In just his first year of high school soccer, Esparza played a key role for the Mission Valley Athletic League runner-up Cougars, and earned first-team all-league honors as a result.

Esparza was the third-leading scorer for a young Newark Memorial team which won its last three matches of the season and narrowly missed being included in the Division I playoffs.

His five goals included three key goals down the stretch, including the game-winner in a 1-0 win over American in late January, and goals in 2-0 wins over both Moreau Catholic and Mission San Jose in February.

He is part of a team which could potentially return 17 of its 23 players next season.

Other players considered for this award: Ygnacio Valley’s Gabriel Pfeiffer, Pinole Valley’s Guillermo Renteria, and St. Patrick-St. Vincent’s Angelo Dominguez.

NOTE: We would like to thank our media partners, coaches, parents, players and fans for contributing photos for our all-section features. We salute all of the players that have made this a wonderful season of NCS soccer.