Jim Benkert, the soccer coach at Simi Valley Excessive, proudly tells the story of how he found defensive finish Izak Simpson. Benkert was the scoreboard operator at a basketball recreation when he requested Simpson, then a freshman, why he didn’t play soccer.
Simpson went out for the staff as a sophomore, discovered all the things from scratch, and the remaining is historical past. The 6-foot-2, 250-pounder had 14 sacks final season and has 15 sacks this season as Simi Valley prepares to face Edison on Friday for the Southern Part Division 3 championship at Huntington Seashore.
Regardless that Simpson has relations who had been soccer gamers, together with a grandfather who performed for the Dallas Cowboys, basketball was his sport till Benkert inspired him to attempt soccer.
“I didn’t know what I was doing,” he stated of that first season.
He has come to like soccer and revel in his teammates. “I’m 100% happy,” he stated. …
Mater Dei‘s Raul Lara coached some pretty good football championship teams at Long Beach Poly, including 2001 with future Hall of Fame tight end Marcedes Lewis on the team, but he has told coaches that this year’s Monarchs staff is his most proficient. …
Oxnard Pacifica receivers Isaiah Dillon (left) and Savion Taylor.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Instances)
Oxnard Pacifica has made it to the Division 4 closing towards St. Bonaventure due to a terrific receiving duo. Savion Taylor has 89 receptions for 1,212 yards and 14 touchdowns in his first yr again from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Isaiah Dillon has caught 46 passes for 825 yards and 9 touchdowns. St. Bonaventure received the primary assembly towards Pacifica 37-35 on Oct. 11 with a last-second discipline purpose.
