Pizarro is back for more
There was talk that Kevin Pizarro might never play for the Estancia High boys’ soccer team again. Pizarro thought about sticking with club soccer and dropping the sport in high school.
The trend nowadays for teenagers as talented as Pizarro is for them to train and play with their academy team all year long. Some academies don’t allow their players to compete on the high school level.
Losing a player to an academy team is nothing new for Estancia Coach Robert Castellano. He said he has seen four players leave the Eagles for an academy team during his six seasons at the helm.
Whenever a player brings up the possibility of moving on, Castellano doesn’t try to talk the player into coming back to Estancia. If someone doesn’t want to be with the Eagles, Castellano knows the only thing that can possibly help change their mind. Success in the playoffs is the best way to lure players back to his program.
The run the Eagles made in the CIF Southern Section Division 5 playoffs last season is why Pizarro returned to Estancia to play this season. He almost played for a section title, coming up a little short. The Eagles lost in the semifinals to Baldwin Park, 2-1, at home.
Since Pizarro walked off the field at Jim Scott Stadium that night on March 4, he craved more. The Eagles’ first semifinal appearance since the 1999-2000 season wasn’t enough for Pizarro.
“I’m not surprised he came [back] over here because I know how much he loves playing here,” Castellano said. “He has a lot of pride for the school and a lot of pride for the team.
“He’s the most competitive player I’ve ever had. He hates to lose. That’s what sets him apart from everybody else. He wants to win so badly.”
Pizarro believes Estancia is better than last season. The Eagles lost a lot of experience: 13 seniors to graduation. Only four starters returned from last season — Pizarro, a junior striker; Chris Moya, a junior midfielder; and center backs Christian Monroy, a senior, and Andy Ceja, a junior.
Estancia began the season not ranked in the CIF Southern Section Division 4 preseason poll. The section has released two additional polls since Nov. 17, and Estancia isn’t in the top 10 in either of them.
With their 5-1 start to the season, Estancia’s players believe they deserve some recognition. Castellano doesn’t really care about rankings. He wants his players to compete and improve. The Eagles are so far, and Pizarro has led the way early on.
Pizarro ranks first on the team in goals (five) and is tied for second in assists (two). In four straight matches, he has recorded at least a goal. The Eagles are 4-0 during Pizarro’s goal-scoring streak, which began after the first week of the season.
The first week wasn’t too kind to Pizarro. The team played twice and Pizarro was held without a goal. Castellano said Pizarro tried to do too much and put the team on his shoulders. Not helping matters was Castellano sticking to a formation the team wasn’t comfortable playing.
“My stubbornness still tried to go 4-5-1,” Castellano said of the defensive-oriented formation the team used the past two seasons. “After the first two games it just wasn’t working.”
The Eagles employed a 4-4-2 last week. Since the switch, they have won every match, outscoring opponents, 11-3.
The new formation gives the Eagles two players up top, Pizarro and Ricardo Gutierrez. The strikers cover a lot of ground and they complement one another well. Pizarro, a 5-foot-7, 140-pounder, is a dribbler and likes to take on defenders, while Gutierrez is unselfish, preferring to set teammates up with scoring chances.
The opportunities have been there for Pizarro and Gutierrez. Pizarro and Gutierrez each scored twice last week in the Eagles’ two home wins — a 4-1 rout against Pacifica and a 2-0 shutout of Newport Harbor — and Pizarro assisted on another goal.
Pizarro is no stranger to piling up assists. Last season, he finished with 13 assists, the second-best total in Orange County. Pizarro uses his speed and skill to draw defenders, opening up the game for other Eagles in the attacking zone. Players like Moya, Miguel Espinoza and Bryan Torres have gotten into the scoring act, giving Estancia a balanced attack.
Pizarro, who shared the Orange Coast League Offensive MVP award after he recorded 11 goals last season, is the Eagles’ go-to scorer. He finds the back of the net even when he’s hurt. The latest goal by Pizarro came after he dealt with sharp pain in his left knee against Corona del Mar on Wednesday. Pizarro left the nonleague match twice in the first half, but returned each time.
His right foot proved to be the difference in the second half. Pizarro produced the game-winning goal in the 75th minute, lifting Estancia to a 2-1 win. These are the kind of moments for which Pizarro decided to return to Estancia.
“I probably would’ve still played,” said Pizarro, when asked what he would’ve done had his Pateadores under-16 team, part of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, did not let him play for Estancia this season.
“Last year we made it to the semifinals in CIF. I want another taste [of] it.”
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Kevin Pizarro
Born: Jan. 12, 1998
Hometown: Costa Mesa
Height: 5-foot-7
Weight: 140 pounds
Sport: Soccer
Year: Junior
Coach: Robert Castellano
Favorite food: Tamales
Favorite movie: “Ride Along”
Favorite athletic moment: Making the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 5 playoffs last season.
Week in review: Pizarro scored two goals and assisted on another, helping the Eagles go 2-0 in nonleague play at Jim Scott Stadium. Estancia beat Pacifica, 4-1, and shut out Newport Harbor, 2-0.