Edison’s Dominic Bair earns Daily Pilot Boys’ Soccer Dream Team Player of the Year honor

Dominic Bair spent spring break in Europe. The trip there was a first for Bair, who traveled with his parents, Tim and Libby, and younger brother, Nicco.

They visited Spain and Italy, and from all of the historic sites, there was one Bair wanted to experience the most. As a soccer player and fan, Bair’s favorite player is Lionel Messi, who plays for Barcelona.

While in Barcelona, Bair had to watch one of the greatest soccer players.

“That was on my bucket list,” said Bair, who attended Barcelona’s home match against Real Sociedad on April 15. “You see it on TV, but you never get the full feeling, until you go there and you see all the players you’ve kind of grown up watching. It’s almost like surreal. It’s such a high level. It’s really entertaining.”

Bair almost witnessed history. Messi scored twice in Barcelona’s 3-2 win, leaving him two goals shy of his 500^th goal for Barcelona.

Messi wound up reaching the milestone last Sunday, the same day Bair made it back home. The next day, Bair returned to Edison High and talked about his trip and his final boys’ soccer season with the Chargers.

Bair plays the same forward position as Messi does. In many ways, Bair was the Messi of the area. He played calm and composed, and always came up big. And for that, Bair is the Daily Pilot Boys’ Soccer Dream Team Player of the Year.

Bair finished with 18 goals and eight assists, earning him All-CIF Southern Section Division 1 and All-Orange County first-team accolades, along with a share of the Sunset League Most Outstanding Offensive Player honor. The senior led Edison to a Sunset League title, the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs, and the semifinals of the CIF Southern California Regional Division I playoffs.

“It was successful,” Bair said of this past season. “In the ideal world, you want to win in everything you can, and we didn’t quite do that. We were happy that we won league and we were happy to get the second chance to go to regionals and play with each other again.

“It was weird [to play again], because it was after [we held] the [team] banquet, and you don’t expect to play any games after that. We were definitely all excited to get another chance to do it [when we earned a berth into the regional playoffs]. It was just a little different. We had all accepted that the ride was kind of over and that was it. We had to get back in gear.”

It didn’t take long for Bair to return to his dominating form.

Ten days after losing at home to Redlands East Valley, 1-0, in the section quarterfinals, Bair and the Chargers traveled to San Diego to face top-seeded St. Augustine in the SoCal Regional opener on March 7. Bair scored the first goal, coming in the 28^th minute, and the last one was in stoppage time, sealing a 3-1 upset of the then No. 3-ranked team in the state by TopDrawerSoccer.com.

The Chargers were a win away from making their first SoCal Regional finals appearance in the program’s history. They traveled to El Toro, and neither side could score during the 80 minutes of regulation and 15 minutes of overtime.

Penalty kicks decided who advanced, and El Toro moved on, winning the penalties, 5-4. Bair and the Chargers came so close to keeping their season alive.

Getting this far meant a lot to Bair, who thought he was done for the season because an X-ray showed that he fractured his right fibula early in league play, only to find out that he sprained his ankle. Not losing Bair for the season allowed Edison to go 21-6-1 overall and 8-2 in league, winning league for the first time since the 2013-14 season.

Bair remembers that season from three years ago quite well. He was a freshman back then, not on varsity. But he followed the top team at Edison, which boasted a dangerous goal scorer in Connor Gordon, who produced an Edison single-season record 27 goals.

Much like during Gordon’s senior year with the Chargers, most of Edison’s offense this season went through Bair.

“Although he was our leading goal scorer, he also was a leader,” Edison Coach Charlie Breneman said of Bair, a three-year starter, who plans to attend Orange Coast College. “He’s a guy who everyone respects and everyone was close to. When Dom was pushing players in training and in games, it sparked our team.”

Below are the rest of the members on this year’s Dream Team:

Co-Coaches of the Year

Charlie Breneman

Edison

After Edison fell short of winning the Sunset League crown in the final match the previous two seasons, Breneman’s program broke through in the regular-season finale this time. Edison went to Los Alamitos and knocked off the defending league champion, 2-1, giving the Chargers the outright league championship. Edison finished 8-2 in league, atop of it for the fourth time in Breneman’s 12 seasons leading his alma mater. Behind a senior-laden team, Breneman’s Chargers (21-6-1) reached the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs, losing at home to No. 2-seeded Redlands East Valley, 1-0, and qualified for the CIF Southern California Regional Division I playoffs. The Chargers won in the opening round at San Diego St. Agustine, 3-1, and they almost made their first SoCal Regional finals appearance, before losing at El Toro in penalty kicks.

