2013 Boys Soccer Archive Stories

As he and his teammates coasted along I-5 to Stockton, Triston Montoya was convinced he was a part of a team of destiny. On Nov. 10 of last year, River Valley High's senior goalkeeper walked on to the pitch at Lincoln High's Alex G. Spanos Stadium and knew nothing would get by him. His Falcons had come too far and been through to

Abel Franco has come a long way since first learning the game of soccer as a youth in Mexico. There were no synthetic fields, grandstands or scoreboards, just a group of kids kicking a ball around on a make-shift field. It may not have been much, but it was all they ever needed. "I grew up in a village in Mexico with no p

A steady wind with gusts reaching nearly 30 mph dictated the strategy and defense dominated the game, but one slip by Orland High with 2 minutes left opened the door for Live Oak's Sal Vargas to give the Lions a 1-0 victory in the Northern Section Division II championship match. Vargas dribbled ball into the wind from midfield, after the

Hungry to return to the section championship game for the second straight year, the Live Oak High boys soccer team left nothing to chance on Tuesday afternoon. From the opening whistle until the final one, the Lions dominated all the action, blending together their ball-handling skills, passing ability and stout back line to turn their N

Despite being the No. 5 seed on Thursday, the Gridley High boys soccer team played like anything but an underdog. The Bulldogs shut out No. 4 Anderson 4-0 on the road in the opening round of the Northern Section Division II playoffs. Gridley (13-8-2) will face Butte View League foe Orland (the No. 1 seed) on Tuesday in Orland.

The Northern Section released its soccer playoff seedings for the Division I-III playoffs on Saturday and 10 local teams earned the chance to compete for a section championship. The Sutter High girls squad, which clinched its 10th straight Butte View League championship this season, earned the No. 1 seed in Division II. Behind th

Sarah Brennan recorded 10 points and seven rebounds, Jagreet Gosal scored 10 points and the River Valley High girls basketball team clinched at least a share of the Tri-County Conference title with a 58-18 blowout victory in Woodland on Thursday night. Amrita Dale and Aleqse Hawkins added eight points apiece for the Falcons, who improved

The Yuba College baseball team picked up a huge victory on Tuesday at Appeal-Democrat Park. The 49ers knocked off the No. 5-ranked team in Northern California as they defeated Sierra College 3-1 in a nonleague matchup. Yuba (3-0) broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning when Christian Divelbiss scored on a double play ball. The Niner

Faith Christian High senior Micah Atkins played with ice in his veins on Thursday night. The Lions' senior guard drained three straight free throws with no time left in regulation to deliver his team a 69-68 victory over Buckingham Charter in a battle for first place in the Sacramento Metropolitan Athletic League. Atkins was foul

The Gridley High boys basketball team improved to 3-1 in the Butte View League after topping Wheatland at home in Farmer's Hall on Tuesday. Tyler Abrego led the way with 20 points, while a handful of contributors also filled out the stat sheet. Leo Espinoza chipped in with 11 points, Shobi Khan and Sam Cota each recorded 10 point

Taylor Massengale scored a game-high 17 points to go with 15 rebounds, and the River Valley High girls basketball team closed out the first cycle of Tri-County Conference play undefeated with a 53-33 victory over cross-town rival Yuba City at Honker Gym on Friday night. Up by two points at halftime, the Falcons outscored the Honkers 36-1

The Sutter High boys basketball team closed out the first cycle of Butte View League play on a high note. The Huskies took down Winters 55-49 at home on Thursday night to finish the first half of their BVL schedule at 2-2. Sutter (14-7 overall) received a nice effort from Colin Taylor, who scored a team-high 14 points. Seth Lande

Micah Atkins scored 34 points, Drew LeBlanc added 20 and the Faith Christian High boys basketball team cruised past Valley Christian 109-78 at C.A. Summy Gymnasium on Tuesday to jump into a three-way tie for first place in the Sacramento Metropolitan Athletic League. Deep Bhatti scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while Jordan Sull

The River Valley High boys basketball team "forgot to pack the offense," according to coach Brad McIntire, and fell 47-31 to Inderkum in a Tri-County Conference game for first place in Sacramento on Thursday. The Falcons shot 13 for 53 from the field and slipped to 11-9 overall and 2-1 in conference with the loss. Cris Lamas led

The newest installment of the Sutter-Wheatland rivalry got off to a good start on Tuesday night. The Huskies dropped in nine 3-pointers and held off the Pirates in the fourth quarter to take home a 58-49 victory to open Butte View League play in Wheatland. The score was tied 48-48 in the fourth before Sutter went on a 10-1 run to

The River Valley High boys basketball team opened its Tri-County Conference slate with a 78-65 victory over Pioneer in Woodland on Thursday night. Every member of the Falcons scored, but it was T.J. Dove who led the way with 13 points and five steals. Cris Lamas scored 11 points and Jordan Noall added 10. Stuart Bradley scored se

The Wheatland High wrestling team won five matches by pin and captured three more wins by way of forfeit to earn a 47-30 victory at Winters in the Butte View League opener on Wednesday night. Robert Zatraneau won by pin in the 106-pound division and was followed by pins from Ryan Franken at 120, Jordyn Jones at 160, Kalan Hastey at 170 a

It may have been early in the year, but freshman David Gomez made a decision that could alter the course of the Gridley High boy soccer team's season. After starting the first four matches at forward and not recording a single goal, Gomez approached Bulldogs coach Jesse Barajas and asked him to make a change by moving him back to play de

In a rematch of last year's Golden Empire League co-champions, Capital Christian bested Lindhurst 61-46 on Tuesday night in Sacramento in both team's 2013 GEL opener. The Cougars, ranked No. 4 by the Sacramento Bee, are the defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division V champions. Devin Ward led Lindhurst with 16 points and fellow seni

Tyler Abrego scored 23 points and pulled down 17 rebounds, but the Gridley High boys basketball team missed five free throws in overtime in a 71-68 loss to Mesa Verde in the Oroville Tournament opener on Thursday night. Sam Cota delivered with 13 points and seven rebounds, while teammates Leo Espinoza and Emery Haddy each scored 10 for t