Fresno Bee’s Best: See who is boys soccer Player of the Year, and our All-Area prep stars
Clovis High senior Zander Lopez was determined to get on the soccer pitch.
A pulled hamstring to start the season? No problem. How about pulled hamstrings on both legs during the CIF Southern California Regional? No problem.
“Beginning of the year, I pulled my hamstring so I had to work through that and even at the end of the year I was still playing through my injuries,” Lopez said. “In the state semifinal, I pulled both hamstrings. It was my senior year and I kept playing through it and wrapped both of them every game. I told (the coaches) I wasn’t going to sit.”
Lopez, a transfer from Bullard, finished the season with 15 goals and six assists in 15 games played and was named the Tri-River Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
He is The Bee’s Player of the Year.
Lopez scored two goals in the Central Section Division I championship in a 2-0 win over Central.
“From the beginning, I talked to the players and said, ‘Let’s go out there and win this thing,’” he said. “We looked at it as one game at a time and we just kept winning, and even without me they kept winning games. I got back and we pushed through every single game, one game at a time. We felt no one could beat us.
We lost to Central (April 30) and I told them don’t put our heads down because what we are as a team, we thought no one can beat us. We got to the playoffs and we took it from there.”
Lopez will next play for Fresno City College.
Coach of the Year: Dan Amparano, Clovis
Guided the Cougars to their first section championship since 2017. Clovis finished the season 22-2-1 and 8-1-1 in the TRAC.
Amparano has been the Cougars coach since the 2012-2013 season.
Other player awards
Large School Player of the Year (Division I-II): Steve Randall, Clovis, Sr.
One of the top defenders in the section, Randall kept opponents at bay. He played in 25 games and finished with six assists. He’s headed to UCLA.
Medium School Player of the Year (Divisions III-IV): Emiliano Corona, Lindsay, Sr.
Finished with a team-high 36 goals and 15 assists in leading the Cardinals to an East Sequoia League title after finishing 11-1. He scored four goals in two matches.
Small School Player of the Year (Divisions V-VI): Carlos Hidalgo, Fowler, Sr.
Led the Redcats in many ways, including his golden goal lifting his team to a Division V championship in a 3-2 overtime win over Mendota. He finished the season with 17 goals.
All-Area Team
F Eduardo Alvarado, Selma, Soph.; G German Anguiano, Dinuba, Sr.; MF Sergio Arias, Exeter Jr.; MF Arturo Avila, Roosevelt, Sr.; D Julio Ayala, Clovis West, Soph.; S Daniel Barandella, Washington Union, Jr.; MF Juan Barajas, Tranquillity, Sr.; GK Manny Bassi, Clovis, Sr.; D Simon Barrera, Hanford, Jr.; Ayden Diaz-Barriga, San Joaquin Memorial, Sr.; GK Manraj Bassi, Clovis, Sr.; Ryan Belmont, Clovis West, Jr.; MF Malcolm Boone, San Joaquin Memorial, Sr.; S/F Isaac Cardenas, Reedley, Sr.; MF Favian Casillas, Chowchilla, Jr.; D Efrain Castro, Farmersville Jr.; D Izel Chavez, Fresno, Jr.; M Joey Chavez, Clovis East, Jr.; MF Xandro Chavez, Clovis, Sr.; MF Ezequiel Chavez, Sanger, Jr.; Jose Chavez, Dinuba, Sr.; MF Emiliana Corona, Lindsay, Sr.; MF Gabriel Cruz, El Diamante, Sr.; M Luis Diaz, Madera South, Sr.; D Nathan Dekker, Clovis North, Jr.; F Jose Elorza, Kerman, Soph.; D Joshua Espinoza, Riverdale, Jr.; S/F Jesus Enriquez, Tulare Union, Sr.
MF Lorenzo Fierra, Fresno Christian, Sr; MF Hunter Fogg, Hanford, Jr.; MF Elmer Garcia, Madera, Jr.; S/F Dylan Garcia, Buchanan, Soph.; D Raul Garcia, Sanger, Sr.; D Oscar Garcilazo, Orange Cove, Sr.; D/MF Julian Gomez, Clovis North, Sr.; S/F Ismael Gonzalez, Riverdale, Jr.; F Bennett Reser, Exeter, Sr.; MF Julio Hernandez, Sanger, Jr.; S/F Carlos Hidalgo, Fowler, Sr.; S/F Andrew Huerta, Clovis East, Jr.; M Marco Jasso, Tulare Union, Sr.; GK Roberto Jimenez, Central, Sr.; MF Kian Kheradpir, Clovis North, Sr.; D Miguel Lara, Exeter, Sr.; MF Gustavo Ledesma, Reedley, Jr.; MF Fernando Lemus, Woodlake, Fr.; MF Alcantar Levy, Reedley, Jr.; D/MF Bryan Lopez, Fowler, Soph.; MF Noel Lopez, Lemoore, Sr.; F Zander Lopez, Clovis, Sr.; S/F Leonardo Lopez Jr., Sierra Pacific, Jr.; M Adrian Lopez, Mt. Whitney, Sr.; S/F Pablo Macias, Roosevelt, Jr.; S/F Salud Magana, Granite Hills, Sr.; S/F Angel Medel, Kerman, Sr.; Jairo Medina, Dinuba, Jr.; S/F Anthony Melchor, Coalinga, Sr.; S/F David Mendoza, Edison, Sr.; D Luis Miguel, Clovis, Sr.; MF Noe Miramonte, Monache Jr.; MF Christopher Moreno, Fresno, Sr.; F Alexis Munoz, Mission Oak, Jr.
D Fernando Navarro, Woodlake, Sr.; D Aaron Ocegueda, Madera South, Sr.; S/F Luis Ochoa, Mendota, Sr.; Zacarias Paul Ortiz, Selma, Sr.; S/F Eduardo Orozco, McLane, Sr.; MF Martin Pena, Bullard, Sr.; F Amilcar Pineda, Mendota, Soph.; S Jesus Ponce, Clovis, Sr. Soph.; S/F Jorge Quintero, Lindsay Sr.; D Shawn Ramirez, Dos Palos, Fr.; S/F Alejandro Ramos, Monache, Sr.; D Steve Randall, Clovis, Sr.; S/F Jose Renteria, Chowchilla, Sr.; D Andrew Rieker, Dos Palos, Sr.; D Jose Reyes Rivera, Tulare Western, Sr.; D Jacob Roberts, Buchanan, Sr.; Giovanny Romero, Dinuba, Soph.; D Noel Romero, Dinuba, Soph.; MF Marcos Ruiz, Mendota, Sr.; F Daniel Ruiz, Granite Hills, Jr.; MF Alex Salcido, Mt. Whitney, Jr.; Alexis Saucedo, Orange Cove, Sr.; Giovanny Segovia, Selma, Jr.; Christian Silva, Clovis North; D Reid Terry, Redwood, Sr.; D Luke Tijerina, Clovis West, Sr.; D Jose Tinoco, Tulare Western, Sr.; F Christian Trujillo, Golden West, Sr.; Greg Turner, Clovis; D Christian Valdez, San Joaquin Memorial, Sr.; MF Ritchy Valtierra, Orange Cove, Sr.; S/F Rey Verudgo, Sunnyside, Sr.; S/F Hipolito Villegas, Lemoore, Jr.; Isaiah Villalobos, Sanger, Soph.; D Kaylob Walker, Central, Sr.; S/F Chase Weiner, Bullard, Jr.; MF Elias Zuniga, Madera, Soph.
