Two freshmen scoring in their first varsity seasons, a Sonoma Academy sophomore class that has taken a big step, and a young keeper holding firm.
David Duenas has 12 goals from his first six games of varsity soccer. The Cristo Rey De La Salle freshman is one of nine freshmen and sophomores on this list who are already doing far more than filling out a roster.
David Duenas, Cristo Rey De La Salle (Fr.)
Duenas is at 4.0 points per game in his first varsity season on record, fourth on this list's points-per-game table behind three upperclassmen. He has 22 percent of the recorded goals for a Cristo Rey De La Salle side that are 6-1-0 in the Bay Area Independent Athletic League. That share says as much about his team as about him: Cristo Rey De La Salle have 12 players with two or more goals, and the freshman has found his place in an attack that shares the goals widely.
Alex Sarabio, Calistoga (Fr.)
Sarabio has 11 goals and three assists in 12 games, also in his first varsity season on record. He has turned 27 shots into those 11 goals, a rate of 0.41 goals per shot. Calistoga are 10-1-2 in the North Central League II, with eight players on two or more goals. Senior Leo Ramos has 27 goals, and the freshman has become a second regular source of goals alongside him.
Ulises Navarette, Calistoga (So.)
Navarette is the other half of Calistoga's young pair. The sophomore, another player in his first varsity season on record, has eight goals and six assists in 12 games. His 0.47 goals per shot, from 17 shots, is the best figure on this list's finishing table, and his 1.8 points per game sits just behind Sarabio's 2.1.
Sonoma Academy are 12-0-0 in the North Central League II, and four of their sophomores are a big part of it.
Ben McCauley, Sonoma Academy (So.)
As a freshman, McCauley had seven goals and three assists in 15 games. This fall he has 10 of each in 12 games, and his rate has climbed from 1.1 to 2.5 points per game. His biggest game came against Point Arena on Sept. 9, a 16-0 win, when he scored four goals and set up two more.
Maddox Rogers, Sonoma Academy (So.)
Rogers has made a similar leap. A year ago he was at 0.9 points per game. This fall he is at 2.1, with seven goals and seven assists in 10 games, the kind of even split that makes him as likely to set a goal up as to score it.
Reed Cellitioci, Sonoma Academy (So.)
In relative terms, Cellitioci has come furthest of the three returning sophomores. He had two goals as a freshman. This fall he has eight goals in 11 games, and his rate has gone from 0.5 to 1.6 points per game.
Fabian Pardo, Sonoma Academy (So.)
Pardo is the creator of the group. The sophomore has nine assists and one goal in 12 games, and only two of his teammates have set up more goals for Sonoma Academy this fall.
Gustavo Valadez, Clear Lake (So.)
Valadez has seven assists and three goals in 16 games. That adds up to a hand in 21 percent of the recorded goals for a Clear Lake side that are 10-4-3 in the North Central League I, a strong return for a sophomore in a team with plenty of experience around him.
Leo Hinkle, Mendocino (So.)
Hinkle is the one goalkeeper among these nine. The sophomore has 28 saves and a shutout in 12 games, with a 0.76 save percentage. Mendocino are 7-6-0 in the North Central League III and have played one of the tougher schedules among these teams, which makes a young keeper's steady numbers worth more than they might look.
Two of these players are freshmen and seven are sophomores. Every one of them has at least two more seasons of varsity soccer to come, and for Sonoma Academy, Calistoga and Cristo Rey De La Salle in particular, the young players are already part of the reason they are winning now.