Tag Archives: Burbank boys soccer

Boys Soccer Teams Face Question Marks

The Burroughs and Burbank High boys’ soccer teams could both have successful seasons this year, but it will be interesting to see how both teams adapt to new coaches. Burroughs is the defending league champion and returns much of its team from a year ago. But the Indians will have to do with a new coach on short notice as Mike Kodama recently resigned to take care of his health. He is still assisting with the team, however. Angel Cardenas, a former Burbank player, takes over as the head coach.

Burroughs

The Indians have the framework of a team that could go very far in the CIF Southern Section playoffs after going 15-6-3 overall and making it to the second round a year ago.

Senior veteran center back Carter Wells, a three-year starter who is coming off of a torn meniscus injury that forced him to miss the end of last season, spoke of the outlook for 2020.

“We all love Mike and it is very heart breaking but he has to take care of himself. I know he’s going to try to be out here during the season,” Wells said. “We’re looking forward to this season. This is a big year. We’re looking to go far, both in league and hopefully CIF. We’re a tight-knit group on and off the field.”

As defending Pacific League champions, most of the starting lineup from a year ago remains intact.
Senior midfielder Carlos Rosales has been the deep-lying playmaker that the team has been built around the last two seasons. A four-year varsity player, he could be the player that leads the Indians to its first CIF championship match since 1994.

Junior Manny Gonzalez has scored 34 goals in his first two years in the program and earned All-CIF honors a year ago. He played on the wing last season, but may see more time in the middle this year.

Senior David Gerlach is also a four-year varsity player who figures to occupy the opposite wing from Gonzalez.

In the back, sophomore Wilson Harting should pair nicely with Wells. Harting played well in the back as a freshman under pressure when Wells was out injured.

Senior Manny Pascual is a third-year varsity player who can play a number of roles, but is likely to play as a wing back or in the midfield. His versatility may be a key component of the squad.

(Photo by Ross A Benson)

Junior Patrick Abarca is also in his third year on varsity. He is a talented midfielder who could feature in a role just behind the strikers.
Junior Elias Galaviz is similar to Abarca in that he is a talented offensive player who may play as a striker even though he handles the ball well enough to play in the midfield.

Senior Elijah Dumonde is another third-year varsity player who will be expected to do lots of the dirty work in the midfield.

Senior Dylan Mahoney is a returner who should see time at right back. Senior Matthew Rampacek is also a returning wing back.

Junior Jacob Cardenas takes over as the starting goalie, having been a reserve on the varsity last year. Senior Hyatt Entz is expected to also compete for playing time in the goal.

Among the newcomers, sophomores Jonathan Gerlach and Zachary Levy will add depth in the back, along with junior Josiah Aviles and seniors Joseph Soto and Colgan Martin.

Senior Abihud Munoz also returns and could allow for Burroughs to play with three center backs, which could push the wing backs to move further forward.

Senior Kobe Estrada moves up from the junior varsity and should offer help in the midfield as should junior Sebastian Reinoso.

Junior Ricardo Lopez might be the true center forward that the Indians could use.

Burbank

The Bulldogs look to continue to move forward after finishing 3-10-3 last year, including a 2-9-3 league mark. They return nine varsity players.

Sophomore Freddy Cardenas should pick up the as a team leader in the midfield, replacing brother Andy, who was the captain a year ago. His brother, Angel Cardenas, is the new head coach.
“We’re not going to go from being the worst team to the top. It is a process. But for sure, this squad is better than last years,” said Angel Cardenas, who graduated in 2013. “The last time we made the playoffs was my junior year. I’m just trying to improve us.”

In goal, the Bulldogs will look to a pair of seniors in Jack McKinnon or Luis Estrada to take the goalie gloves.

Senior center back Kaiyne Nzenwa returns and should play a key role. Senior Eddie Bowman and junior Andrei Rodriguez both are varsity returners who should feature as wing defenders. Junior Omar Al-Issa could also see time as a wing back, as could junior Jorge Avalos Ortega and sophomore Edi Hakopian.

The Bulldogs are experienced in the midfield with senior Allen Arsenian and juniors Nicholas Diaz, Isaiah Marsh and Jack Tanglang returning to the varsity.

Senior Gabriel Preciado is varsity newcomer who should provide help in the middle of the defense.

The midfield has depth with senior Sebastian Navarro and sophomores Patony Kheshadorian, Monte Ter Galstyan and Kobe Shemula.

In the attack, Burbank will rely on the work of three newcomers.

Senior Gevorg Kivijian, freshman Garik Kirakosyan and sophomore Gabriel Armour look to fill the role of being a goal scorer for the Bulldogs.

CIF Releases Winter Sports Playoff Division Placings

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The CIF Southern Section released the playoff division placings for all winter sports teams on Friday.
The placement determines what divisions each sports team will be competing in should they advance to postseason play.

