Reedley High shakes off No. 8 seeding and knocks off Sanger for CIF Central Section D-1 title

Reedley High senior forward Levy Alcántar lost his father to an unexplained illness last year.

Teammate Ángel Lemus, a junior goalkeeper, lost his godfather to COVID-19 last year.

Friday night, they both pointed skyward and thanked their angels following a hardfought 1-0 victory over host Sanger High for the CIF Central Section Division I championship.

“I know he was watching me. He helped me take that penalty,” said Alcántar of his father, Robert Alcántar, who died at the age of 43.

Alcántar’s penalty kick conversion halfway through the second half was all that Reedley needed – in addition to some clutch saves from Lemus in a frenetic final minutes of play – to capture the title in front of a raucous crowd at Tom Flores Stadium.

Reedley, the North Yosemite League champion with a 9-1 mark, came into the match as the No. 8 seed and conquered top-seeded Central High and fourth-seeded Clovis North to improve to 19-6-3.

Sanger, a Division II school that moved into Division I for the playoffs, dropped to 21-3-1.

Alcántar has dedicated the season to his father.

“Everything I’ve done is because of him,” said Alcántar, who has notched 13 goals for the Pirates.

Reedley head coach Eric Velarde signaled out the play of Alcántar and Lemus for the team victory.

“I think our boys believed that we could come in and accomplish something great,” said Velarde, whose teams have been bounced out of the playoffs the last three seasons.

Of Alcántar, Velarde said “He’s been the player that has led by example, that has played through difficulties and injuries.”

Beating Sanger on their home turf, he said, “is incredibly difficult.”

“Sanger’s been in the finals for years because of that,” said Velarde.

Lemus was not starting at the start of the season.

“He was patient and he worked incredibly hard,” said Velarde of Lemus. “He deserves everything that he’s done because he’s been so good.”

Velarde said Friday’s win was a team effort, and now looks forward to the CIF Southern California regionals.

“We feel that this team can compete with anybody with our level of organization, belief and attacking talent,” he said.

Sanger High coach Alex Gutiérrez is hoping the regional playoffs beckon the Apaches.

“Coaching a small-town school like Sanger, we’ve had that chip on our shoulder,” said Gutiérrez, whose teams have gone 65-8-7 the last three seasons as he tries to build a soccer powerhouse.

“We know the quality of players, the talent that we have, the heart, the passion, the fire. And we look at Reedley and they are similar to us,” said Gutiérrez, who expected a “dogfight” against Reedley.

He figured the first team that scored would win because of “just the enormous strength it requires to continue to push.”

Gutiérrez said Reedley players maintained their stamina when previous teams had faltered in the second half.

Reedley avenged a 1-0 setback last November to Sanger.

Gutiérrez said both teams are much different today because each has strengthened its quality of play.