11 Sonora soccer players earn Trans Valley League awards

7 girls honored

The Sonora girls team achieved a very successful first season in the new league, finishing 11-4-1 overall and 9-2-1 against TVL foes to place second. The No. 5 Wildcats were upset 2-1 by No. 12 Central Catholic at Dunlavy Field in the first round of the Division IV CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Playoffs.

“It was a great season to finish second in the TVL,” girls head coach Brandon Ludwig said. “We were all kind of wondering how it would go. We were somewhat confident because that’s all the teams we were playing throughout preseason games. We had an idea that Ripon and Hilmar were good teams. You never know when you play teams that you haven’t on a regular basis. It was a better season from that standpoint where we got to have more challenging games.

“Also, it hurt the girls who didn’t get to have as much time, just because we were playing harder games throughout the year. It was a little bit of a balance between the two.”

Machado, a superb striker, was the lone underclassman girl to earn an honor. She was chosen as the Most Outstanding Offensive player after racking up 35 points and 16 goals to rank fifth and tied for third in the league, respectively.

“She ended up with the third-most goals in the league. The girl with the most won MVP. She was obviously the logical selection,” Ludwig said. “Of all the coaches who made that selection at the meeting, I think it was unanimous in that selection, so it just goes to show what the other teams in the league think of her value and what she brings to our team. She’s our scorer, everything runs through her. 

“She’ll either distribute it to someone else or we’re looking at her to make an impact, either getting us going or picking us up if we’re down.”

Senior goalkeeper Allyson Holland was a large reason for Sonora’s stellar record, leading to her All-TVL first team selection. She recorded a 0.85% goals against average (second) and 58 saves (sixth).

“We’re going to miss her the most,” Ludwig said. “She’s so good at goalie. Everyone sees her at 5-foot-tall and thinks they’ll just kick it over her. Somehow, she gets up high and stops them. She’s an incredible goalie. She’s a great person, too, a great teammate and an all-around solid player. We’re definitely going to miss her. We were joking at our banquet that we were going to find a way to make her come back for another year and hide her out on the field somehow.”

One senior from each position group also received an all-league first team nod: forward Hailey Watkins, midfielder Hayden Firth and defender Lily Sturtevant.

“She was definitely our vocal leader,” Ludwig said of Watkins. “We relied on her to either pick the team up when we were down or keep them going when things were good. She led our prayer before each game and was our rock. It was her third year on varsity, so she has the experience and playing time to where everyone listens to her and values her opinion. She has the best soccer mind on the team. I told her that she’ll be a good coach one day.

“Hayden is a very quiet person and stepped out of her normal quietness. She actually got vocal here and there. She’s just a consistent player. She’s not out there scoring a bunch of goals, but she’s out there distributing the ball, being very selfless. If someone is open, she’s passing to them. If she’s got a shot, but someone’s got a better one, she’s passing it to them. We used her as our distributor up to Esi and Addison Kraft.”

Ludwig nominated Sturtevant for the TVL Most Outstanding Defensive Player award.

“She was our speed in the back,” Ludwig said. “She was a vocal leader directing traffic. If we needed to run someone down, she would do it. She’s physical and an all-around solid player.”

A pair of Wildcats were chosen for the all-league second team: senior midfielder Liah Ronneburg and junior defender Karalynn Ludwig. Ronneburg is continuing her career at Pacific Union College in Napa County.

“Liah is just a solid player all around. She’s playing up in Napa and has a great attitude,” Brandon Ludwig said. “She’s one of the people personality wise that I’m going to probably miss the most. Her and I had a good rapport joking and picking on each other, which was good to have on the team. She’s one of our team captains and one of the people who everyone looks to bring us along when we need it.

“Karalynn is tough, physical and brings that aspect to the game. She’s going to run into people if she has to. She really picked it up this year compared to last. We all looked to her to set the tone if we needed to.”

Karalynn, Brandon Ludwig’s daughter, is the only TVL honoree returning for the next campaign. However, luckily for the Ludwigs, 12 other players will be back for Sonora in the 2025-26 season.

The reigning champions, Ripon, will be without four of its seven All-TVL selections, including the MVP and Most Outstanding Defensive Player. Therefore, the Wildcats are poised to make another run for the league title in the next campaign.

