WHAT A SEASON!!!
By Abel Hernandez, Coach - Killer Kleats , March 09, 2011
KILLER KLEATS - GU10 - Abel Hernandez - Coach, Team Roster - Katherine Ojiri, Isabella Silva, Alyssa Pacheco, Celeste Aparicio, Sophia Pedraza, Britney Chavez, Nicole Hernandez, Tatiana Small, Abigail Thurston, Isabella Veljacic.
I am so proud of my team, the Killer Kleats… Our season started at Almansor Park back in September and just ended on February 26th, at Riverside. It was exciting, nail biting, so rewarding but most of all so much fun. Through this ordeal, I realized why it is so important to have balanced teams. They provide every kid the opportunity to play and to be part of something great; in some instances, the experience of a lifetime.
During the regular season, The Killer Kleats came together as a team, played hard and won first place for the Alhambra/Monterey Park – Girls-U10 region. This accomplishment provided them with the opportunity to participate in the Area Tournament held on January 14th and 15th at the Arroyo Seco Park in South Pasadena. All first and second place contenders from all the East San Gabriel Valley area (Area C) gathered this weekend in hopes of winning the top spot to represent their Area at the Sectional Tournament in Riverside. The Killer Kleats came through once again. As a second place winner of the Area Championship, they moved on to represent our region in Riverside.
GU10 KILLER KLEATS
As their coach, I can honestly say that the weekend of February 26th, 2011 in Riverside was nothing but “icing on a cake.” The Killer Kleats has 10 players, Abby, Allysa, Bella, Beya, Britney, Celeste, Kat, Sophia, Tatiana and my daughter Nikki. In this group, you will find an awesome combination of talent and skill. It varies from the Sectional all star to the regular season player, and they all made a difference and contributed to this great season and to an outstanding display of sportsmanship and camaraderie.
I’ll never forget this experience. In Riverside, the weather was less than perfect. The fields were wet from a night of heavy rain. It warmed up to a chilling 43 degrees, and it hailed during the day. But we had made it too far to let Mother Nature stop us. We won the first two games of the three Saturday games. Our first game against Chino was a shut out, ending in a perfect rating score of 10 (3-0). Competition was tough but our girls were tougher. We moved on to the second game against Hemet and won 2 to 1. The last game of the day proved to be the last of the season. But what a game it was. We lost by 2 points to Rowland Heights, but the Killer Kleats never gave up. They gave it their all through the sound of the last whistle. The team was praised by the opposing coaches for its demonstration of skill and determination. I am so proud of this team. I am indebted to all the players for allowing me the experience of a lifetime. I am so thankful to all the parents for all their support and positive reinforcement. Thank you Killer Kleats!!!