Simmonds Excels as Royal’s Marked Man

Kendall Simmonds is living--and often limping--proof that soccer is a contact sport.

Bruised ribs, fractured feet, sprained ankles. And don’t forget the shins.

“I have the worst shins ever,” said Simmonds, a Royal High forward who is among the region’s top players. “They have chunks taken out of them and bumps all over. It’s like I got attacked by a cheese grater.”

Defenders have resorted to everything short of weaponry to slow down the 5-foot-8, 150-pound senior.

A graceful runner with impressive speed and ball-control skills, Simmonds has 30 goals in two seasons of competition in the highly regarded Marmonte League. He was the league’s co-offensive player of the year last season and is being recruited by such top college programs as Cal, UCLA, Brown, Santa Clara and Fresno State.

“He’s dangerous as soon as he gets the ball,” said John Macdonald, a Cal freshman who played three seasons of club soccer with Simmonds. “But he pays the price; he’s usually being taken down or knocked around.”

Simmonds, even-tempered and articulate, knows he faces more of the same this season. But he’s prepared to turn the other cheek and smile.

“I have to be able to take my hits and no matter how much it hurts, walk the other way,” Simmonds said. “Having two or even three guys guarding you, that means they respect you and it makes me train harder. These guys see me as their worst enemy and that’s more fun.”

Simmonds, a Simi Valley resident, played for Alemany as a freshman. But repairs to the 118 Freeway after the Northridge earthquake turned commuting into a nightmare.

Simmonds was waking up at 6 a.m. and not returning home until 10 p.m. So he transferred to nearby Royal as a sophomore.

His first year, Royal was league and Southern Section champion. Simmonds, a midfielder, had an assist in a dramatic victory over Fountain Valley in the final.

“That was a great team with great camaraderie,” Simmonds said. “In the worst of times we wouldn’t get down, we’d pump ourselves up. Sometimes teams leave the field and it’s like [the players] don’t know each other. But we partied and hung out together.”

Last year, defenses keyed on Simmonds, who nonetheless set a Royal record with 14 goals in league. But the Highlanders finished second in the Marmonte League, half a match behind Westlake, and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

With those disappointing memories, Simmonds has vowed to leave every ounce of effort on the field when Royal’s season begins this week with matches in the Burroughs tournament.

“I know I have to play my best soccer for us to be effective,” Simmonds said. “We have a young team that hasn’t played much together. To take a team like that and win a championship will take real dedication.”

Other Players to Watch:

Antelope Valley junior Jose Rivas is a star sweeper on a dismal team. . . . Diminutive Miguel Meneses (5-7, 135) led Burroughs in scoring and earned third-team All-Division II honors. . . . Basil Grant, a starter at Birmingham two years ago, could dominate as a senior forward at Chatsworth, which also features junior goalkeeper Guy Klein. . . . Senior forward Russell Prior scored 12 goals last season at Oak Park, which has won three consecutive Tri-Valley League titles and is 52-5-3 in that time. . . .

Senior goalkeeper Matt Cardis is the lone returnee at La Canada, which graduated 14 seniors and has won a Southern Section-record 50 consecutive matches. . . . Saugus, defending Foothill League champion, returns its leading scorer in senior forward Jeff Hammond (14 goals, eight assists) and senior goalkeeper Jason Berriz. . . .

Palmdale senior goalkeeper Jarrod Cline backstopped the Falcons to the Golden League title and the Division III quarterfinals. . . . Buena, Channel League runner-up, lost six starters from a team that advanced to the Division II quarterfinals but can rely on all-league defender Robert Drescher. . . . Flamboyant junior goalkeeper Juan Plascencia and junior forward Pat Thomsen pace Notre Dame. . . . El Camino Real senior Geraldo Herrera stars at either forward or goalkeeper.

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Teams To Watch GLENDALE

1995-96 record: 14-5-3.

The Dynamiters started 13-2 and were undefeated after the first round of Pacific League play last season but collapsed to a third-place finish and a wildcard-round playoff loss. Eight starters return, making Glendale a league favorite. But absent is standout goalkeeper Joseph Agaverdyan, who quit the team two weeks ago. Midfielders Armen Akhverdyan and Vaagn Babayan, both seniors, and Arthur Mirzakanian, a sophomore, are solid. Senior forwards Abel Abramyan and Jefferson Pinzon, a converted midfielder, are crucial to the ball-control style Coach Loi Phan hopes to execute. “We don’t have as much speed but we’re taller and our forwards are a little more skilled,” Phan said.

HIGHLAND

1995-96 record: 11-8-3.

After finishing third in the Golden League last season, the Bulldogs should win the title with eight returning starters, led by the standout trio of midfielder Shawn Borak and forwards Derek Brown and Alan Fiedler. Borak had seven goals and nine assists and was an all-league selection last season. Brown, a junior, scored 12 goals and Fiedler, a sophomore, scored 10. In each of the last three seasons, Highland has swept the defending league champions. This season, the Bulldogs should assume the top spot.

RESEDA

1995-96 record: 10-4-3

The Regents overcame a chaotic start last season to advance to the City Section quarterfinals under first-year Coach Julio Castillo. This season’s lineup includes three of the region’s best players: senior forward Alex Acevedo, senior midfielder Marvin Quijano and sophomore midfielder Carlos Morales. Castillo’s control over his team was not particularly strong last season but things should be better. A Valley Pac-8 Conference title is likely.

RIO MESA

1995-96 record: 16-7-5.

The Spartans finished fourth in the Channel League last season but advanced to the Southern Section Division II semifinals. Six starters return, led by senior forward Jaime Ambriz, who earned All-Division II honors after scoring 30 goals. Senior midfielder Adam Reeves is another standout and will team with sophomore Ivan Medina in the midfield to get Ambriz the ball. Forwards David Cervantes, a sophomore, and Dennis Woolsey, a junior, are each first-year starters. They must score to take pressure off a defense that graduated second-team all-division goalkeeper Nick Pavlick but returns junior stopper Jason High and senior sweeper David Chooljian.

ROYAL

1995-96 record: 19-6-3

The Highlanders finished second in the Marmonte League by half a match last season after winning the Division I title in 1994-95. Three seniors--midfielders Brandon Kay (15 goals) and Ryan Walker and forward Kendall Simmonds--return as third-year starters. Three other returnees--sweeper Sean Gesell, midfielder Dan Wilson and stopper Jerrod Gonzales--started last season as sophomores. Twins Matt and Mike Ranier, each 6 feet 4, decided to play high school soccer for the first time as seniors. Matt will start at goalkeeper and Mike at outside midfielder. “We’re not that stylish, little, creative team we were last season,” Coach Kevin Corley said. “We’ll have to play better defense because we won’t score as much, but we have the players to do that.”