Photo by Jeremiah McWright, NHS intern
Photo by Jeremiah McWright, NHS intern
Photo by Jeremiah McWright, NHS intern
BY TREVOR HORN
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz
After an uncharacteristic losing season in 2012, the Natomas High School boys soccer team is once again primed for a run at the program’s fourth Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship.
Now in his third season as the head coach for the Nighthawks, Geovanni Villalobos, a 2006 Natomas graduate, sees many similarities of this year’s squad compared to the past section champs.
“It’s eerie. What I do is draw comparisons,” Villalobos said. “We are playing very well. The results will come. In terms of how they are playing, they are right up there with the other section champions that we have had. It comes down to them working hard and being disciplined.”
Villalobos won a section title his first year as head coach in 2011. As an assistant coach, he was on staff for the other two titles in 2007 and 2010.
The Nighthawks are 3-2 this season. Natomas High had a three-game win streak where they outscored opponents 8-0 bookended by a 6-0 loss to No. 2 nationally-ranked Jesuit High School on Aug. 30 and a 2-1 loss to Rio Linda at home on Tuesday night.
Senior captain Jason Gutierrez said playing against Jesuit helped the team learn quickly how they stand against the best.
“We are a young team, but the players that we have – they have a lot of potential,” he said. “As a senior and a captain, I am here to help them learn more about the sport and as a team.”
Gutierrez added, “They are the best. We feel we are up there as well. We learned a lot (playing against Jesuit) because they have an incredible team and we can only do our best. I feel that we learned.”
With a roster loaded with two freshmen starters and up to nine sophomores in the rotation, it would be easy to look to the future. Villalobos, though, knows that this seasons team has a chance to win because of the senior leadership.
“I think about that. I hear it from fans saying, ‘Oh man, you’re going to be great next year and the year after that,’” Villalobos said. “But I think about what we can do now because we have seniors on the team that deserve to go out right. We can go out with a section championship.”
Villalobos and Gutierrez also credit the team’s chemistry as a driving force this season.
“We can go all the way because these boys all want to win for each other,” Villalobos said. “They are family. I’ve known them since they were kids. They’ve known each other since they were kids. They hang out with each other on the weekends. They have a special bond. I think their talent can take them all the way.”
Added Gutierrez, “We are definitely a family. We look out for each other, whether it’s in school or personal problems. We look out for each other. We are together. We are like brothers this season. We want to go all the way. We have a chance to win one.”
Sophomore Andres Munoz scored the Nighthawks lone goal on Tuesday against Rio Linda. Senior Carlos Cuevas leads Natomas High with three goals this season. Junior goalkeeper Alejandro Godinez has 42 saves and three shutouts this season.
The Nighthawks are on the road at Roseville High School at 4 p.m. on today, Sept. 19 and open Tri-County Conference play at Woodland on Sept. 30.
Photo by Jeremiah McWright, NHS intern
Photo by Jeremiah McWright, NHS intern
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