CONTACT US

Contact Form

    News Details

    Sierra Vista holds off Estancia to advance to boys soccer quarterfinals
    • February 14, 2026

    BALDWIN PARK — Sierra Vista forward Francisco Ramirez knew he wasn’t going to get many chances against visiting Estancia in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 4 boys soccer playoffs on Friday.

    Max Ramirez gave Francisco Ramirez the best opportunity he was going to get, sending a timing pass out wide into space for Francisco Ramirez to run onto in the 45th minute.

    Francisco Ramirez took a couple dribbles, saw Estancia goalkeeper Josue Perez sneaking out to challenge him, and buried a left-footed shot inside the far left post for the lone goal of the match.

    Estancia attacked in waves over the final 20 minutes hoping for the equalizer, but Sierra Vista was able to hold on for a 1-0 victory.

    Sierra Vista advances to Tuesday’s quarterfinals. It will be home against Indian Springs, a 3-2 winner over Sage Hill on Friday.

    Francisco Ramirez said when you’re a forward, you can’t let your eyes get big or your nerves take over when you find yourself open darting to the goal. It’s a mentality, slow yourself down and take care of business.

    And he did.

    “You have to look for (their) mistakes, you have to capitalize, and you have to be an animal in the front,” Francisco Ramirez said. “That’s all it is. The goal is to score and move on to the next round and go as far as we can go.”

    Estancia (16-3-1) gave Sierra Vista a lot of nervous moments, especially over the final 15 minutes. The Eagles moved 6-foot-2 center back Gabe Johner to the front line after falling behind, and Johner gave the Dons all kinds of problems with his size and physicality.

    Johner nearly tied the match in the 75th minute on a long free kick into the penalty area, sending a header off the crossbar. The Dons also cleared another opportunity off the line and goalkeeper Antonio Jimenez punchez another late chance out of danger.

    You can expect those types of games, however, especially when you have two strong skilled and physical teams going at it. Dons central defender Sean Martinez was everywhere, and you could tell he has a strong soccer IQ, helping direct the backline to a well-deserved shutout.

    “As a captain and a center back, it’s my job to keep the team composed,” Martinez said. “We had to drop two in the back (on Johner), that guy is super tall. He beat us a couple times, but we didn’t make it easy, it was going to be tough. I feel like we made some mistakes in the back, but in the end we got the result.”

    Sierra Vista improved to 13-4-4, and its playoff run is somewhat surprising.

    The Dons stunned the soccer community when it knocked off Mission League champion Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in the first round, holding on for a 1-0 win.

    Notre Dame won the CIF-SS Division 2 championship and the CIF State Regional Division III title last season, leaving many wondering how it dropped all the way to Division 4.

    “You can never understand the computer rankings,” Sierra Vista coach Jose Rodriguez Negrete said.

    Out to prove it was no fluke, the Dons did just that.

    “It’s the playoffs, the adrenaline is going, it’s exciting,” Rodriguez Negrete said. “We were a young team last year that missed the playoffs and these guys worked hard all year and they deserve this. Hopefully we can continue this and God willing we can go far.”

    For Rodriguez Negrete, It felt like the final whistle would never come. The referee added a ton of injury time, and too many late chances for their longtime coach to count.

    “At the end I think we struggled more than we had to,” said Rodriguez Negrete, who earned his 500th coaching victory earlier this season. “They moved their lines up and their big man (Johner) in the back up and we got lucky a couple times. Going forward, it’s just maintaining compusure and holding our ground defensively, clearing the ball and staying composed.”

     

     

    ​ Orange County Register 

    News
    CONTACT INFO
    3621 W. MacArthur Blvd
    Suite 107
    Santa Ana, CA 92704
    QUICK LINKS
    SERVICES
    CURRENT NEWS

    © 2024 Telepeer Cloud Business Communications. All Rights Reserved.

    Crafted with Love: DigiCorns