The team with arguably the best chance of winning a CIF title in the winter, the Burroughs boys’ soccer team, was placed in Division 3 and will be one of 55 schools competing for the Division 3 title.

(Photo by Ross A Benson)

The defending league champion Indians return a strong core led by senior midfielder Carlos Rosales and All-CIF junior winger Manny Gonzalez.
The Burbank High boys’ soccer team was placed in Division 5.
The Burroughs girls’ basketball team was one of 34 teams placed in Division 2A.
The Indians are led by junior All-CIF pick Faith Boulanger.
Burbank High’s girls’ team was placed in Division 3A.

The Burroughs girls’ soccer team was placed in Division 4. Burbank High’s girls’ team was placed in Division 5.

In boys basketball, Burbank High is one of 40 schools that will compete for the 2A championship.

The Burroughs boys’ basketball team was placed in Division 3A.

For girls water polo, Burroughs was placed in Division 5 and Burbank High will be in Division 6.

Young Boys Soccer Teams Looking to Improve

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It isn’t easy to have consistent success. The Burroughs High boys’ soccer team has been relatively strong for quite some time. Last season, a very young team finished second in league. That core group of sophomores are now juniors, leaving hope that they are a year away from hitting their peak. Burbank High showed some promise last season and is hoping to continue to improve upon last season’s improvement.

Burroughs
The Indians who went 15-9-1 last season, are built around junior playmaker Carlos Rosales. Rosales plays in front of the defense and is essentially the quarterback of the offense.
“Carlos is the engine of the team,” midfielder Sam Hawksworth said of Rosales.

Carlos Rosales of Burroughs. Photo By: Edward Tovmassian

He has solid support behind him with junior center back Carter Wells, who gives Burroughs a solid presence needed.
Senior Esteban Alcantar can be an attacking midfielder or he can play as a second striker. He has lots of talent and isn’t afraid to make an assist when needed.
Sophomore Manny Gonzalez had 16 goals as a freshman and is looking to improve on that total. He generally attacks from the wings, which helps open up the middle of the field.
In goal, Burroughs coach Mike Kodama will rely on the trio of seniors Edgar Rodriguez and Alfredo Tejeda as well as sophomore Jacob Cardenas.
Defensively, Wells will be joined by senior Luis Cortes in the middle. Senior Jonathan Mejia could see time at right back. Junior Manny Pascual and junior Elijah DuMonde also figure to see time in the wing back positions. Junior Abihud Munoz and freshman Wilson Harting should also see some time on the back line.
Junior Dylan Mahoney and Hawksworth, a senior, are expected to play alongside Rosales in a defensive midfield role. Senior Jose Luis Arroyo and sophomore Patrick Abarca will also see time in the midfield. Senior Matthew Cardenas gives the Indians some versatility as he can play a number of roles, either in the midfield or in the attack.
Junior David Gerlach returns for his third year on varsity and should occupy the wing on the opposite side of Gonzalez. Junior Matthew Rampaceck and sophomore Elias Galaviz offer support in the attack.

Burbank
The Bulldogs went 5-9-4 last season and are hoping to improve on that mark.
“We’re young and we’re going to get better,” Burbank coach Loi Pham said. “Most of my best players are underclassmen.”
Senior Christian Ramos returns in goal. Fellow senior Jean Diaz could also see time defending the Bulldogs’ net.
Defensively, Burbank has senior Ocelotl Tellez and junior Levon Sahakyan back in the wing positions. Junior Sebastian Causarano also returns and could see time in a center back role.

Burbank defender Levon Sahakyan

Also in the back the Bulldogs have seniors Michael Danielian, Jae Lee and Brendon Chow. Junior Kaiyne Nzenwa and freshman Tony Harutyunyan are others who figure to see time on defense.
In the midfield, senior Andy Cardenas leads the way. Sophomores Isaiah Marsh, Jack Taglang and Nick Diaz all played on varsity as freshmen. Fellow sophomore Andrei Rodriguez also figures to fight for playing time as well as senior Dara Ashrafi.
Up front the Bulldogs return junior Allen Arsenian. Also up front is senior Steven Tom. Freshmen Abraham Rivera and Freddy Cardenas give Burbank a pair that could have a bright future.

Burroughs, Burbank Boys’ Soccer Teams Looking Young, Talented

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A year ago the Burroughs and Burbank High boys’ soccer teams were complete opposites. Burroughs won the Pacific League title and Burbank failed to win a game. But a year later, Burroughs has graduated many of its stars and Burbank has been re-energized by a number of young players who have already shown they will bring the program back up.

Burroughs

The Indians were quite good last season by going 19-5-4 and losing in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs to a fine Salesian squad.

