Big Red again: Jesuit wins 15th section soccer championship for 45th-year coach Paul Rose
The tradition and legacy live on for the Jesuit Marauders soccer program, coached by a soccer lifer who hasn’t lost an ounce of passion to teach the game.
The top-seeded Marauders on Saturday night defeated upstart McClatchy, seeded seventh, 2-0 to win the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship at Cosumnes River College.
A packed house at CRC saw the Marauders win their 15th soccer banner under coach Paul Rose, far and away the most titles in section history. Del Campo, Dixon, Christian Brothers and Bella Vista each have seven section championships. Jesuit has won five since 2015.
This was an intense match with fans of all ages cheering and chanting as loudly as they could. The Marauders opened the scoring in the 23rd minute with a shot from senior forward Kellen Jacot. From there, the Marauders and Lions of the Metro League battled it out. The ball went from goal to goal with each team sending through ball after through ball.
The Marauders finally broke the long deadlock, clinching the game in stoppage with a low-fired shot by sophomore Renner Smiley. Rose, in his 45h year as Jesuit’s coach, was under the weather and planned to sit in the crowd away from his players, but he gutted this one out just like his team.
“I got sick back in 2019 and ended up getting the whole team sick,” Rose said. “It really hurt our ability in the regionals because we just couldn’t get back on track. We even made it to the finals that year, but just could not finish.”
Jesuit’s last section title was in 2019. The Marauders lost to Rio Americano in the Division II playoffs last season, so there was no shortage of motivation this winter to get back on top of the section heap. Rose is the winningest coach in the history of California high school soccer with more than 900 victories. All these years in and Rose still has a fiery passion for the game.
“I don’t want to say it’s just another day at the office,” Rose said. “Sure, I’ve been here before, but what I love about high school soccer is that this is a completely new group of players and they have such a drive to win. That definitely keeps me going.”
Rose said he couldn’t just sit back in the stands and watch this hotly contested match. He eventually found his way down to the technical area, keeping his players at a safe distance, while shouting orders and tactics to push his team over the top with his medical mask over his face.
The defensive clean sheet is really what Rose wanted to focus on as he immediately turned his attention to their next match in the CIF Northern California regionals, which will be played Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at home sites. Jesuit on Sunday afternoon earned the top seed in the D-I NorCal field and will open at home against Monte Vista of Danville. McClatchy is the No. 7 seed and opens at No. 2 Mitty of San Jose.
“It’s my two guys in the back,” Rose said. “They are such a big part of why we win. They hold down that line like none other. Both over 6-3. Just two huge stars and have both been a huge part of getting us wins like this.”
This Marauders team is older and more experienced. They had nine senior in the starting eleven and 21 total.
The two anchormen on defense, seniors Eric Jensen and Charlie Black, are stars on and off the pitch. Both have GPAs over 4.8 and have their eyes on some top college programs. Jensen is a two-sport athlete. He might play baseball in college.
They were both excited to get the section title Saturday night.
“It was definitely a big win,” Jensen said. “We played well, but there is room for improvement. I think we should’ve put it away earlier and that’s going to be something to think about in the regionals.”
Black was similarly excited.
“It’s always fun playing with this team,” Black said. “The big crowd heightened the energy for sure but also made things super exciting. Overall, I thought we did a good job of holding them from shooting, which is why we held them to no goals. I’m really proud of this team.”
Jesuit finished the regular season with 20 wins, one loss and two draws while winning the Delta League championship. The Lions were no pushover, however, keeping the score tight until the final minutes. The Lions came in with upsets over No. 2 Davis and No. 3 Whitney. The Lions had big expectations this season after making the quarterfinals last year. Second-year coach Izzy Ramirez had high praise for his team’s run.
“I can’t single out one star,” Ramirez said. “This team is filled with stars. Every single last player. We couldn’t be here without the drive and toughness of the entire team. I’m really proud of them and am just glad we got this far.”
Division II
Golden Valley 4 Del Oro 2: The third-seeded Cougars of Merced continued their playoff romp with an upset of the top-seeded Golden Eagles for the program’s first section championship.
Golden Valley (21-2-2) beat No. 2 Elk Grove 2-1 in a semifinal. The Cougars are the No. 3 seed in the NorCal D-III field and opens at home against Las Lomas of Walnut Creek. Del Oro earned the No. 5 seed in the Northern California Division II field and will play at No. 4 El Diamante of Visalia on Tuesday.
Division III
Valley 2, Pacheco 1: Jose Aguirre’s goal, strong defense and Christopher Hernandez-Ortega goalkeeping powered the top-seeded Vikings to their first soccer championship. The Vikings did not have to travel far, either. The school is located across the street from CRC.
Valley (24-4-4) won the Greater Sacramento League. The Vikings have a five-match winning streak. Valley was moved up to Division II for the CIF Northern California Regional tournament as part of the CIF’s “competitive equity model” and is seeded eighth. The Vikings open at top-seeded Dougherty Valley of San Ramon.
Division IV
Natomas 3, Galt 1: Alexis Barba scored two goals and Donovan Rodriguez one to power the Nighthawks to their fourth section banner by beating the three-time champion Warriors. Natomas (13-3-4), which finished second behind Valley in the GSL, has a four-match winning streak.
Natomas is the No. 5 seed in the NorCal D-III field and opens at No. 4 Pleasant Valley of Chico. Galt is the No. 4 seed in the D-IV field and will host No. 5 Archie Williams High of San Anselmo.
This story was originally published February 25, 2024 at 10:47 AM.