Salpointe, Xavier, Perry students net honors
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March 3, 2023
Boys: Nico Valenzuela, Salpointe Catholic, Soccer
Salpointe Catholic’s soccer dynasty continued to add to its trophy collection Saturday with a 4-1 win over Saguaro. The title made it an even 10 for the Lancers and longtime coach Wolfgang Weber — one off the state lead, which is held by Blue Ridge. Just as impressive, it’s now three in a row for Salpointe atop 4A.
This go around, senior midfielder Nico Valenzuela was at the center of Salpointe’s success. He scored twice in the championship game and finished the season with 22 goals and 21 assists. The assist total was the most of any Salpointe player, while the goal tally was second only to sophomore Leo Gutierrez, who finished with an incredible 37 strikes in 25 matches.
“This was just another outstanding performance of many by our senior midfielder and team captain,” Weber said.
Girls: Eva Allen, Xavier Prep, Soccer
On the girls’ side, the 6A final also ended 4-1, with an established dynasty adding to their title tally. There, the champion was Xavier Prep, which picked up its third championship in a row and state-leading 12th total. The Gators went into halftime tied, 1-1, with No. 3 seed Perry. That’s when Allen took over, scoring twice in the second half to culminate a 16-0 season.
“It was just so surreal,” Allen said. “This is my last time I'll play for Xavier, so ending it like that was awesome. It's not about myself, it was for my teammates and state.”
Academic: Evangelos Sideris, Perry, Soccer
With a 2-0 win over previously undefeated San Luis, Perry claimed the first boys’ soccer title in school history. They did so with a balanced approach, getting goal contributions from four different players. Throughout the season, though, they relied heavily on Sideris, who finished his senior campaign with 13 goals and three assists.
At Perry, that’s only part of Sideris’ contributions. In addition to club and high school soccer responsibilities, he has a 4.65 GPA, which ranks 12th in a class of 750. He also plays the piano, volunteers for the NHS and is part of the Math and Leo (leadership, experience, opportunity) clubs on campus. “Unbelievable consistency game in and game out,” Perry coach Jason Berg said of Sideris. “He’s one of four players to play in every game. Great young man and very coachable.”