As expected, many key players are gone. However, the Indians have a very talented young group under coach Mike Kodama that will be solid this season and perhaps great the next two years.

Sophomore Carlos Rosales is the playmaker and center midfielder who makes everyone else around him better.

Carlos Rosales

“Mainly it’s a rebuilding year, but it’s not. Our expectations are to be back to where we want to be, competing for a league title,” Kodama said. “We have a lot to learn. The work rate is outstanding. We’re getting better all the time.”

Rosales and David Gerlach, also a sophomore, figure to be key players for the program for years as both played significant minutes last season. Gerlach figures to be mostly an offensive midfielder or as a secondary striker.

The Indians have senior Sebastian Kalemkarian in goal along with junior Edgar Rodriguez.

Defensively, sophomore Carter Wells appears to be a solid center back. He could be joined by senior captain Olin Bernal Villalpando. Senior Victor Lopez could also see time in the middle of the back line.

Junior Luis Cortez, sophomore Manny Pascual and seniors Jonathan Ortega and Xavier Iniguez also give depth to the back line. One player who played up front last season, but has looked solid as a wing back is senior Topli Petko, who at 6-foot-3, will certainly give the Indians a physical presence.

In the midfield, senior Ariel Sanchez could be paired next to Rosales, where he might take on the role of the player who runs the most as a defensive midfielder. Senior Jake Von, sophomore Elijah DuMonde, junior Esteban Alcantar and junior Sam Hawksworth could also figure into the midfield rotation. Freshman Patrick Abarca is a name to remember as a possible future star.

In the attack, freshman Manny Gonzalez has already scored, giving hope that he has a very bright future ahead. Sophomore Kurt Nelson and junior Matthew Cardenas are others who could star up front.

Burbank

Things are looking bright for the Bulldogs a year after going 0-13-5. Former Burbank star player Gor Kirakosyan takes over for Mike Alcaraz.

After two games things are already looking brighter as Burbank opened with a win over San Marino and a 1-0 loss to traditional power La Canada.

“I’m super excited. Hopefully we get started on a positive note,” Kirakosyan said. “We have a lot of young guys. We have confidence in them. We want to turn this around and have a better season.”

Burbank discusses things over before the season opener.

Six players return from a year ago.

Junior Christian Ramos is the starting goalkeeper.

Also back, defensively is junior center back Andy Cardenas.

In the midfield, seniors Ethan Jay and Paul Won return. Senior winger Andrew Senane and senior striker Artyom Ginosyan are also back.

The rest of the team is young, but talented.

Defensively, junior Ocelotl Tellez could see time at left back. Freshmen Alex Pino and Isaiah Marsh as well as sophomore Levon Sahakyan could also see time as wing backs. Sophomore Sebastian Causarano could see time as a center back or as a defensive midfielder.

In the midfield, Burbank will look for help from senior Harout Abgaryan, sophomore Allen Arsenian and freshmen Jack Taglang and Nicholas Diaz.

Sophomore right winger Saul Uribe is another player who can offer help in the offense.

Burroughs Boys Soccer Too Tough for Burbank

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The Burroughs High boys’ soccer team wasn’t at its best Wednesday afternoon when the Indians hosted rival Burbank High.

But the Indians did enough to get the job done in earning a 1-0 win and moving into first place in the Pacific League standings.

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

“We played well except for finishing,” Burroughs coach Mike Kodama said. “We had a lot of chances. Some days you have days like today where the ball just doesn’t go in the net. We were fortunate we got one in and that was enough to carry the day for us. We relied heavily upon our defense. Our back four are very strong.”
Burroughs (12-4-3, 7-2 in league), scored the goal of the match on a free kick in the 12^th minute by Jake Lasso-Spell, whose shot from about 35 yards out curved just inside the left goal post.

“I think the goalkeeper even thought it was going wide,” Kodama said of Burbank’s Andrew Rovira.

Burbank coach Michael Alcaraz praised his team for putting up a tough fight against Burroughs. The Bulldogs dropped to 0-11-2 for the season and 0-9 in league.

“We put up a good battle. There’s always a lot of emotion in these rivalry games,” Alcaraz said. “I can’t say enough about these guys. They played a good game. It was just an unfortunate result in the end. We came out to play.”

(Photo by © Ross A. Benson)

Burbank forced Burroughs goalie Jordan Morgan to make five saves.

Burroughs took 22 shots upon Burbank’s Rovira, who played in the first half, and Christian Ramos, the second-half goalkeeper.

The Bulldogs had a few set pieces late in the match that were taken by Omar Ibnoujala, but Burroughs’ defense was able to clear both the free kick and corner kick.

Burroughs missed a golden opportunity in the 60^th minute when Cameron Kelly beat Burbank’s offsides trap. But his subsequent shot sailed just over the goal.

