Valley, Palo Verde power into title match

Valley’s Marco Gonzales came up short on his first shot Friday when his ball dinged the crossbar just three minutes into the match. But that didn’t discourage the sophomore from firing in shots the rest of the game.

Gonzales eventually converted his kicks, scoring two second-half goals to power the Vikings past Cimarron-Memorial 3-1 at Heritage Park in a Division I boys state semifinal. Valley (16-3) faces Palo Verde (16-5-2) in the state championship at 10 a.m. today.

“The first shot I thought was going to go in,” Gonzales said. “But I knew if I stayed focus, I could get one in. Then two goals in the second half, just an amazing feeling.”

Cimarron (16-5-2) scored first, in the 11th minute when Garrick Quackenbush scored on a pass from Eduardo Renteria.

But Valley, which took eight shots in the first half, answered on a penalty kick from Eric Sanchez in the 20th minute for a 1-1 tie. Gonzales set up the penalty when he was tripped by a Spartans defender in the box. The score stood at halftime.

Gonzales, the team’s second-leading scorer, wasted no time putting the Vikings ahead in the second half. In the 43rd minute, he converted the go-ahead score and added the insurance goal nine minutes later.

After running past two defenders, Gonzales received a pass from Sanchez to force a one-on-one matchup with Cimarron goalkeeper Richard Crews. Gonzales gracefully sent the ball over the head of Crews to make the score 3-1.

“Everything just happened so fast,” Gonzalez said. “I know always to relax in front of the keeper. I just saw him going to the ball, and I knew he was going to go down, so I lifted it over.”

Gonzales and Sanchez proved to be too much for the Spartans, who were under constant duress from the two standout forwards.

“That’s what they do,” Valley coach Angel Pantaleon said. “They do their thing. They’re some amazing players. It’s something we’ve been doing throughout the whole year. We put pressure on the other teams, and the goals (eventually) just go in.”

■ Palo Verde 4, North Valleys 2 — Nolan Sherwood and Austin Manthey scored two goals apiece to lead Palo Verde past North Valleys at Heritage Park.

Sherwood also had an assist for Palo Verde, which led 3-1 at halftime.

“Nolan steps up on the big matches,” coach Garry Shackley said. “He’s a quality player. People have difficulty dealing with his pace. He strikes a good ball, and he’s a natural finisher. All-around, he’s a tremendous player.”

Jaden Ketelsen assisted on the team’s first two goals as Palo Verde took a 2-0 lead after 15 minutes.

“We came out fast,” Shackley said. “We really got at them early on, scoring two fabulous goals. Great incisive through balls from Jaden Ketelsen. Great vision and good finishes from the two players.”

Brian Barrera and Hugo Garcia scored for North Valleys (21-5-1).

DIVISION I-A

Chaparral boys soccer coach Eric Rolwing did his research before Friday’s Division I-A state semifinal game, and it paid off.

Rolwing, who had learned that his team’s opponent was among the top defensive squads in the state, threw an extra attacker into his offense in the first half. The strategy yielded two first-half goals, and the Cowboys hung on to beat Sparks 2-0 at Heritage Park.

“We were prepared for them,” said Rolwing, whose squad will face Truckee for the championship at 10 a.m. today. “And we attacked them more than they attacked us.”

Senior forward Carlos Hernandez scored on a header from 12 yards eight minutes into the game to put Chaparral (20-7-1) ahead 1-0.

The Cowboys’ second goal occurred on a fluke play in which senior defender Lester Izquierdo’s inbounds throw deflected off a defender’s head and caromed into the net in the 26th minute.

Chaparral’s defense matched the Railroaders (22-3-2) in the second half, and senior goalkeeper Gerardo Skewes claimed the shutout with four saves.

■ Truckee 4, Sunrise Mountain 2 — The Wolverines (21-4-2) broke a 2-2 tie with two quick goals midway through the second half to capture a championship berth with a victory over the Miners (17-2).

Leo Villa scored three goals for Truckee, the first in the 12th minute when he found the ball all alone and scored from close range.

Although Sunrise Mountain’s Jose Arreola tied the score 1-1 with a goal from 10 yards out late in the first half, Thomas Arnstein scored with 30 seconds remaining in the half to put the Wolverines back in front.

The Miners tied it at 2 on an own-goal by Truckee early in the second half, but the Wolverines put the game away when Villa scored twice in a five-minute span midway through the half.

Sunrise Mountain coach Brett Underwood said his team went flat after falling behind. “We got into panic mode with time running out,” he said. “And some people just lost focus.”