"He told me if I wanted to give it a shot, I could try out. They were very welcoming and nice. The rest is going to be part of Garfield sports lore, because Zarate saved three penalty kicks when Garfield won the City Section Division II championship game against Canoga Park and delivered more saves last week in helping the Bulldogs beat Bakersfield Taft 1-0 in the Southern California Division V regional final."
"Incredibly, Garfield is headed to Sacramento this week to play in the first CIF state soccer championships, against Branford on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Natomas High. It's been a strange season in City Section soccer, with six schools removed from the playoffs for using ineligible players, most of whom played for club teams while also playing for their high school team, in violation of CIF bylaw 600."
Javier Zarate, a 15-year-old freshman, made the independent decision to quit club soccer and focus on achieving straight A's. Garfield High's soccer coach Pablo Serrano recruited him to try out for the school team. Zarate became the team's goalie and delivered crucial performances, saving three penalty kicks in the City Section Division II championship victory against Canoga Park and making key saves in the Southern California Division V regional final win over Bakersfield Taft. Garfield advanced to the first CIF state soccer championships, scheduled to play Branford in Sacramento. The season was marked by six schools being removed from playoffs for using ineligible players who violated CIF bylaws by playing for both club and high school teams simultaneously.
#high-school-soccer #cif-state-championships #athletic-achievement #garfield-high-school #youth-sports
Read at Los Angeles Times
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