From CIF Division III finals last winter to a whole new set of coaches, a different way of instruction, and a new season.
That’s the slate Pilar Flores, a 1993 graduate of La Jolla High, is facing as he “builds a better beast” (thanks, Don Henley) with eight returning seniors, a bunch of JV-bred newcomers, and his first coaching in a CIF program at his alma mater.
“They’re really young,” remarked Flores of his varsity after a veteran-laden Lincoln team took home a 3-0 scrimmage effort on Nov. 14, despite decent conditioning, pressing defense, and solid goalmanship from starting keeper Marley LaFonda, a junior who played in goal for the Viking JV’s last winter.
Flores, who has coached for many years in La Jolla youth soccer, noted LaFonda’s athleticism, as the 11th-grader leaped high to secure a couple of Hornet long-range attempts, defended his post aggressively, and made some authoritative kicks to clear the ball in the first half of a 0-0 tie.
The Vikings’ core of player leadership, once club commitments are completed, include Roman Altamirano, a returning starting midfielder; Koji Sakamoto, a returning starting back; and Sean Trinh, another middie. Each either led part of warmups and/or provided their new coach feedback on strategy and player placement during the first two weeks.
Others coming back from the CIF finalists number forward Rodrigo Romano, junior midfielder David Golubchik, and senior Aria Loughman.
Heidi Weis, a sophomore goalkeeper trying out for the boys team for the second year, had a brief time sharing goalie duties with JV keeper Evan Krebs on Nov. 8-9. She looked quick and strong. But she was told again this year she will play keeper in the Viking girls’ program.
Pilar Flores exhibited a unique coaching style in the early going with his relatively young Vikings squad. Appropriately, as the head coach, he consulted his leaders — Altamirano, Sakamoto, and others — for their input and opinions on the placement of team members and schemes in the 4-3-3 alignment he used at Lincoln Nov. 14. He seemed to encourage a near-collegial coaching style that drew from his leaders’ experience and knowledge from playing on the club and school teams.
“Anything I can do to help us toward winning a CIF championship, I’m going to do,” said Sakamoto, the defender, during practice when asked how he saw his leadership role. “I want to win it with our eight guys who are seniors.”
With the World Cup kicking off this week, Altamirano, the center middie, was enthused about Mexican soccer stars like Chicharito, who won’t play in the Qatar World Cup, and others as he wore a Mexico jersey with his name on the back. A teammate, sophomore Mateo Peniche, whose family is from Mexico City, favored his ancestral country’s “seleccion” but realistically is favoring Brazil or Spain to win it all. His mother cooked up some pozole with guajillo chile the day before to share with a teammate’s family.
