Decatur’s Eliuth Gamboa’s high level of play on the field didn’t go unnoticed this season. Gamboa was recently named the District 7-4A MVP.
“Eliuth has come a long way. He was undersized as a freshman and finally grew into his body and has worked his tail end off,” said Decatur coach Christopher Benjamin. “He ran cross country in the offseason and was ahead of everybody, in terms of endurance and effort. His stats weren’t especially high, just six goals and no assists, but he would help the team by giving the ball to someone who would record an assist themselves. He’s a great team player.”
Bridgeport’s Miguel Alvarez was awarded the district’s top award for defensive effort.
“I’ve had the privilege of coaching Miguel for two years,” said Bridgeport coach J.D. Bales. “He is a physical presence and dominating force on the back line. He’s one of those kids that would run through a brick wall and play the game like his hair was on fire. Miguel would oftentimes set the tone of the game, and also flip the switch and get us going if we were down. With all the highs and lows we went through, it’s pretty special for him to get this award. He’s very deserving of it.”
The Bulls’ Martin Rodriguez, who moved to Bridgeport a few years ago after having played for perennial powerhouse San Elizario, took home the Midfield MVP award.
“Martin was a two-time state champion with San Elizario and was the Class 4A state tournament MVP in 2018,” Bales said. “He transferred this summer and from the start, we knew he was special. He came in and immediately developed a relationship with me and his teammates. He became one of our captains and our players fed off his energy. The things Martin can do with the ball are just incredible. He’s just a complete package player and you can’t outwork him.”
The Eagles’ Bryce Robinson’s versatility earned him a share of the Utility Player of the Year award, with Argyle’s Caden Dodson.
“Bryce played basketball and ended up coming out to play soccer for us with guns blazing,” Benjamin said. “He was very impactful from the beginning. He’s the true definition of a utility player because I can put him in multiple positions and he will be successful. Bryce has a selfless attitude and is willing to help out the team wherever he’s needed. He’s able to turn defense into offense, and that’s a tremendous asset to have on your team.”
Bridgeport’s Giovani Lopez earned Newcomer of the Year.
“We knew last year as an eighth grader that Giovani was going to be a special player,” Bales said. “This year, we had a big role for him. I didn’t see him starting, but I wanted to give him a lot of playing time. But we had some things happen, and he really stepped up into a role. He’s really committed to both school and soccer. Although he’s a freshman, he was one of our captains, and that speaks volumes of his talent and character.”
Decatur’s Gage Yarborough built a wall that very few opposing players could break and earned a share of the Goalkeeper of the Year with Argyle’s Zach Yates.
“Gage has come a long way since last year and it showed,” Benjamin said. “There were several games that we would have lost if it weren’t for a save by Gage. We won numerous games by just one point, and if it wasn’t for his play, our record wouldn’t be as good as it was. We are very happy he’s on the team.”
Benjamin and his staff were recognized as the district’s Coaching Staff of the Year.
“I am thankful to have won the Coaching Staff of the Year award. It’s a very prestigious award,” Benjamin said. “As a coach, you put in the blood, sweat and tears just like the players do. We live by the attitude of faith, family and soccer, and when the players have seen that my assistant coach [Zachary Zamenski] and I are all-in on that, it’s a strong bond. Hopefully we can continue building on that bond as the program moves forward.”
Both the Eagles and the Bulls received a number of the district’s first-team selections. Decatur’s first-team players were Oscar Becerra, Andres Hernandez, Abel Rodriguez, Edgar Rodriguez and Ivan Rodriguez. Bridgeport’s Sebastian Iniguez, Jonathan Juarez, Ruben Lara, Angel Martinez and Adan Santoyo also made the first team.
The Eagles’ Christopher Gross, Dominic Gross, Emanual Morales and Jesse Sprague were second-team selections. They were joined by the Bulls’ Erick Macias, Moises Medina, Geraldo Rodriguez and Fernando Santos.
The Eagles’ Joseph Aguilar, Dalton Gross, Jesus Inguanzo and Bruno Romo and the Bulls’ Francisco Santoyo and Carlos Juarez received honorable mention.
Before the suspension and later cancellation of the season, the Eagles held a 6-2 district record. The Bulls trailed closely behind with a 5-2 mark. The final game of the district schedule was another Battle of Big Sandy, but it was cancelled.
Despite the shortened season, Benjamin was pleased with the Eagles’ achievements.
“When the UIL came out with their determination, I told the boys how proud I was of them. They have grown this year, from the beginning of the season until the end,” he said. “We started the year off hot, won the Springtown Invitational Tournament, and got into district play. In district, we ended up beating Argyle twice, which was very big for our program. I wanted them to know how thankful and grateful I was to be a part of the journey this year.”
Bales said his team remained relentless until the end.
“At the beginning of the year, we knew we were going to be a young team. But we still set forth the goal of rising above the expectations,” Bales said. “We struggled at first, but pulled together and had a change in attitude. We experienced a lot of highs and really came together as a team. This was one of the most fun groups to be around. They’re positive, outgoing, hardworking, driven and love the game of soccer. It really makes it easy to go to work every day.”
2020 DISTRICT 7-4A
BOYS SOCCER TEAM
MVP: Eliuth Gamboa, Decatur
OFFENSIVE MVP: Kyle Banar, Argyle
DEFENSIVE MVP: Miguel Alvarez, Bridgeport
MIDFIELD MVP: Martin Rodriguez, Bridgeport
CO-UTILITY PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Bryce Robinson, Decatur; Caden Dodson, Argyle
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Giovani Lopez, Bridgeport
CO-GOALKEEPERS OF THE YEAR: Zach Yates, Argyle; Gage Yarborough, Decatur
COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR: Christopher Benjamin, Decatur
FIRST TEAM
Colin Crawford, Argyle; Connor Webster, Argyle; Mason White, Argyle; Sebastian Iniguez, Bridgeport; Jonathan Juarez, Bridgeport; Ruben Lara, Bridgeport; Angel Martinez, Bridgeport; Adan Santoyo, Bridgeport; Oscar Becerra, Decatur; Andres Hernandez, Decatur; Abel Rodriguez, Decatur; Edgar Rodriguez, Decatur; Ivan Rodriguez, Decatur; Kolton Davis, Springtown; Jimmy Ubaldo, Springtown
SECOND TEAM
Will Adoue, Argyle; Gage McCutcheon, Argyle; David Michaels, Argyle; Erick Macias, Bridgeport; Moises Medina, Bridgeport; Geraldo Rodriguez, Bridgeport; Fernando Santos, Bridgeport; Christopher Gross, Decatur; Dominic Gross, Decatur; Emanuel Morales, Decatur; Jesse Sprague, Decatur; Josh Diaz, Springtown; Anthony Trejo, Springtown
HONORABLE MENTION
Jace Bell, Argyle; Jayden Broadhurst, Argyle; Michael White, Argyle; Francisco Santoyo, Bridgeport; Carlos Juarez, Bridgeport; Joseph Aguilar, Decatur; Dalton Gross, Decatur; Jesus Inguanzo, Decatur; Bruno Romo, Decatur; Saul Duran, Springtown; Mauro Gamboa, Springtown; Geraldo Munoz, Springtown; Jonathan Ordaz, Springtown; Canyon Parker, Springtown
