TP, Oceanside win Showcase Classic; Zimmerman wins 300th

The 26th Nike Southern California Showcase Classic featured top teams from the Western Region, featured top talent and in addition featured one great milestone. Oceanside head coach Frank Zimmerman, a well-known and respected figure on the soccer scene not just in San Diego, but in California, helped his Pirates to the championship of the National West bracket, and in turn earned his 300th win. <h5>Oceanside 2-1 San Marcos</h5> Oceanside got down 1-0 to San Marcos, but scored two goals on set pieces to top the Lions, win the championship and pick up win 300. "It was kind of a surprise," Zimmerman said.  "I had counted wins coming out of the 2019/2020 season. Then the COVID season, and what that did, the usual activities didn’t happen. So I kinda forgot about it." The night before the game, Zimmerman was alerted by his AD and the kids found out just before the game. Right before kickoff, everybody knew. "We got into the game, it was pretty intense, and we got down 1-0," Zimmerman said. "We had to fight and scratch to come back so the excitement of that was pretty fun. It was just a fun experience." This Oceanside team is only going to get better after this. They have a few seniors who were on the state title team of three seasons ago, and the young players are starting to improve after a slow start that included a 2-0 loss to Escondido to start the season. "The coolest part about the win is that we are starting to become the team that we are going to become," Zimmerman said. <strong>Champ McElroy</strong> stood out for Oceanside. He scored a goal against Fallbrook and both assists in the final. He and his center back mate, <strong>Lee Soelberg</strong>, worked hard and maintained the back lines. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="36867" first="Javier" last="Camargo"]</strong> also stood out for the Lions, taking the corner and the free kick that resulted in both goals and being an active in the midfield, moving up into a more attacking position. Fallbrook High took third place, topping Kofa 1-0 in the first round, falling to Oceanside 4-1 in the semifinals before beating Mission Hills 2-0 in the third place match. <h5>National Showcase Bracket</h5> <img class="size-medium wp-image-37472 alignleft" src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/01/Screen-Shot-2022-01-02-at-6.14.15-AM-300x197.png" alt="" width="300" height="197" />One of the top teams in the state, Torrey Pines High, won the National Bracket, topping San Clemente 2-1 in the final. "I was happy with the win, I thought we played okay," Torrey Pines coach Andy Hargreaves. "The boys feel good and we have a parallel group as far as expectations and drive. San Clemente was the toughest team we’ve played so far. It felt like a match where we were on the back foot for a large part of it." The Falcons topped Hoover High 4-1 to start the tournament, then topped Richmond High 4-2 in an entertaining semifinal before the San Clemente win to claim the trophy. "When we played against Richmond it didn’t feel like we would lose the match, but we were playing a team with a lot of talent," Hargreaves said. "After we went up 2-nil and they scored two quick goals, we were a little stunned but we were able to compose ourselves and regain control." <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="8743" first="Tye" last="Barton"]</strong>, the senior central defender, stood out for TP. He was more vocal during the week than usual, and was coaching the other center back and keeping the back four organized. "He’s been exceptional in everything he’s done so far," Hargreaves said. "He has not put a foot wrong." <strong>Dre Philibbosian</strong> also stood out, playing at the No. 6 spot and displayed great vision. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="8244" first="Mateo" last="Pacelli"]</strong>, a senior attacking midfielder and one of the hardest working players Hargreaves has coached, showed great work rate and was a threat all week long. And <strong>Eli Mineiro</strong>, the junior keeper, was very commanding and continues to improve. Richmond had a strong showing, finishing third after a 3-2 win over San Dieguito in the third-place match. The Oilers started with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Los Alamitos before the match with Torrey Pines. "Playing teams like Torrey Pines and San Dieguito who are tops in the San Diego Section, or Las Alamitos who won the last tournament is a very valuable experience," Richmond coach Rene Siles said. "I was pleased to see the younger players stepping up and the confirmed players finding their best places in the lineup." For Siles and the Oilers, the Showcase is a yearly opportunity to play top competition, but to also bond as a team. "The idea for going to Oceanside is to provide a bonding environment for the team and to play the very best teams we can find," Siles said. "Teams in NorCal are very good, but I feel that SoCal is on another level altogether. You improve when you play the best." For Richmond, seniors <strong>Jonathan Castillo</strong>, <strong>Andy Maldonado</strong> and <strong>Emilio Ramirez</strong> were standout players as were junior <strong>Kevin Romo</strong> and freshman <strong>Andres Araujo.</strong>