In the first soccer season back from the pandemic, a rookie coach led a group of 10-12 years old soccer players called Wolves United to an undefeated championship season.
Coach Rick Baez gathered his team of assistant coaches Erick Vargas and Brayden Hazen to teach his squad about soccer, brotherhood, hard work, perseverance, and life lessons, which would ultimately bring them to the top of a very competitive division.
Every player had a significant role in meeting the team's objectives. To start, Cristian Navarro motivated and led the group with chants and wolf howls. The players with the most improvement were Ronan Pender and Ayden Valenzuela. Oscar Galindo and Donovin Peters always demonstrated fight in every game. Ethan Vargas succeeded in the difficulties of playing two positions. Nizar Rafeedie showed quality with his experience and helped wherever he was needed. Joshua Montoya followed directions and exceeded in his position. Sage Acevedo fell into the role of being the backbone of the team with aggression and presence.
The midfield was held with fight and passion by Jude Baez by assisting with defending and attacking. Ethan Gonzalez, often referred to by his coach as “The Wall,” was a huge factor in an undefeated season by protecting the goal. Ethan Garza is referred to as the “Game Changer.” Garza’s quality, athleticism, hard work and ability to follow directions classify him as the most valuable player the Wolves, and perhaps the U-12 division, has. At the U-12 championship game versus the Sharks, Garza managed to score the only goal in the game with only a few minutes on the clock, crowning the Wolves United as champions of the 2021 U-12 CoEd season.
Coach Baez and the Wolfpack will be fighting for another championship against surrounding cities at the Commissioners Cup tournament on December 4 and 5 in Temecula, CA.
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