Daily Pilot High School Male Athlete of the Week: Joyce leads the way for CdM
Every year in February, Corona del Mar High students like Grant Joyce look forward to one week. They call it ski week, the week they’re off from school.
Ski week is a couple of weeks away for Joyce. He had an unforgettable ski week last year. He literally crashed while skiing in Park City, Utah, and a couple of days later, his boys’ soccer team crashed in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs.
Joyce said he dislocated his right shoulder while skiing, yet he made it back and played in the Sea Kings’ playoff opener. Coach George Larsen said he had no idea Joyce got hurt during his family trip, and what stung Joyce more than his shoulder was seeing CdM’s season end at home.
Arroyo Grande, a third-place team from the PAC-8 League, upset Pacific Coast League champion CdM in penalty kicks. A remarkable season that saw the Sea Kings go 9-1 in league came to a halt.
The Sea Kings are unbeaten in league this season. Joyce, a senior striker, has played a vital role to CdM’s 6-0-2 record, recording a team-best 13 goals, to go along with five assists, tying him for the No. 1 spot.
Joyce and CdM have two more matches left in league, both on the road next week. The Sea Kings play Northwood and Irvine, before the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs begin the following week.
The week after the wild-card round and first round of the playoffs is ski week, and Joyce has no plans.
“I think I’ll stay home,” Joyce said.
To this day, Joyce said he still regrets going skiing right before the playoffs began last season. The reason he did not tell Larsen about the incident was that he wanted to play in the first-round contest.
Joyce said he taped up the shoulder, the one he had in a sling the previous day, and started. He was still around after regulation and two overtime periods. He converted his penalty kick during the shootout with Arroyo Grande, helping CdM take a 3-1 lead.
But it wasn’t enough, as the Sea Kings lost in penalties, 4-3.
“None of us are over that yet,” Joyce said of the early exit. “Hopefully we will be able to [use that as] motivation and get farther this year.
“We’re not going to let that happen again.”
The Sea Kings have a lot to play for before the postseason.
They are atop the league with 20 points, one ahead of University, which is 6-1-1 in league. The sides played to a 1-1 draw at CdM on Thursday.
The Sea Kings played without two key players, midfielder Will O’Connor (wrist) and defender Rhyan Phan (staph infection). Injuries are a part of the game, and CdM has dealt with them before, seeing quality players go down like striker Kyle Mabwa (finger) and Jon Wirta (calf).
Despite losing players to injuries, Joyce has led CdM.
“Grant’s been that one steady, consistent guy for us that has scored regularly from the beginning of the season and all throughout,” Larsen said. “He’s getting an assist or goal every game he plays.”
Joyce has scored a goal or assisted on a goal in 13 of the 19 matches he has suited up for CdM.
He came up big last week, finding the back of the net in a 4-1 win against Northwood, and he assisted on the game-winning goal by Matt Katz in the final minute, lifting CdM to a 2-1 win over Woodbridge.
“I just try to get in the right spots and try to figure out where the ball is going to fall,” said Joyce, who has four goals and three assists in league. “All of my teammates have done a great job of putting me in position to finish.”
Finishing as league champion again is the goal for Joyce.
This season marks his second on varsity. As a kid, Joyce said he would always go out and play on the CdM field. The field is only a two-minute walk from his house.
“We want to go back-to-back as league champions because our coach has never done that [at CdM],” Joyce said of Larsen, who is in his eighth season in charge of the Sea Kings. “I think we can definitely take a run at the CIF title.”
The lone time CdM won a section title in its history came in Larsen’s debut season in 2009-10. To get back to the top, Larsen is going to need Joyce to continue to produce.
One thing is certain to Joyce. He’s a lot better on his feet on a soccer field than on a ski slope.
“It’s about making good decisions,” Larsen said. “It’s a tricky thing talking about family vacations. Families get so [little] time to spend with one another these days. I’m not maybe as stern as some other coaches are. I used to go to Mammoth every ski week when I was a little kid, and then when high school started, I didn’t see Mammoth again. I don’t necessarily take that tone, but obviously [my players] staying healthy while they’re away from here would be my preference.”
Grant Joyce
Born: Oct. 31, 1999
Hometown: Newport Beach
Height: 6 feet
Weight: 155 pounds
Sport: Soccer
Year: Senior
Coach: George Larsen
Favorite food: Pasta
Favorite movie: “Miracle”
Favorite athletic moment: “Winning my Southern California Development League tournament championship with my [under-18] Slammers team this summer.”
Week in review: Joyce scored a goal and assisted on another, helping the Sea Kings stay unbeaten in the Pacific Coast League.
Twitter: @ByDCP
