Caruthers High wins Central Section boys soccer championship in tribute to beloved coach
.jpg "Caruthers High celebrates a Central Section Division VI title after a 2-1 win over Kennedy on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025.")
For the first time in 26 years, the Caruthers High boys soccer team won the Central Section championship.
And the Blue Raiders dedicated their win and title to a beloved coach who was well-liked by the school and the community.
The Blue Raiders benefited from an own goal when a Kennedy player passed the ball past his goalkeeper in the 77th minute, giving Caruthers a 2-1 lead that held up in the Central Section Division VI championship.
“I was shocked,” Caruthers coach Justin Vazquez said. “But at the same time I’m saying, ‘Well they gave us a gift and now we have to defend it.’ It went in our favor.”
Caruthers changed formation and kept defending at all costs until the final whistle. The Blue Raiders rejoiced and celebrated on the field of the momentous occasion, especially thinking about Larry Trigueiro, who was an assistant coach for the girls basketball team.
Trigueiro died Feb. 18. He was 56. Services are set for March 2.
“It feels like a great honor to pay tribute to him,” Vazquez said. “He’s done so much for our high school, too, and helped out our program, and I said it’s kind of like icing on the cake, too, to repay everybody for what they’ve done for us.”
Vazquez said they held a moment of silence for Trigueiro.
Caruthers got its first score when Tristan Escalante scored off a header.
“When they finally got that goal, it just amped (the crowd) even more because they’re feeding off the crowd,” Vazquez said.
“They’re feeding off their teammates; they’re feeding off of us coaches.”
Caruthers will await the CIF regional seeding this weekend.
Kerman girls fall short of a sixth peat
Kerman was looking for a sixth straight Central Section championship, but it wasn’t to be as Santa Maria defeated the Lions 1-0.
The match was scoreless in the first half before the Saints broke through for a goal in the second half.
This story was originally published February 26, 2025 at 1:33 PM.