Two minutes later the Indians had another great opportunity when defender Diego Galaviz took a free kick that hit the top crossbar but didn’t drop down into the net.

“We had too many chances that we needed to finish off,” Galaviz said.

Burroughs freshman Carlos Rosales nearly put the game out of reach in the 78^th minute when he broke away from two Burbank defenders and had a one-on-one shot with Ramos, who made a foot save on Rosales’ shot.

Burroughs center back Josh Sanchez was glad, but not satisfied with the win.

“I think we had a decent performance,” Sanchez said. “Today it was enough, but I don’t want that to happen again. I want everyone to excel and do well and score a few more goals.”

Burroughs, Burbank Boys’ Soccer Teams Looking to Impress

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Experience is on the side of both the Burroughs and Burbank High boys’ soccer teams this season. Thus, expectations are high for both teams.

Burroughs

The Burroughs High boys’ soccer team has enjoyed lots of success over the years under longtime head coach Mike Kodama.

That shouldn’t change this year. The Indians will count on a number of returners to lead the team to what could be one that makes a deep run in the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

Kodama’s 1994 team reached the finals and the 1993 team was a semifinalist. But that was more than two decades ago. This might be Burroughs’ best team since then.

“The nice thing is we return a lot of players and it shows,” Kodama said. “We have a solid core and that’s very helpful. We’re hoping to do really well.”

A year ago Burroughs went 15-6-2 and 10-3-1 in league. Thirteen players return from a team that is particularly strong defensively.

“We should have a good team. The league should be tough,” Kodama said. “Pasadena went far in the playoffs last year. CV returns most of their players, so they will be strong. We always have the rivalry with Burbank, so we expect that to be a tough game.”

Senior goalie Jordan Morgan (6-foot-3) and defenders Josh Sanchez and Diego Galaviz are all three-year varsity players. Sanchez and Galaviz were both first-team all-league picks a year ago. Morgan is backed up by junior Sebastian Kalemkerian.

Senior Richard Alonzo also returns to the defense, as does senior Erik Camarillo and senior Adam Cashman. Senior Ari Arango is a returning wing back who may also see time in the midfield. Juniors Eddie Martinez, Jonathan Ortega and Olin Bernal-Villalpando will look to fight for playing time amongst the defenders.

Senior Cameron Kelly, a second-team all-league pick, is the defensive midfielder in front of the solid back four.

Senior Jake Lasso-Spell is a returning midfielder who scored three times in the Pacific League opener against Muir.

Sophomore Esteban Alcantar and freshman Carlos Rosales are two midfielders with bright futures. Senior Andrew Bardales adds depth in the midfield along with junior Evan Parisi-Sanchez.

Senior Anton Prather returns and is strong on the left side as a forward or a midfielder.

Returning Junior William Rosales has arguably the best ball control of any player on the team. He has the ability to be an attacking midfielder or a second striker, who can hold the ball for long periods of time.

Junior Topli Petko is also a returning junior who has the size and strength to play as center forward, even though he had good enough ball skills to play in the midfield if needed.

Senior Nicky Reinoso is also a returning forward and freshman David Gerlach is a promising player. He is the younger brother of former Burroughs star Brandon Gerlach. Juniors Stephen Carey and Jose Perez-Chavez are two others that could see time in the attack.

Burbank

Burbank went 7-8-1 overall, 6-7-1 in league a year ago and is now coached by 2011 graduate Mike Alcaraz.

“They are developing chemistry with each other,” Alcaraz said of his team. “It is a mixture of younger and older guys.”

The Bulldogs have two options in goal with junior Andrew Rovira, who is joining the team after the football season. Sophomore Christian Ramos is also competing for the starting gloves.

Defensively, the Bulldogs will be anchored in the middle by seniors Oscar Ochoa, Issac Paredes and Kenneth Rovira. In the wing back positions Burbank has senior Fox Bravo, sophomore Jae Lee, senior Anthony Santillan, senior Monteh Ter Sarkissian and senior Carlos Pineda.

In the midfield, Burbank has four-year varsity player Gianluca Vitagliano. Senior Samuel Werner is a holding midfielder. The Bulldogs’ other options in the midfield are senior Omar Ibnoujala, sophomore Andy Cardenas, sophomore Artyom Ginosyan, junior Grigor Grigoryan, juniors Ethan Jay and Paul Won.

Up front, Burbank’s attack will feature junior Andrew Senane, seniors Robert Beglaryan and Calleen Navasartian, as well as freshman Allen Arsenian.

Alcaraz said his knowledge of the league is based upon his recollection as a player.

“You never know what to expect. Every team is different every year,” he said. “Every game is competitive and challenging. We’re going to try our best in every game.”