Jonathan Ayala left his mark all over the Ygnacio Valley soccer program.

Ayala scored a school-record 87 goals in his high school career, including 33 this season. Ayala has been named the Prep2Prep North Coast Section Senior of the Year.

In his four years, Ygnacio Valley went 67-16-11, including a 20-win season this season as the Warriors advanced to the NCS semifinals for a second straight year. Ayala was named DVAL MVP.

"He had a lot of potential and had great size when he first arrived," Ygnacio Valley coach Cesar Chavez told the Contra Costa Times. "I knew he was good and with hard work he could be very special."

Ayala, nicknamed Tata, attributes his style of play for helping him break the school records.

“I like to play aggressive and have the ball on my feet,” the 6-foot-3 striker said. “I always want to win.”

Hard work and preparation allowed Ayala to achieve his goals.

"It's something I worked for and it wasn't easy,” Ayala told the newspaper. “Preseason fitness, late-night runs and practices where I would stay and work on my shots.”

Ayala plans to attend Cal State Monterey Bay and play soccer and pursue a kinesiology degree.

"It will be very hard to replace him," Chavez said. "Not only was he a great soccer player, but was also a great young man. I have coached many great players over the years, but I can tell you that Tata has been the most special player I have ever coached.”

Also considered: Esteban Berumen, F, Pittsburg; Jeff Greenberg, F, Monte Vista.

NOTE: We would like to thank our readers for all of the nominations you sent in for the season-ending NCS soccer awards. It is a daunting task to narrow down our selections to just the top few as we recognize there are lots of great players who make contributions on the court that are not necessarily well-documented but mean a great deal to the success of their teams. We salute all of the players that have made this a wonderful season of NCS soccer.