Youth soccer team exceeds expectations

If there was one word used to describe the Azzurri Diablos this year it would be "practice."  Practice drills. Practice skills. Practice. Practice. Practice.  The team soared beyond all expectations this year, right into the District Cup finals.

The Azzurri Diablos are a Yuba-Sutter Youth Soccer League (YSYSL) soccer team comprised of a group of boys ages 12. Five of the 14 players reside in Plumas Lake.

“We were really proud of these boys,” said Chad Romig, parent of defensive team captain Grayson Romig, who played sweeper.

The boys even practiced throughout the holiday season using only a small set of lights to illuminate the dark soccer fields during the last several weeks in preparation for the District Cup.

This was the first year that Azzurri, the competitive side of YSYSL, decided to expand to two U-12 boys teams.  The team started with 10 players in May and recruited the rest of the roster, including the players from Plumas Lake. Not a single player on the team had any prior competitive experience so they were automatically ranked at the bottom, in the eighth of eight divisions. In fact, at the beginning of the season the Azzurri Club was considering whether it should move the secondary team back into a purely recreational league. But it’s a good thing they didn’t – because the Diablos practiced.

Eight hours a week all summer long they practiced. They continued this commitment until their first tournament in July where they placed third with only 12 players. They continued entering tournaments against teams better than they were, honing their skills and improving their play. They never finished below third and were actually bumped up a division in league because of their success. 

Much of their success can be attributed to the commitment of their coach and the parents along with the drive of the players. They could have entered less competitive tournaments and taken more first-place finishes, but that was not what coach Ben Gutierrez had in mind.

“In the end you can’t measure kids by the games they win; you have to look at how the kids are improving and how to get them to win consistently,” said Gutierrez.

Gutierrez wanted the boys to play better teams, understanding that it would force them to improve their game. It allowed the players to consistently put their skills to the test and gave Gutierrez a way to measure their progress. So, by the time league play started, they were ready.

The Diablos took first place in league; not just playing an undefeated season, but walking away with the most goals scored of any U-12 team in the District (45) and allowing only 10 goals all season. 

“We counted on our defense to make a strong performance every time,” said Gutierrez.

And Plumas Lake played a big part in their success as most of the team’s defense was from the Plumas Lake community.  In addition to Romig, the Diablos' lineup included Casey Wilson as a defensive back, Jordan Gilliam as stopper, Ryan McCullough at left flank and Tristan Barron at keeper. 

When asked about leading the defense, Romig said, “I liked the challenge of stopping the other team and protecting the goal. And it was good to work with people that I know.”

Romig, along with Brian Guzman on offense, were coach Gutierrez’s choice for captains based on the competitive drive they had. “All the kids on the team showed up to play,” Gutierrez said, “but Grayson and Brian showed up to win – every day.”

The Diablos ended their season during the District VI championship game held earlier this month. This was far beyond all expectations for a first-year team. Most teams in the competitive league have practiced and played together for several seasons.

All the hours of practice and sacrifice, from players, parents and the coach paid off in the end. Now, the season is over and you no longer see the construction lights lighting up their field during practice, but it’s not over for the kids. They are counting the days until tryouts next spring!

For more information about the Azzurri Soccer Club or tryouts, visit www.yubasuttersoccer.org and click on the Azzurri link.

Diablos team parent Plumas Lake Life correspondent Michele Perrault can be reached at 763-3380 or e-mail her at mperrault@plumaslakelife.com