Esparto made it back to the Div. III Northern Section championship game for the second time under fourth year Head Coach Juan Juarez by beating no. 2 seed Hamilton 2-0 on Thursday, setting it up with a date at no. 1 seed Willows for the title.
The no. 3 seed Spartans came away with a 4-1 win after double overtime on Saturday, scoring three goals in the two 10-minute periods. They earned their first section win since the 2004-05 season, ending a nine-year section title drought for the school and a 12-year drought for the boys program specifically.
Willows opened the contest by scoring in the opening 15 minutes, but Esparto (16-1-4, 4-0-4 Sacramento Valley League) answered on a goal by junior Sergio Padilla in the 33rd minute off an assist from sophomore Roberto Hernandez.
The second half of regulation saw a drought from both teams. It was senior goalkeeper Eduardo Rodriguez who came up big for the Spartans, keeping the opponents at bay and recording eight saves on the afternoon.
But once regulation ended and overtime began, Esparto took off.
In the first 10-minute overtime it found the back of the net twice. The first came from freshman Justin Gamez assisted by Hernandez — his second — and the next score came on a pass from Padilla to Hernandez who apparently wanted to return the favor from the first half assist by the sophomore.
With a 3-1 lead and one overtime remaining the Spartans kept up the pressure. Juarez said junior Tito Valenzuela played a critical role in overtime controlling the center of the field and allowing his team to keep up the attack.
Valenzuela grabbed an assist late in the game, finding Padilla who scored his second goal and put the icing on the cake that was a section title.
Juarez credited his roster from top to bottom for the win, with particular emphasis on the role the reserves played in the extended affair.
“Our bench was awesome these last five games stepped up big when we had difficulties and injuries,” Juarez said. “They made the difference along with our heavy running because we can go deep into games and make the extra push while our opponents try and settle and park the bus to get to a shootout.”
When Juarez mentioned heavy running, he’s referring to the cardio regimen the team has to take part in.
Every Wednesday the Spartans take a fitness test, usually something like running a certain distance in an alotted time. If any player doesn’t pass that test he doesn’t play in the upcoming game.
Juarez said Saturday’s game is exactly why he does the weekly fitness test — he noted that his bench came in with fresh legs to continue to chip away at Willows before finding three goals in overtime.
“Our boys were at full strength and they kept pounding on the Willows side realizing they no wheels as regulation ended,” he said.
So Esparto capped off an impressive year with an impressive section championship. It lost only one game all year, a defeat at the hands of Pleasant Valley — a team that finished with a perfect record of 23-0 and won the Div. I Northern Section title for a third year in a row.
“This year’s team was more experienced and with something to prove and a message to send to the committee who seeded us third,” Juarez said. “Our goal this year was to go undefeated in league play and win sections despite rebuilding our entire back line.”
Goals achieved, the Spartans finished 4-0-4 in SVL play — four ties, but no losses — and grabbed that elusive section title that Juarez and company have been so close to in the three seasons prior to this one since the coach took over.
Rodriguez, the senior goalkeeper, was named the SVL defensive Most Valuable Player by the coaches. The Spartans also had five players make the All-League Team in juniors Valenzuela and Padilla along with seniors Ivan Estrada, Leonardo Robles and Hersael Heredia.
Contact Tommy McCormick at 530-406-6236
