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Truckee soccer: Boys, girls entering State as No. 1 seeds

Sylas Wright
Sierra Sun
Photography Michael MichaelsenTruckee sophomore Raul Cardenas sends a through ball to Max Brixey as Abel Islas, Michael Brixey, Bryan Reed and A.J. Delforge look on against Sparks this past Friday.
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With such a massive swath of rural Nevada dividing North from South, it’s tough to keep tabs on the Southern 3A soccer scene.

Team records can be hunted down ” with some effort. Playoff results and brackets get posted on the NIAA Web site. But, like Truckee girls head coach Amy Valdivia said, there’s no gauging the level of competition in the South on any given year.

“I have no idea,” what to expect from the Southern 3A teams, said Valdivia, whose Wolverines will enter the 3A State Soccer Championship in Mesquite this weekend as the North’s No. 1 seed.



“The girls are pumped up and ready to play. They’re working hard, so we’ll see.”

While knowledge is limited about the Wolverines’ southern counterparts, it’s no secret what traditional Northern power Truckee brings to the table ” both boys and girls.



The Wolverines own 12 state championships collectively (six apiece) and will carry a 44-3-1 combined record into the state tournament. The boys are 22-1-1 overall and the girls 22-2.

Both teams earned their respective Northern 3A titles this past weekend in Winnemucca, and both consider the feat a stepping stone en route to the ultimate goal.

“We’re pretty focused,” said Truckee boys coach Hernan Valdivia. “Our primary goal at the beginning of the season was to win State. It was nice to win league and zones, but our main goal is still to win State.”

Momentum is on Truckee’s side, as neither team has lost to a 3A opponent this season.

Both squads lost a single game to a 4A program in the season-opening Galena Tournament, and the girls lost another contest on the road against a 4A team during the regular season. Incline played the Truckee boys to a 0-0 tie on Sept. 16.

“I think we’re firing on all cylinders right now,” Hernan Valdivia said. “I don’t want to jinx us, but we’re playing well offensively and defensively. We’re going to have to be mentally prepared, but I think when we’re on our game, nobody can stop us. It’s when we lose focus that other teams catch us.”


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