MaxPreps honored the San Ramon Valley girls soccer team as part of the Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard.
Photo by Army National Guard
The second-annual MaxPreps Girls Soccer Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard made a stop at
San Ramon Valley (Danville, Calif.) on April 19 to honor the school's girls soccer team. The Wolves were the first of 10 teams to be given the coveted Minuteman Trophy and the nationally ranked banner to commemorate their great season.
The setting was a lunch-time outdoor rally on a beautiful California sunny afternoon. As the bell rung, students poured out of their classrooms and gathered on the outdoor quad area. While eating their lunches, students were greeted by the California Army National Guard and MaxPreps with a well-decorated stage.
When John Raynor, the school's athletic director, introduced the award. Joe Broussard of MaxPreps explained the honor the Wolves soccer team was about to receive and the students applauded with approval for their friends. Joe described the Tour of Champions and explained how SRVHS Wolves were ranked No. 5 in the country out of 10,000 high schools by the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings. Then he introduced Master Sgt. Mauricio Tijero. MSG Tijero was all business as he explained the similarities between being a championship team and a member of the Army National Guard. The students showed respect for the man of valor and they were impressed that MSG Tijero was a current member of the SRVHS wrestling coaching staff.
MSG Tijero called the team up and presented the Minuteman Trophy to coach Mark Jones. The coach was enthusiastic and very appreciative. He wanted the attention to be on his team.
"Being honored by MaxPreps and the Army National Guard is great, I have much respect for our armed forces" said coach Jones. "We did all we could do on the field this season and to win our championship over our rival Monte Vista made it even better. This national recognition is huge. It is a great honor and privilege for our program as a whole and for the school."
As the team posed for photos and took interviews, a couple members of the team mentioned how appreciative they were to the Army National Guard and MaxPreps for the special presentation.
"This was so much nicer than we imagined it would be," one said.
It was truly a day to remember.