“The biggest challenge will be our goalie position. That will be the hardest position,” Brandon Ludwig said. “Our midfield was all seniors, so we’re losing all of them and will have to figure out how to replace them. Those will be the biggest challenges to fill those positions. We still have our offense, they’re all returning again. Esi is the leading scorer, who we still have. Instead of playing 2-0 games, we might need to play 5-4 games. 

“We’ll just have to adjust and see what people come back next year, who comes in as freshmen and who improves. Then, we’ll go from there.”

4 boys selected

The Sonora boys squad was not as fortunate as its counterparts. The Wildcats went 4-14-1 overall and 3-8-1 versus TVL rivals, which resulted in a sixth-place finish among seven teams.

“There were a lot of hurdles and jumps thrown our way. Every week felt like a new challenge that popped up,” boys head coach Josh Kurz said. “They adapted and that core stayed, committed and thrived. Sammy had 24 goals entering the last three games before the other teams put more attention on him with a thinner roster. The way they showed up to compete and stayed as a team was an honor to watch and be part of. It gives us hope for the future.”

Despite the tough season, Villafana continued to shine, leading to his league Most Outstanding Offensive Player award. The phenomenal forward tallied 54 points (second), 24 goals (first) and six assists (tied seventh).

“His understanding of the game has just increased so much,” Kurz said. “He’s always had a dynamic motor and a drive to score. His poise and understanding of the game itself and where positionally players need to be, he implemented that and was the catalyst as well as the final dynamo. He’s been a boom for us. Luckily, we had a two-headed monster with him upfront and Eike (Eberdt) in the back defensively, with lots of youth and inexperience in between.

“For him to create opportunities for others as well as capitalizing on what seemingly wouldn’t be a normal opportunity for most, he turned it into a goal scoring opportunity. Anytime he got the ball near the half, it was pretty special to watch.”

Sophomore defender Bryant Ramos stood out as an underclassman to become Sonora’s lone boys All-TVL first team honoree. He wrapped up March playing for his club team in Spain, continuing to refine his skills against some of the best in the world.

“He’s another tough, absolute grinder with an unrelenting motor,” Kurz said. “He’s one of those that you count on to pencil him in and don’t even worry about ever needing a sub or instruction. You can rely on him to go out there and give 110%. He dealt with nagging injuries here and there, but was still a force. As a sophomore, we’ve never seen anything less from him. He’s just undeniably gifted technically with pace. His IQ of the game increased and developed.”

Senior forward Joseph Pink and sophomore defender Chase Castle each contributed in meaningful ways throughout the campaign to earn all-league second team nods.

“He is probably the most consistent presence that we’ve had over the last four years,” Kurz said of Pink. “He’s always positive, high energy and motor, a great work ethic, high character and persona to be around. He’s a natural captain. He goes out there and you know he’s going to give everything he’s got and be a great teammate.

“It was exemplified that last game when Joe in the 78th minute gave it everything he had to get the ball from the other team and pass it to Levi (Marfil), because he wanted it for him so badly. It’s just who he is. He’s a great human.”

Castle, Ramos and Villafana will lead the pack of 10 returning Wildcats entering next season. 

“(Castle) was recognized by the other coaches and easily would’ve been a first team selection if we had more than three wins,” Kurz said. “He never played central midfield for his club, but for us, we don’t have as many experienced soccer players and needed him there. When we lost Manny (Garibay), we had to have him anchor the center back role. He transitioned into roles that were best for the team. He gave his full effort, ability and is a special athlete.”

Josh Kurz will also be back at the helm, joined by his son, current sophomore midfielder Gavin Kurz.

“We’re excited to compete. We think we can be competitive, and in a relative sense, we did this year,” Josh Kurz said. “It’s a pretty young core, which worked against us when we played some more seasoned, bigger and physical teams. That’s the nature of high school. Orestimba had 11 seniors, Ripon had 10, so those teams that were big are going to be different next year. Our boys are maturing, so we hope as they evolve and it rotates, that we’ll be on the upswing.

“We had six crucial sophomores in our lineup this year. JV had five sophomores, who we look forward to coming up. It should be a good, mature squad hopefully next year.”

Contact Shaun Holkko at sholkko@uniondemocrat.com or (209) 588-4526. Follow him on Instagram and X at @shaun_holkko