ALL-ORANGE COUNTY BOYS SOCCER 2024-25 PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jake Tatch, JSerra, Senior Jake Tatch was at his best in the biggest games for JSerra’s boys soccer team. He scored 10 goals over seven playoff games, including all of the Lions’ goals in a 4-0 win over St. Augustine of San Diego in the CIF Southern California Regional Division I semifinals. “That was unprecedented,” said JSerra coach Erik Kirsch. “That was unreal, and against a really good team, too.” Tatch’s clutch play helped JSerra win titles in the top divisions of the CIF Southern Section and CIF regional playoffs. Tatch finished his senior year with team highs of 23 goals and 15 assists. His speed and ball-control skills were a killer combination, as was his ability to strike the ball with power and precision. JSerra went 10-0 in the Trinity League and finished the season 20-0-1 overall. The Lions concluded the season as the No. 1 team in MaxPreps.com’s national rankings. JSerra defeated Loyola of Los Angeles 2-0 in the CIF-SS Open Division championship game. The Lions followed that with three consecutive 4-0 wins in the regional playoffs, capped by another win over Loyola in the CIF SoCal Regional final. Tatch said the Lions went into the regional final sky high. “We came into it with those 4-0 wins so we were very confident,” he said. “We were more excited than anything else about the chance to showcase what this team is made of. We played our style, which is knocking the ball around and wearing teams out.” Tatch, who signed with Michigan, is a 5-foot-7 forward in a sport that seems to be played more and more by larger players at the high school level. So his speed and ability to anticipate are among his advantages. “If I can get the ball in space and attack one-on-one,” he said, “that’s going to be a great opportunity for me. I’m not the biggest guy or the tallest guy, so I’m not going to win every header or aerial ball. But if the ball’s in open space I’m going to play my best to get there.” Tatch said JSerra had a special group of team-first players. “We had a team full of guys that were OK with whatever role they had,” he said. “If guys were coming off of the bench and were only going to play 10 or 20 minutes, they didn’t complain about it. They were just satisfied to contribute.” Kirsch said much of that came from Tatch himself. “He was relentless when it came to improving the program at all times,” Kirsch said. “It was never about Jake, but it was always about the team. When you have a player at his talent level who also has a commitment that goes beyond himself, that makes him the most dangerous guy on the field.” COACH OF THE YEAR Andy Thomas, Laguna Beach Andy Thomas guided Laguna Beach to the CIF Southern Section Division 4 championship. The Breakers defeated Yucaipa 3-2 in a shootout in the final. Laguna Beach then advanced to the semifinals in the CIF Southern California Regional Division IV playoffs. Laguna Beach finished 17-6-5 and won the Pacific Coast League title. “We had great leadership,” Thomas said. “The desire from the seniors was phenomenal this year, and a bunch of talented sophs and juniors all contributed. When they got a taste of being league champions that when’s really wanted to get a CIF championship.” The CIF-SS boys soccer championship is the school’s fourth, all won under Thomas, who coached the team from 1997-2004 and returned in 2009. ALL-COUNTY FIRST TEAM Jake Tatch, JSerra, Sr.: Orange County player of the year. Gavin Allegaert, JSerra, Sr.: Allegaert was the Trinity League MVP. He was second on the Lions in goals (21) and added 10 assists. He signed with UC San Diego. Tanner Casey, JSerra, Sr.: He was All-Trinity League first team, a key component for the Lions as they won CIF-SS and CIF regional championships. He signed with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Gianluca D’Amato, El Toro, Jr.: He led the Chargers to an 8-0-0 record in the Sea View League and scored a team-high 13 goals. Jacob Garcia, Foothill, Sr.: Garcia was the Crestview League MVP and led the Knights to the league championship. Kaden Kirsch, JSerra, Sr.: Kirsch was the Trinity League defensive MVP for the CIF section and SoCal Regional champion Lions. Kalani Kunimura, Mater Dei, Sr.: He was All-Trinity League first team and was second on the team in goals with eight. Micah Novak, Edison, Sr.: Novak was the Sunset League MVP. He led the Chargers to a 12-0-1 league record and to the CIF-SS Division 2 semifinals. James Obleda, Mater Dei, Jr.: He was All-Trinity League first team. Ayden Romo, Mater Dei, Jr.: He was the Trinity League offensive MVP and led the Monarchs in goals (22) and assists (15). Kian Tabatabai, Beckman, Sr.: He was All-Sea View League first team and Beckman’s MVP. He led the Patriots to the CIF-SS Division 4 semifinals. Liam Johnston, JSerra, Sr., GK: Coach Erik Kirsch called Johnston the “secret weapon” to the Lions’ success. ALL-COUNTY SECOND TEAM Abraham Alfaro, Valencia, Sr. Griffin Blair, San Clemente, Sr. Jude Califf, Villa Park, So. Mattias Kremer, Servite, Sr. Jonah Levandofsky, San Clemente, Jr. Jesus Lopez, Santa Ana, Jr. Matt Mendoza, Foothill, Sr. Drew Payne, Fountain Valley, Sr. Julien Reichel, Laguna Beach, Sr. Angel Reyes, JSerra, Sr. Luke Ward, Canyon, Sr. Nate Enriquez, Mater Dei, Fr., GK