DHS boys are all in the family

By Bruce Gallaudet Enterprise correspondent

While there is no such thing as an “easy out” in Delta League boys soccer, as the final week of the regular season has dawned, it could be that Davis High goes into the playoffs riding an 11-game win streak.

Blue Devil coach Alex Park doesn’t want to put the cart before horse, but when asked if he thought his veteran team — featuring 15 seniors — can go all the way, he said this:

“I think so. For one thing, being at this point in the season and having a healthy squad is pretty special.

“We have a team that’s had a lot of bonding. The boys hang out together and have had a lot of (club play) in common. We’ve really come together as a team.”

Standing at 12-0-2 and running away with the Delta crown (no other school has more than four wins), Davis has already handled each of its next three conference stepping stones, beating both Franklin and Pleasant Grove, 5-1, and Jesuit, 2-0. DHS travels to PGHS on Monday and entertains Jesuit on Wednesday at Brown Stadium.

State and nationally

How good are these guys?

MaxPreps puts the Devils at No. 3 in California and No. 9 nationally.

Other ranking services put Davis as high as No. 5 in the U.S.

Park says the veteran aspect of his team has provided “a sense of pride that has made my job pretty easy. The three team captains have done a good job blending the new players together, making everyone feel part of the team.”

Those captains — Caleb Yoon, Holt Klineberg and Nicolas Montano — weighed in.

“Going into the season we had lofty goals; after losing last year in the semi-finals of sections, we knew that we could do better,” Klineberg, a defender, told The Enterprise. “We lost in disappointing fashion, feeling that we didn’t reach our potential or showcase how good a team we were. This year’s goal is to win sections and truly display our talented team.”

In 2022, Modesto knocked out Davis, 1-0, before losing to titleist Whitney, 5-0.

Part of the chemistry Park mentioned is dissected by Montano when he says: “The amount of s upport and encouragement each player gives one another — no matter what role they play on the team — is special.

Trust

“We trust each other and distribute weight evenly among the team,” Park said. “Instead of getting down on one another when something goes wrong, we pick each other up and move on together. We are all a family off the field as much as we are when we are playing.”

And midfielder Yoon sees his brethren upping their games each day, saying, “We have started to push the level in practice and our training has gotten really competitive.”

Yoon understands the importance of the final regular-season games, adding, “And we also know that playoffs are right around the corner, so we have just continued to push ourselves to get even better. Win league, win sections, win states — and go undefeated.

“We know those are some very big goals, but we know that we have such a good team with so much potential.”

Solid numbers

Davis has outscored its opponents, 40-11, going into last Friday’s contest.

A 3-3 season-opening tie at defending section champ Whitney (now 10-1-5) means the Blue-andWhite juggernaut has allowed only eight net-benders in the last 13 games.

“You watch us play and you know our offense is very good,” imparts Park, whose team is led in scoring by Simon Vaca-Lorenzi (his 28 points with 11 goals are tops in Delta play).

Rigo Guerra also keeps the pressure on with 18 points thanks to nine assists.

But Park and Company understands if opponents can’t score, they can’t win.

Beginning with a pair of stout goalkeepers — starter Declan Fee and Joey Clark — Davis’ foes rarely get to test the ultimate defenders.

Center backs Andrew Yang and Zayn Dmieri are fronted by midfielders Klineberg, Emanual Tames-Kaimowitz, Yoon and Montano, just in case the busy forwards relinquish control.

As serious as prep soccer is, it’s Montano who directs the attention back to how much fun he and his colleagues have:

Even though many of the 15 seniors have played with or against See FAMILY, Page B6