By: Brooke Curley
brooke@gilavalleycentral.nete
The young athletes of the Gila Valley have a special place in our hearts. Earlier in the month, Gila Valley Central was informed that all of the Gila Valley Allstar soccer teams took 1st place in the Tucson Ft. Lowell Shootout tournament in January. To give the champions some recognition, Gila Valley Central reached out to the coaches for their statements. Here are the statements that were collected over the past week.
Contributed photo/ Courtesy of Rosa Estrada Jurado: ” The Diamonds” Team: Top to the left- Janelle Jurado, Rhylie Klajda, Hannah Schade, Tashony Kniffin, Ja’niah Cabrera, Alexis Rope— bottom row – left- Bianca Quintero, Lexi Abeyta, Aleena Romero, Jaydyn Coy, Hailey Foote
————Rosa Estrada Jurado -Coach of Team Diamonds
“I’m super proud of them, they have been training for a month and a half and they had great teamwork and everything flowed perfectly.
They were great sports. They had great communication on the field, and they remembered everything I taught them as practice. They were undefeated the whole tournament. They only had four goals scored against them total.
They had great confidence on the field, their endurance was up. They were able to handle it, I was very proud of them. They had lots of confidence, I thought they would be a little bit scared but they were confident in their game.
We’re going to another tournament, February the 10, and March the 3. If you see my girls, tell them good luck!” -Jurado
Contributed photo/ Blanca Bowman: “The Eliminators” Team: Front left to right: Eric Klajda, Owen Macario, Jett Howard, Gavin Rogers, Emilio Atencio, Cohen Soto Back row left to right: Coach Blanca Bowman, Adan Leon, Bo Bowman, Benjamin Medina, Brasen Penrod, Kody Bingham, Coach Angel Atencio
————Bianca Bowman- Coach of The Eliminators
“This group of boys have only been playing together since early December so to go face these teams that have played together for years & play all year long says a lot about their soccer abilities. They each bring a unique skill to the team so we have an unstoppable offense and a tough as nails defense. They handled the ball well and played together as a team. They played hard the entire weekend and twice as hard at the championship game to bring home the WIN! Ft. Lowell Shootout 12u Boys Champions! We (coaches – myself & Angel Atencio) are so proud of these boys and looking forward to the next tournament.” -Bowman
Contributed photo/ Courtesy of: Jack Foote “Team Chaos” From LEft to Right back row: Bri Arbizo, Brynley Soto, Tyla Bryce, Megan Stone, Samantha Foote, Adysen Smith, Kapree Mattice, Jack Foote, Anahai Sanchez, and Emilee Brown. Front row: Jerzi Hawkins, Trynity Dominguez, and Vera Moreno (Not Pictured is Jeff Stone)
———— Jack Foote Team Chaos Coach
“I would like to give a huge shout out to the local AYSO PSP Soccer teams. We have four teams this year from the Gila Valley AYSO PSP, which stands for Post Season Play, previously known as ALL-Stars. This year we have the 10U Girls teams, the Diamonds, coached by Rosa Jurado, Deann Schade, and Sunny Cabrera; the 10U Boys teams, The Wreckers, coached by Justin Mack; the 12U Girls team,Chaos, coached by Jack Foote and Jeff stone; and the 12U Boys team, the Eliminators, coached by Blanca Bowman and Angel Atencio. The ages for the 10U are children born in 2008-2009 and the 12U are born in 2006-2007.
On the weekend of January 12th-14th 2018 all the teams went to the Fort Lowell Shootout in Tucson AZ. And all four teams, in their respected flights, won the Gold Medal. The Diamonds played four games in the Silver flight with all four games won! The championship game ended in a draw and went on to a shootout against the CDO 08G SW team. The Diamonds won the shootout making this their fourth game won. During their four games they scored 19 goals but only had 3 goals scored on them. The Wreckers played in the 10U Boys Bronze 3 flight, winning all 4 games as well. During the four game the Wreckers scored 26 goals and had 9 goals scored on them. The Chaos played in the 12U Girls Bronze 2 flight. Out of the four games played they won 3 and tied once, and during those games they scored 22 goals and had 4 goals scored on them. The Eliminators played in the 12U Boys Bronze 2 flight, which they also won all four games! And during their games the Eliminators scored 23 goals and had 8 goals scored on them.
Great job Gila Valley PSP! This couldn’t happen if the parents were not as accommodating as they always are, so thank you parents. Lastly, but certainly not least, I would like to thank all the sponsors who have helped make this PSP season happen. Sponsors are: Safford Dance, Family Medical Center, J and J’s Kettle Corn Express, Montoya Investments, Fizek Fitness, AC Austin Enterprises, Ginaveve’s, Michelle A. Wilson Insurance Agency Inc., Sun Pumps, Kempton’s, Open Loop, Pepsi, CKC, Haralson’s Tire, and Blue Clear Sky.Let’s wish all the teams luck during the next two tournaments; Jacobs Classic in Tucson during the month of February and Sereno Showcase in the Phoenix area during March! Good luck teams!” -Foote
Contributed photo/ Team “Wreckers” From Left to right back row: Justin Mack, Conner Mack, Timothy Aranda, Andrew Trujillo, Trae Gains, and Tristan Flores. Front Row Trae Romero, Mason Ellsworth, Dawson Brown and Dane Jacobson.
——————–Justin Mack Coach of The Wreckers:
“I am coaching a great group of boys in the U-10 division. They are enthusiastic 8 and 9-year-olds. They have practiced hard and played their hearts out in their first tournament to bring home first place! They really have learned to work hard and play as a team to win. They loved their first tournament and can’t wait for the next!” -Mack
Gila Valley Central would like to thank the coaches for their contributions.
