRAMONTE:
Joseph Wang
MONTE VISTA:
Connor Lynn, Peter Davis, Kyle Colonna
MONTGOMERY:
Bryan Mora, Jordan Secchitaro
MOREAU CATHOLIC:
Aaron Havard
MT. DIABLO:
Agustin Mejia
MT. EDEN:
Armando Betanzos
NEWARK MEMORIAL:
Jesus Morales, Sergio Fuentes
NORTHGATE:
Dean Lewis
NOVATO:
Gabriel Estrada
PIEDMONT:
Eduardo Salinas
PINOLE VALLEY:
Jorge Poblano
PITTSBURG:
Javier Hernandez, Abraham Rosales, Brian Frias
RANCHO COTATE:
Kevin Juarez, Guillermo Irizarry, Kiki Gomez
REDWOOD:
Julian Ulrich, Isaac Perper, James Ingledew
RICHMOND:
Luis Mendoza, Osbaldo Bramvila
SAINT MARY'S:
Lalo De Loa
SALESIAN:
Raul Garcia
SAN LEANDRO:
Feliciano Cardenas, Efrain Gomez
SAN LORENZO:
Emmanuel Lara, Emerson Ochoa, Jorge Briseno
SAN RAFAEL:
Edenilson Blano, Alex Argueta
SAN RAMON VALLEY:
Jacob Wright, Jackson White
SANTA ROSA:
Brian Sanchez, Jairo Villalobos
ST. PATRICK-ST. VINCENT:
Zach Richards
TENNYSON:
Cristian Guzman, Daniel Ceja
TERRA LINDA:
Marcus Eriksson
UKIAH:
Isauro Cabada
WASHINGTON:
Jesus Radillo
WINDSOR:
Alex Mejia, Mauricio Madrigal
YGNACIO VALLEY:
Jonathan Negrete, Eric Zaragoza, Jorge Regalado
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