South Tahoe Fútbol Club now U13 NorCal Gold State Cup Champions

It Took a Village…

Two years ago these boys had tears of sadness after making it to the semi-final of the NorCal State Cup and losing on a cold rainy day. This past Sunday, those tears were now tears of joy, as they were crowned as the U13 NorCal Gold State Cup Champions. According to NorCal Premier Soccer, over 700 teams start the tournament in the age brackets of U11-U13. COVID canceled the tournament last season, then this Fall our entire town evacuated due to fire, followed by no practices because of snow, but still, these boys showed up and played every time they had the chance.

All of this would not be possible without the donations/assistance of businesses and members of our community. We would like to take this time to recognize those who have supported our quest to be #1. Businesses such as Edgewood Tahoe & Golf Course, Lake Tahoe Golf Course, Cuppa Tahoe, Elevate Wellness, Tahoe Seasons Hotel, and Lake Tahoe AleWorX have allowed this team to stay together, and play in different tournaments and buy equipment.

The following teams also helped us get better: the U13 boys from Truckee River United coached by Terrell, our STFC ’07 boys coached by Miguel, and STFC ‘07/’08 ladies coached by Brandon, who always agreed to scrimmage us. Thank you to the people who supported us along the way like our STFC Director of Coaching Brandon Garinger who always found us a field to practice on. Coach Jack, who also worked tremendously with these boys, Coach Jeremy who always had time for a talk, our calendar event manager Darcy Nealis, the finance committee of Theresa Wolfe & Melinda Choy, and the fundraising committee Corinna Osborne & Lisa DeLeon who were all instrumental in behind the scenes of running a team.

Coach Jim Nealis and Coach Brent Wolfe kept the boys running when I couldn’t, their coaching help is what is needed at every level, and this should be an example for the future of STFC volunteers for their kid's team to succeed. The last two thank you’s are for the parents for staying flexible on practice times, helping each other to get the players to games and practices, doing things I couldn’t, and for being our cheering section.
The last…to the boys for their trust.

Allow me to introduce you to your U13 NorCal Gold Cup Champions from left to right: Hunter McClary, Shamus Nealis, Aaron Ramirez, Ivan Jimenez, Max Wolfe, Gavin Osborne, Caleb Hurst, Fabian Mariscal, Liam Breen, Jesus Ramirez, Ben Jaeger, Wyatt Ochoa, Matt Klym, Coach Jim, Matteo DeLeon, Santiago Calva, Brody Martin, Aeron Pettus, Tyler Skotvold, Coach Brent. Not pictured: Isaac Cortez.

- Coach Chris DeLeon