Cervantes Overcomes Roadblock

Were David Cervantes not endowed with exceptional determination, the Rio Mesa High forward likely would not have been present to score 53 goals for the Spartans the last two seasons.

Cervantes, a senior who helped Rio Mesa (19-3-5) into a Southern Section Division II quarterfinal game at Irvine Woodbridge today, traveled across the country four times in the last two years after his family moved in April 1997 to Dardanelle, Ark.

Cervantes’ high school in Dardanelle did not field a soccer team, so he embarked in October 1997 on a 40-hour bus ride to Oxnard.

Last season, Cervantes lived with his older sister, Rosalba, and scored 29 goals in 23 games. He returned to Arkansas, seemingly for good, when the season ended.

“I made plans without him,” said Brent Kruk, Rio Mesa’s coach. “His parents wanted him to stay with them.”

Cervantes successfully pleaded his case and returned to Oxnard for his senior season, scoring 24 goals to boost his career total to a school-record 64. Although only 5 feet 5 and 140 pounds, Cervantes is almost impossible to knock off the ball and is especially adept at scoring with his head.

“Every single goal I score is a thank-you to my mother,” Cervantes said. “I’m so thankful she gave her permission, but I know she’s feeling bad that I’m here.”

Cervantes plans to return to Arkansas within two weeks, but could be back in Ventura County later to attend a junior college. Kruk, who is helping arrange grants and complete paperwork for Cervantes, will be sorry to see his star leave.

“I’m just very attached to David; he’s been true to Rio Mesa through and through,” Kruk said. “He’s a special person and everyone on the team cares about him.”

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With standout players surrounding her, Buena midfielder Lisa Engel can be overlooked, but she certainly is not overwhelmed.

Engel, a sophomore transfer from Ventura, has become the Bulldogs’ surprise weapon with 14 goals and 19 assists. She scored the winning goal in a victory over Simi Valley in a Division II second-round game on Tuesday and will be counted upon heavily as No. 2-seeded Buena (22-2-2) plays today at Walnut in a quarterfinal game.

“Lisa is an incredible playmaker,” said Trisha Butterbaugh, Buena’s coach. “She has the skill to receive the ball and turn on a dime and she has the vision to recognize when to play balls to people at the right time.”

Engel, a member of the Olympic Development Program’s under-15 Western Regional team, is also one of Buena’s best defenders. The Bulldogs have qualified for a division semifinal in four of the last five seasons, but have not reached a final since 1995, when they lost to Long Beach Poly.

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Three schools within a half-mile of each other are the region’s only remaining representatives in the Division IV and V boys’ playoffs.

St. Francis (17-5-5), seeded sixth in Division IV, borders La Canada (14-5-5), unseeded in the division. St. Francis plays second-seeded San Marino and La Canada faces Santa Ynez in quarterfinal games today.

Flintridge Prep (16-3-3), just up the road from St. Francis and La Canada, is seeded ninth in Division V and plays Carpinteria in a quarterfinal game today.

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The Chatsworth girls’ team posted its second-largest margin of victory in a playoff game in the last five seasons by pummeling Van Nuys, 11-0, on Tuesday in a City Championship first-round game.

During that span, the three-time defending 4-A Division champions have outscored 12 playoff opponents, 63-6, and have seven shutouts. Chatsworth’s lone blemish in that stretch was a 1-0 loss to Grant in the 1995 4-A Division title game.