Rio Mesa’s Air Show Takes Flight

Rio Mesa High got the jump on Camarillo, using two plays off balls in the air to produce a 2-1 victory in a Pacific View League boys’ soccer game Thursday at Rio Mesa.

The Spartans (13-3-4, 6-1 in league play) got goals from Chris Schwarze in the 20th minute and Bryan Monka in the 35th to move 1 1/2 games ahead of the Scorpions in the league race.

Camarillo (9-7-2, 4-2-1), which lost 4-0 in the teams’ first meeting Jan. 5, scored in the 61st minute when J.D. Peterson headed in a throw by Matt Rowley.

Schwarze opened the scoring when he raced to the far post on an Ivan Medina corner kick and knocked the ball in with a leaping volley.

Rio Mesa, No. 5 in The Times’ regional rankings, scored the winner five minutes before halftime. Monka headed in a corner kick by Austin Dillon.

Camarillo goalkeeper Jaime Reyes, who made six saves, shook his head when describing the Scorpions’ defensive breakdowns.

“They’ve got some tall guys and we didn’t [guard] them,” said Reyes, one of nine first-year Scorpion starters. “You have to be on a guy’s shoulder when he goes up.”

Monka, the Rio Mesa stopper, said a change of strategy led to his goal.

“We’d been going to the near post every time on the corner kicks and I think [Reyes] was expecting it again,” Monka said. “I was wide open on the far side.”

The 6-foot-3 Monka played forward last season, when Rio Mesa was eliminated in the second round of the Southern Section Division II playoffs by eventual champion San Marcos. This season, he uses his new position to aid the offense and defense.

“During games, the forward in me is a good thing because my [upfield runs] fill in the spaces in the midfield,” Monka said. “I can help keep pressure on the other team and not let them turn with the ball so quick.”

Coach Brent Kruk of Rio Mesa said he asks his players to learn multiple positions to give the team flexibility and enhance the players’ college appeal.

“Bryan plays a big role for us,” Kruk said. “He wins balls in the air, but he also has the skill to move it around on the ground.”

With five games remaining in the league’s first season, Rio Mesa appears to be in the driver’s seat for the title.