East victorious over West
SHS Bermudez named East MVP
After four long years the Central Section All-star Game trophy is back with the East after a 4-1 victory over the West in Saturday’s 10th annual game held at Frank Skadan Stadium in Lindsay.
Led by Lindsay High School and East head coach Tony Godoy, as well as Strathmore head coach Jimmy Madrigal, the East scored four goals — from four different players — in a span of 25 minutes to put themselves comfortably ahead 4-0 at the half. It was the most goals scored in one half in all-star game history.
“Me and Jimmy were talking about we’re super competitive people, so we put our names behind this and we went all out,” Godoy said. “I think the game plan was to start super strong in the first 15 minutes, try to put in a couple of goals. I think defensively anytime you’re working with guys you don’t really know your best players are on the back and are back players were super strong.”
In the backfield were Lindsay seniors Chris Orozco and Oscar Lira, Strathmore junior Enrique Gomez and Fowler senior Elias Lopez. Godoy said the team also went with a 4-33 formation that some players were unfamiliar with but figured out despite having only four days to practice.
“Kind of just did a 10 minute, ‘This is how we run a 4-3-3 formation, let’s hope you figure it out,’’ Godoy said. “And everybody here has a high IQ of the game so adapting into a new formation – I was talking to a couple of the guys and they had never ran that formation. It’s a little confusing but with players like [Lindsay’s] Marcos [Ceballos] and Moises [Betancourt] in the middle, you can run that all day long.”
One of those top defenders, Orozco, said after the win, “It was good. We came out with the win and it’s our first win in a long time so I’m just proud of my team for what we started and where we’re at now. It just felt really good.”
Orange Cove’s Michael Barraza scored the team’s first goal in the 14th minute but the East didn’t score again until the 33rd minute when Strathmore’s Alejandro Bermudez shot from 25-yards got past the West’s goalie for a 2-0 lead. Bermudez finished the day as the East’s Most Valuable Player.
“It feels amazing just being able to help our team and win, especially since we haven’t won it since a couple of years ago,” Bermudez said. “Last time they won it my brother was on the team actually. I was on the team last year and we lost so it feels amazing now, especially since last year I got the sportsmanship award and this year I came back to redeem myself.”
On the game and coaching one of his star players in his final high school match, Madrigal said, “It was good, it was great. It was fun, especially one more game with Alejandro. It was wonderful that he got the MVP. Just a good kid, stepped it up. I had fun.”
In the 37th minute from the right side of the 25-yard line, Betancourt’s shot hit off a West defender and went in for a 3-0 lead. Just before the first half ended with five minutes to go, Cesar Chavez’s Carlos Macias headed in a rebound off an unsuccessful East corner cross for the East’s last score of the match.
The West had a couple of chances to score but not only were the East solid in the backfield and not allowing many chances, but Strathmore goalie Damian Rodriguez, who played all 90 minutes due to the East’s other goalie not showing up, wasn’t letting anything by and had several well-played saves.
“It’s challenging – I was only goalie but knowing that there’s going to be another goalie and I have to compete for the starting position, it’s hard,” Rodriguez said. “And knowing that I’m playing with the best, I gotta be on my A-game.”
Unfortunately, Rodriguez chance at a clean sheet was ruined 31 minutes into the second half when Lemoore’s Josh Roa of the West scored on a free kick.
The East All-star team featured 10 local players, four of which were juniors in Strathmore’s Rodriguez, Gomez and Osvaldo Ibarra. Seniors playing for the East were Strathmore’s Bermudez; Lindsay’s Lira, Orozco and Ceballos; Porterville’s Adam Velarde and Monache’s Ruben Verduzco.
Next season Ceballos, who was The Recorder’s 2017-18 Orange Belt Boys Soccer Player of the Year and had an outstanding game in the middle, will play for the University of California, Merced. Orozco, a three-sport athlete named the Cardinals Male Athlete of the Year, is headed to the College of Sequoias before hopefully transferring to a four-year.
“It feels great, to get an opportunity to keep playing especially at the next level,” Orozo said. “I hope it goes good.”