Top boys players in the Del Rey League
Game in and game out, the Del Rey League is a grind among five highly regarded private schools in the San Gabriel Valley. Simply put, there’s not a day off when Bishop Amat, Bishop Montgomery, Cathedral, St. Genevieve, and Salesian…
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Continue ReadingGame in and game out, the Del Rey League is a grind among five highly regarded private schools in the San Gabriel Valley.
Simply put, there’s not a day off when Bishop Amat, Bishop Montgomery, Cathedral, St. Genevieve, and Salesian get together for a league affair. Cathedral has been a perennial nationally ranked squad over the past decade. Salesian and Bishop Amat have fielded nationally ranked teams in recent years. Bishop Montgomery has demonstrated the ability to play spoiler among those frontrunners. St. Genevieve is the league’s newcomer, replacing La Salle in the 2020-2021 season, and increasing the level of play as St. Genevieve went 17-3 in the last full season prior to COVID.
With good teams come good players, and there are plenty of players to keep an eye on this season in the Del Rey League.
Gabriel Espinoza, Bishop Amat, Senior, Keeper
Espinoza is literally saving the Lancers from dropping games as he has, several times this season kept them level or ahead in matches. He had two 1v1 saves versus Nogales to secure that win. He’s a great leader who commands the box and keeps his team in games.
Diego Reyes, Cathedral, Senior, Central Defender
It’s hard to narrow it down to just a couple of players for the Phantoms, but Reyes and Angel Rico are senior standouts who deserve a lot of praise. Reyes has worked hard and put in his time to become a starter and has become the classic central defender. He’s big and strong but is also very technical, can possess, and can build up the attack out of the back because of his skill.
Isaac Ochoa, Bishop Amat, Junior, Forward
Ochoa is what his coach Steve Jimenez describes as a diamond in the rough. His training and his development have been through in what people call “street soccer” or just playing pick-up games. He has developed into a very creative player. He’s skilled, dynamic, versatile, and a great finisher. He has game-changing speed and is very, very determined. Ochoa has come a long way from where he started.
Angel Rico, Cathedral, Senior, Forward
Rico can act as a lone striker up top, holding up play on a ball sent to him and letting the attack catch up with him, or he can be a dynamic playmaker with other forwards, such as Angel Guerra. He is a senior leader who has been on this team for three years, he is the captain and the player his teammates look to.
Enzo Prato, Bishop Amat, Senior, Attacking Midfielder
Prato is a very versatile player who can contribute in many ways. He’s a great free-kick taker, and great in the run of play. He can read the game and has a very high soccer IQ. He understands where he needs to be and how to create space. He’s also very talented in distributing misdirection passes.
Matt Shanahan, Bishop Montgomery, Sophomore, Central Midfielder
A young player, who is still growing and will be a force as he develops but as of right now is one of the best players in the league and is Bishop Montgomery’s motor. He’s very skilled with the ball, he reads the game very well, and has really developed a lot since his freshman season.