Live Oak senior forward Noah Cuevas (14) dribbles the ball in the Lions 1-1 tie against River Valley on December 12, 2023.

Gridley

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - The Gridley boys and girls soccer programs opened Butte View League play January 11 as they both hosted the Corning Cardinals.

The Gridley girls soccer team is looking for its first season to finish above .500 in the MaxPreps era. The Lady Bulldogs are currently 4-2-1 entering BVL play and the preseason records in the past couple of years have been above .500, but instantly go under that threshold in league season. 

The only team that Gridley has had success against in BVL play over the last couple of seasons is Oroville, as the Lady Bulldogs have all of its four league wins over the Lady Tigers in the past two seasons.

Gridley junior Nolan Weagant (1) passes the ball forward in the Bulldogs 2-0 loss at Yuba City on December 12, 2023.

Gridley is led by a duo of senior strikers in Janessa Delgado and Rafaela Anguiano, as Delgado leads the team with 11 goals and Anguiano right behind with 10 as of Sunday, January 7.

Anguiano also led the Lady Bulldogs in points (26) and assists (6) heading into the matchup with Corning yesterday.

The Gridley boys soccer team is looking to continue and build off of a deep playoff run from last season that included trips to the Northern Section Division II final and a trip to the CIF Division V NorCal Regional Final.

The Bulldogs opened up the 2024 part of the season with a dominant 16-0 victory over Durham on Thursday, January 4, and snapped their previous two-game skid of losses against Yuba City and Pleasant Valley.

Gridley head coach Jesse Barajas told the Herald that his heavy roster of 26 players is great to have as they are all locked in, but getting them all into the mix is difficult.

He added heading into league play that health is going to be a key for success. Bulldogs junior Nolan Weagant is the Northern Section leader with 18 goals as Gridley headed into their opening matchup against Corning yesterday.

Live Oak

LIVE OAK, CA (MPG) - The Live Oak boys and girls soccer programs started Sacramento Valley League play, and both teams are aiming towards league titles and deep playoff runs, as they opened league play this past Tuesday, January 9, on the road at Los Molinos.

The Lady Lions are off to another hot start as they entered league play at 9-1-1 under Head Coach Jose Acosta.

Acosta has a deep roster that is adjustable all-around the entire field with veteran leadership in junior midfielder Johanna Petrone, and a pair of seniors in defender Maya Goodson and striker Mckayla Holman. 

Live Oak senior striker Mckayla Holman (7) dribbles the ball in the Lady Lions 2-1 win over Yuba City on November 20, 2023.

Acosta told the Herald that with the trio playing with one another for the last three seasons, that they matured and physically have not been stronger.

“Their leadership has grown from learning how to adapt with the younger group as well,” Acosta said.

Acosta added that freshman midfielders Isabella Tinoco, Cecilia Caracheo and Nathalia Gutierrez have made an impact on the field and looks for them to learn from the older leadership.

Live Oak senior defender Maya Goodson (4) kicks the ball upfield in the Lady Lions 2-1 victory over Yuba City on November 20, 2023.

Petrone and Holman, who were number one and two nationally in points last season, according to MaxPreps, are currently ranked number one and two again in the Northern Section.

The Lady Lions biggest competition in SVL play will be with Winters as the Lady Lions were beaten and tied last season by Winters.

The boys’ program is looking to win a second consecutive SVL title and Head Coach Rudy Rosales expressed to the Herald they are going to continue the grind they have all season.

Live Oak senior forward Noah Cuevas (14) fights for the ball in the Lions 1-1 tie at River Valley on December 12, 2023.

Rosales is in his first season at the top of the program, and he told the Herald that they are still looking for a definitive striker, but the best part of their team has been its attention to defense.

Senior midfielder Esteban Alvarado is the team leader with six goals and seven assists on the season. The Lions biggest competition in the SVL will be Winters, as both teams shared the SVL title with an 8-0-2 record last season.