Avila wins 3rd straight MVP
ELKO — For the third straight season, the Elko boys soccer team — despite not qualifying for state in either year — locked down the 3A North-East MVP and Coach of the Year awards.
Nico Avila
Elko senior Nico Avila was named the League MVP for the third-consecutive year, topping the 3A North-East in total points with 54 — leading the league by double over second place with 22 assists and ranking third in the conference with 16 goals.
He was second in the state in assists and 10th in the state in goals scored, finishing fifth in the state at the 3A level in total points.
He also knocked down 1st-Team All-North and 1st-Team All-State selections for the third time in as many years.
Alonso Lujan
The Coach of the Year award — generally given to the coach of the top team in the league — was once again presented to Elko head Alonso Lujan, who guided the Indians to a 16-5-3 overall record and a 12-0-2 mark in league play.
East No. 1 Elko beat West No. 4 Incline 5-0 in the regional quarterfinal before falling 4-2 in the 3A North semifinal against West No. 2 North Tahoe.
Three local players earned Division 3A 1st-Team All-State selections.
Along with Avila in the midfield, Elko senior forward Orlando Ruiz and Spring Creek senior defender Kendrick Lee were also 1st-Team All-State players.
Ruiz topped the 3A North-East with 21 goals tied for ninth in the league with five assists, finishing second to Avila in total points with 47.
Just three players in the Division 3A across the state scored more goals than Ruiz.
For the Spartans, Lee served as the sweeper — the last line of Spring Creek’s defense in the middle — and spearheaded a unit that allowed just 16 goals on the season across 22 games for an average of .73 goals per contest.
Offensively, he scored five goals on penalty kicks — splitting 11th in the league.
Along with three 1st-Team All-State players, Elko County posted three athletes who were recognized as 1st-Team All-North and 2nd-Team All-State selections — two for Elko and one for West Wendover.
For the Indians, senior midfielder Leo Pulgar ranked second on the team and the North-East with 18 goals scored — finishing second on the team and third in the league with 10 assists.
As for total points, he was third in the conference with 46.
In the state, he ranked ninth in goals scored and 13th in assists — finishing 10th in total points.
At goalie, senior Hector De La Cruz — according to MaxPreps — notched a 16-3-2 record between the posts for Elko, with three games unaccounted for.
Playing the majority of the time in the frame — splitting duties with senior Francisco Talamantes — De La Cruz tied for third in the league with eight goals allowed and was sixth in the conference and 12th in the state with 56 saves.
His goals-allowed average of .362 was second in the league and 16th in the state.
For West Wendover, senior defender William Martinez served as a vital cog in the Wolverines’ ability to move up from the 2A and guide the team to a No. 4 seed for the regional tournament in the program’s first year at the 3A level.
With stats reported for only 13 of the Wolverines’ 21 games (8-9-5 overall, 6-4-4 in league), Martinez was instrumental in leading a defense that gave up 2.38 goals per outing for the season and 25 goals in 14 3A North-East contests — allowing 1.79 goals per league ballgame.
Offensively, he was credited with two goals and two assists — not including a hat trick in a 9-0 victory over Moapa Valley on Aug. 26, in Spring Creek, or another goal in a 2-2 tie against the Spartans on Aug. 25.
Of the six 2nd-Team All-Region selections and 1st-Team All-League selections, four hailed from Elko County programs — three from Elko and one from Spring Creek.
For the Indians, senior Andres Lopez ranked second in the league in assists with 11 and booked nine goals for eighth in the conference — finishing with finishing sixth in the league with 29 points.
Lopez was 11th in the state in assists and 20th in the state in total points.
Defensively, Elko gained a pair of 2nd-Team All-North selections on defense — coming in the form of seniors Jonathan Jaimes and Miguel Huerta.
As a team, the Indians allowed 23 goals in 24 ballgames — giving up .96 scores per contest — and pitched 15 shutouts.
Offensively, Jaimes scored two goals and dished an assist — totaling five points — while Huerta assisted four goals.
For the Spartans, senior forward Nathan Morrill ranked third on the team with 11 goals and third on the roster with six assists.
He was seventh in the league with 28 totals points; finishing sixth in the league in goals scored and splitting seventh in the conference in assists.
Spring Creek junior Djrevan Demick earned 2nd-Team-All League and 2nd-Team All-North selections as a midfielder.
He led the Spartans in scoring — topping the roster with 13 goals and sharing the team lead with eight assists — finishing fourth in the league with 34 points, fourth in the conference in goals scored and fifth in the 3A North-East in assists.
At the state level, Demick shared 12th in goals scored, was 15th in total points and tied for 17th in assists.
From Elko County teams, three players were selected as 2nd-Team All-League athletes with honorable mentions for the All-North awards — one each from Spring Creek, Elko and West Wendover.
For the Spartans, junior goalie Brady Smith was a standout between the posts — allowing 15 goals in 1,095 minutes and just 1.096 goals per contest — which was fourth in the conference and 20th in the state.
He led the league and was second in the entire state with 173 saves — averaging 8.24 per ballgame — and finished fourth in the league in goals allowed.
West Wendover sophomore Alonzo Carrillo earned 2nd-Team All-League selections at both forward and in the midfield — with just nine games of reported stats — ranking ninth in the league in total points with 20.
He led the Wolverines with eight goals and four assists; finishing ninth in the conference in goal scored and 11th in assists.
Elko senior defender Daniel Villegas was also a 2nd-Team All-North selection, serving as the Indians’ fourth defender/goalkeeper with All-League recognition.
Offensively, he made one assist.
For the Wolverines, freshman Rudy Carrillo notched a 2nd-Team All-League selection in his freshman year as a utility player — scoring three goals through 13 games of reported stats and tying for 18th in the league.
Honorable Mention League, Honorable Mention North
A pair of local athletes were granted honorable mentions for both the league and the 3A North.
West Wendover junior Erik Ramirez — through 13 games of stats — was credited with one goal.
Elko senior Fidel Ruiz tallied the selections defensively, serving as the Indians’ fifth defender or keeper with at least an honorable mention for the regional level.
League Honorable Mentions
Spring Creek had two players who received honorable mentions for the 3A North-East league awards.
Junior Norman House — who used to be a primary defender — turned into an offensive weapons for the Spartans this season, finishing second on the roster with 12 goals and tying for fourth on the team with three assists.
He ranked fifth in the league and tied for 16th in the state in goals scored, was 15th in the conference in assists and was eighth in the 3A North-East with 27 total points.
Also a junior, Justin Miner was sixth on the Spartans’ roster with four goals and shared fourth on the team with three assists.
At the league level, he ranked 17th in total points with 11 — tying for 15th in goals and assists.
Congratulations to Nico Avila on his third-consecutive League MVP and 1st-Team All-State selection for the third straight season, Alonso Lujan for his fourth straight Coach of the Year award, Orlando Ruiz and Kendrick Lee their his 1st-Team All-State nods, Leo Pulgar, Hector De La Cruz and William Martinez on their 2nd-Team All-State honors and to all players who earned recognition after successful soccer seasons from Elko, Spring Creek and West Wendover.
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