The word pressure had no meaning for Watsonville junior Jesus Contreras-Barboza during last weekend’s Central Coast Section Division II boys soccer championship game.
The crowd fell dead silent as he was setting up for a potential game-winning penalty shot, and all that could be heard was the sound of vehicles zooming by on the El Camino Real outside of Sequoia High’s stadium in Redwood City.
Yet, the standout fullback delivered when it counted most.
Contreras-Barboza knocked in the game-winning goal to help the No. 2 Wildcatz pounce on top seeded Mitty, 1-1 (4-3), in a penalty kick shootout for the D-II title Feb. 28.
“Mostly praying to God that he can help me score the penalty, just knowing where I’m going to shoot it and confident in how I shoot it every time,” he said. “Don’t switch anything up, just stick with my routine and put it in the bottom right.”
Contreras-Barboza blasted his shot past Mitty senior goalkeeper Joseph Gremett, then pumped his fist as he slowly strolled to teammate senior goalkeeper Adrian Fernandez for a huge celebratory hug.
Both players then quickly ran to their comrades as they jumped around near the goal post like a mosh pit at a Slayer concert.
During the PK shootout, Fernandez also had a pair of enormous saves that helped put the ‘Catz in a position to bring home a 13th CCS championship.
“It’s just mind games at the end of the day,” he said. “Just gotta be confident when you’re up.”
Fernandez mentioned he has some tricks up his sleeve whenever he’s put in a penalty kick shootout. So far, it’s been working out for him.
“I have a secret, which I’m not going to tell,” Fernandez said. “It’s all mental, you gotta have a strong mind to get through the tough challenges, especially today in the heat.”
Watsonville head coach Roland Hedgpeth captured his 11th CCS championship in his 55th year with the program, and 46th as the head coach.
“Everyone seems to get a little better,” Hedgpeth said. “With this team and what happened the last two years, and how they developed, you cannot ask for better all the way around.”
Similar to all the other section title runs in the past, Hedgpeth couldn’t help but to smile from ear to ear while walking off the field with another championship plaque to add to the trophy case.
According to CCS boys soccer history, the ‘Catz have won a total of 13 section titles—including one each under former coaches Art Romswinckel and Dave Grabost in 1978 and ‘79, respectively.
Watsonville now has the second most section boys soccer titles behind Bellarmine with 22.
Hedgpeth won three straight CCS titles with the ‘Catz from 1988-90, followed by a title run in ‘96. He led them to back-to-back championships from 2004-05, before winning again in ‘12, ‘14, ‘16 and ‘22.
This wasn’t the first time both programs battled each other for a CCS title.
Watsonville and Mitty played for the 2016 Open championship, but the game ended in a scoreless draw, crowning both teams as co-champions.
This time around, the Wildcatz didn’t have to share a piece of the pie. And they aren’t done quite yet.
Hedgpeth said his players told him the goal was to advance into the California Interscholastic Federation Championships, which they did.
Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division champion Watsonville (19-1-2) earned the top seed in the Division III NorCal Regional tournament.
They will host No. 8 Valley (24-3-5)—champions of the Greater Sacramento League within the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section—on Tuesday at 7pm.
The Vikings are ranked No. 92 in California, while the ‘Catz are ranked No. 17, according to the Max Preps website. Fernandez is looking forward to going up against the top teams in the state.
“Give them a real challenge and hopefully take it home,” he said.
Senior midfielder Damian Mora put up the first points of the afternoon just shortly under the 20th minute.
Coming off the right side, junior forward Justin Alfaro put up a beautifully placed cross pass directly to Mora who then bounced it off his chest for the goal.
It took a little less than 10 minutes for Mitty to respond as senior forward Gabriel Pirayou snuck a loose ball past Fernandez, tying the score at 1-all just before going into halftime.
“It was just a miscommunication,” Fernandez said. “Mistakes happen, especially in the final.”
The second half was a tale of small mistakes and missed opportunities for the ‘Catz.
It began when senior forward Anthony Guido rifled a shot that bounced off the crossbar in the 71st minute, nearly breaking the tie.
Moments later, junior defender Damien Moreno nearly tapped in the go-ahead goal before the end of regulation but his shot was blocked by Gremett.
“It’s a little bit of the nerves, but when they shoot they don’t go straight,” Hedgpeth said.
Instead, both teams headed into a pair of 10-minute overtime periods that also went the distance without a ball crossing the goal line.
After a grueling 110-minute battle under the hot sun, it took a penalty shootout to determine a winner.
Senior midfielder Damien Amador was successful on the first shot attempt for Watsonville, sending the traveling ‘Catz fans into a roaring frenzy.
However, the excitement quickly turned into a nervous tension.
Fernandez conceded Mitty’s first two shot attempts, while Moreno’s shot attempt sailed over the crossbar, giving Mitty the early edge in the shootout.
The ‘Catz goalkeeper redeemed himself after he blocked the third shot attempt, keeping them within distance of the Monarchs.
Fernandez followed up with a critical block on the fifth attempt that set up Contreras-Barboza for the game-winner, and the rest was history.
“It’s my first season playing high school soccer, so it means a lot for my first [season] to be a CCS championship,” Contreras-Barboza said. “Just working hard for myself, for my family, for my teammates, especially the seniors. Sending them off with a victory with a CCS championship, with a ring, it just means a lot to me.”
