Senior trio leads YC

Local Sports

Senior trio leads YC
BY DERRIK MILLER, SUN STAFF WRITER
Feb 9, 2007

Austin Williams, Gustavo Castro and Tim O'Malley know what it takes to win a state title. In fact, they have never experienced anything but championship soccer.

Yuma Catholic's senior trio has participated in three consecutive state title games while winning two.

The Shamrocks retooled this year with a lot of young, inexperienced talent and didn't miss a beat during the regular season, but the playoffs are a different game altogether. As the only seniors, Williams, Castro and O'Malley have provided the leadership and guidance during the postseason. Now they're only two victories away from going out on top.

"We know what it takes to win games. We just have to get the nervousness out of these guys," Williams said. "We're really focused. The bus rides up — we're not going to be messing around at all. It's a business trip, not a fun road trip."

Yuma Catholic takes on Safford in a 1A-3A state semifinal matchup today at 5:30 p.m. at Canyon State Academy in Queen Creek. The game is a rematch of last year's championship, which YC won 2-0. The Shamrocks also defeated the Bulldogs 1-0 earlier this season.

The state championship game is scheduled for Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the same location.

YC coach Tony Tellez said he has been amazed by the composure of the younger players under pressure. Part of that, he added, can be attributed to the calming influence of his three seniors.

"In some games where it's very close, they talk to them and relate their input from the experience they have in the previous championship games," Tellez said. "It's always good to have a few seniors who can pick up the slack when these young players feel nervous."

O'Malley and Williams earned first-team all-region selections. Region coaches also elected O'Malley as the Player of the Year.

Tellez added that Castro, Williams and O'Malley each bring something different to the field.

"Austin has a strong shot, while Tim has very fast feet, smarts and can control the midfield. Gustavo has strength and a good left shot," Tellez said. "Each one of them is different in their own way but all three help keep the team together."

YC already has a good bead on developing leaders for next season. Freshman Joe Gandara garnered all-region honorable mention, while sophomore and two-year starter Fernando Estrada was also tabbed for first-team all-region honors. Tellez added that he's grooming Estrada as O'Malley's replacement to control the midfield next year.

Estrada said he soaks up whatever information he can from his mentors.

"It's a great experience learning from the older players. On bus rides we just talk," Estrada said. "When it comes time for the game we communicate and help each other out. It's too bad they're seniors."

While the Shamrocks' playoff run is a new experience for a significant portion of this year's crop of YC players, for Williams, Castro and O'Malley, it's a chance to end their prep soccer careers the same way they began — as state champions. Williams added he would accept nothing less.

"Four times there would be fun. Three state championships would be great," Williams said. "Anything but a state championship is a failure to me."

Derrik Miller can be reached at
dmiller@yumasun.com or 782-6520.