George Larsen

Corona del Mar

Larsen led Corona del Mar to its fifth Pacific Coast League title during his eight seasons at the school. The Sea Kings went 8-0-2 in league, finishing unbeaten in league for the second time with Larsen at the helm. Despite having many standout players miss time due to injuries, Larsen guided CdM to a second straight first-place finish, and a trip to the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs. The Sea Kings lost on the road to the TopDrawerSoccer.com’s top-ranked team in the state in Godinez, 2-0. The Grizzlies went on to win their second straight section title, and the CIF Southern California Regional Division II title. The postseason run by CdM marked the program’s longest since 2010-11. The Sea Kings finished 15-4-5 overall, winning at least 15 matches for the third time in four seasons.

Grant Joyce

F | Corona del Mar | Sr.

Joyce produced 18 goals and seven assists, earning All-CIF Southern Section Division 2 and All-Orange County first-team accolades. The senior forward was the Pacific Coast League Offensive MVP, scoring seven goals and assisting on five others during the Sea Kings’ unbeaten league title run.

Rafael Espinoza

F | Estancia | So.

Espinoza finished with 17 goals and 10 assists, making him one of the most dangerous forwards, even though he was a sophomore. He made the All-Orange Coast League first team, helping the Eagles to a runner-up finish in league, behind powerhouse Godinez.

Bryant Reyes

F | Newport Harbor | Sr.

Reyes turned things around for the Sailors, who went from a winless team in the Sunset League in 2015-16 to winning five times in league and making the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs. He had 11 goals and shared the Sunset League Most Outstanding Offensive Player honor.

Kyle Mabwa

F | Corona del Mar | Jr.

Mabwa missed time early on because of a finger injury, but the first-team All-Pacific Coast League junior bounced back strong. The speedy forward totaled four goals and seven assists, many coming down the stretch, aiding the Sea Kings to their second straight league championship.

Sam Kemper

MF | Edison | Sr.

Kemper had a knack for creating scoring opportunities for the Chargers, either with a cross, a direct free kick or a corner kick, recording nine goals and 11 assists. The senior midfielder took home the Sunset League MVP honor and made the All-Orange County first team.

Chase Munger

MF | Sage Hill | Jr.

Munger played everywhere for the Lightning, and he could always be counted on to find the back of the net. The junior scored an area-best 22 goals, averaging 1.6 per match. Munger earned first-team All-Academy League laurels. He scored four goals against Whitney.

Ulisses Gomez

MF | Estancia | Sr.

Gomez turned it up in the competitive Orange Coast League, home to Godinez, the CIF Southern Section Division 2 champion, and Saddleback, a Division 3 semifinalist. The first-team all-league pick midfielder scored eight of his 12 goals in league, and he added eight assists.

Matt Katz

D | Corona del Mar | So.

Katz more than held things together for the Sea Kings. With key players like Will O’Connor, Kyle Mabwa and Rhyan Phan out, he elevated his play and led CdM to a second straight league title. Katz, a first-team All-Pacific Coast League pick, had four goals and five assists.

Drew Brummett

D | Edison | Sr.

Brummett anchored the back for the Chargers, leading them to a Sunset League title. The senior center back made it difficult for opposing teams, as Edison held opponents scoreless 16 times. Brummett received the Sunset League Most Outstanding Defensive Player award and made the All-Orange County first team.

Luis Millan

D | Estancia | Jr.

Millan changed positions, going from left wing to left back to solidify the Eagles’ defense. The transition was a smooth one for the junior, who attacked from the backline, recording five goals and five assists. Millan was a first-team All-Orange Coast League selection.

Mitchell Wilson

GK | Edison | Jr.

Wilson was responsible for 12 of the times the Chargers blanked the opposition, allowing only eight goals. The junior goalkeeper shut out Mission Viejo during a 2-0 win in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. Wilson received second-team All-Sunset League honors.

SECOND TEAM

Position, Name, School, Year

F Zac Ingalls, Edison, Jr.

F Christian Djurasevic, Ocean View, Jr.

F Walmer Landaverde, Laguna Beach, Sr.

MF Sergio Gutierrez, Estancia, Jr.

MF Brian Piscopo, Edison, Sr.

MF Elijan Mastnak, Newport Harbor, Sr.

D Ryan Ruvalcaba, Edison, Sr.

D Mauricio Gomez, Ocean View, Sr.

D Jack Fults, Huntington Beach, Sr.

D Jeyson Calderon, Costa Mesa, Sr.

GK Christopher Bartolic, Corona del Mar, Sr.

david.carrillo@latimes.com

Twitter: @ByDCP