The Aviator boys soccer team kicked off the season with a powerful start against St. Bernard High School with a score of 10-0. Leonardo Chan marked down the first goal of the season at the 11th minute. Mateo Duran, team captain, followed with a hat trick. Overall, the boys controlled the majority of the game by keeping possession of the ball. Despite their loss, the boys from St. Bernard played very well and they kept their heads up high for the entire game playing great until that last whistle.
Additionally, when Coach Duran commented, “Their performance was very good, there’s still lots of room for improvement, but overall I’m very happy with our results. A big positive was that lots of the guys got to participate, both J.V. and Varsity. On another note, this is our most competitive season in four years, in terms of opponents.”
During the Winter Break, the Aviator’s continued to train and work hard for their upcoming Varsity Ontario Christmas Tournament and JV Sierra Vista Tournament tournaments. The day after Christmas, the Varsity boys played their first tournament game against San Dimas. The boys woke up early to meet at 7:15 AM and departed for the game a few minutes later. However, this isn’t the earliest they would wake up for a game. The next day they met at school at around 5:30 AM for a 7:30 AM game against Riverside Prep and Southlands Christian. On December 28th, they played their last tournament game against Schurr at 2 PM. The JV team had their own respective tournament on January 3rd and 4th. The JV team had an impressive campaign sweeping through their group, earning 1st place against La Canada and the Division 1 tournament host, Sierra Vista. Unfortunately, they ended up losing the semi- finals and third Place, giving them a dignified fourth place in the tournament. Both JV and Varsity teams earned plenty of experience and play time which would help them later on in future league games, getting a taste of what CIF would be like. On the bright side, both teams got rewarded with Raising Canes and In-N-Out for their hard work and commitment.
The Aviator boys soccer team would continue to go strong throughout their league campaign, going undefeated until finals, winning nine out of eleven games. Seniors Mateo Duran, Bryan Lezama, Jesus Martinez, Nicholas Olivas, Adrian Bravo, and Jesus Villalobos all worked hard throughout their 4 years of being part of the Soccer program. The HMSA Soccer program really took a big leap as it showed this year, beating Geffen Academy, a main competitor, for the second year in a row with a score 4-1. This win marked a milestone in how far the team has come, as, in past years, they lost to Geffen with scores of 12-0 and 5-0.
It all seemed like things were going well for the boys, with four games left they only needed 2 wins to secure the league title. This however didn’t go as planned as they tied CAMS with a score of 1-1. The day after they were able to get a strong statement beating Vistamar with a score of 6-0. This game was a relief for the team since it gave them the opportunity to win the league against playoff contender New Roads. The boys set off on a trip to Airport park, a large and wide field which seemed like the perfect environment to win that title. The Aviator boys fought hard and gave it their all to get on the scoreboard, but New Roads defended their pride and did not allow a single goal to be conceded. Unfortunately, the game ended in a 0-0 draw. For New Roads this meant they would compete in their first ever CIF championships, for the Aviator boys however, they would need to beat Lennox Academy the following day in order to win the league.
The stage was set for an intense match, Lennox Academy during their senior night against HMSA who wanted to repeat league titles. The day came and the match was ready, The Aviators went into the game with one purpose, win the league title and ruin Lennox Academy’s senior night. A truly motivational speech led by coach Duran helped the team stay focused and motivated throughout the match. The game began and the first ten minutes were intense with both teams having goal scoring chances. Nicholas Olivas took a shot from distance which the keeper managed to block but was deflected in. That goal was enough for the Aviators to maintain their lead and finish strong against Lennox beating them 1-0 on their senior night, ultimately winning the league for the second year in a row.
After winning the league the Aviator boys soccer team continued to train hard for the upcoming CIF playoffs. The goal of the team was to reach Quarter finals of CIF, something that no other HMSA soccer team has ever done. This was HMSA’s most competitive team yet, as every position was being played by key players, such as class of 2026 player Adam Osmali who had 14 goals and 11 assists throughout the season.
The Aviator boys soccer team had a historic season, one they will never forget as they accomplished many positive things such as winning the league two years in a row and being among the top five Division 7 Soccer teams in California. In total, the Aviators played 22 games, being able to score 68 goals and only conceded 22 goals. Class of 2026 player Adam Osmali had a record-breaking 25 goals and assists throughout the season.
The Aviator boys look forward to a stronger season next year with hopes of completing some unfinished business–winning CIF.
