Boys’ 5-6 Gold Division: Davis doubles up on titles

Davis Magnet School is understandably proud of its excellence in science, math and technology. But the Ducks might also be excused for heralding the recent success of their fifth- and sixth-grade boys’ soccer team.

Davis earned its second straight fifth- and sixth-grade Gold Division title at the Daily Pilot Cup by defeating Whittier Elementary, 4-1, in a rematch of last year’s championship game on Sunday at Jack Hammett Sports Complex.

The Ducks, with seven returners from last year’s champions, wasted little time establishing dominance. The game was not a minute old when Edwin Ramirez poked in a shot by Johnathan Cheng that would have gone in by itself.

Cheng fielded a loose ball in the middle of the 18-yard box, dribbled to his left to avert a defender and fired the ball toward the right side of the cage. The ball had beaten the goalie, but Ramirez got credit for the score by hustling in behind the shot and tapping it home.

Ramirez returned the favor by serving a cross that Cheng converted to double the lead in the 13th minute. Ramirez ran onto a through ball from Kaito Zeaitsu before delivering his assist.

Davis’ Ben Ervey finalized the first-half scoring by creating room with his own dribble, then firing a shot into the top half of the net from the top of the box in the 15th minute.

Davis posted a 13-0 shot advantage in the 30-minute first half and finished with a 20-3 edge in that department.

After Whittier forward Jose “Mini” Ortiz spun and finished from the top of the box to cut into the deficit in the 50th minute, Davis’ Trevor Trepas boomed a drive from about 30 yards out over a retreating goalkeeper and into the net to finalize the scoring in the 59th minute.

Davis did not lose any of its five games in the tournament, during which it outscored opponents, 18-3, but its semifinal clash with Mariners Christian earlier Sunday required penalty kicks to produce a finalist.

After Ramirez tallied the lone Davis goal in a 1-1 tie in regulation, Davis posted a 4-1 advantage in penalty kicks to earn a shot to repeat.

Ramirez, Ervey, Trepas and Nils-Henrik Fuertes converted PKs against Mariners Christian, while Trepas, inserted in the cage for the shootout, made two saves to help the Ducks waddle on.

Whittier, which fell to Davis, 6-2, in the 2015 Gold Division final, earned a 4-3 semifinal win over Wilson. In that game, Brian Perez Escobar led the Dolphins with three goals, while Johan Guzman also scored.

Rider Jackson, Chris Biagi and Sebastian Demaris were additional standouts for Davis in the final, during which goalkeeper Ethan Smithlin was scarcely tested.

Daniel Che banged a long shot off the left goalpost 11 minutes into the second half to account for Whittier’s first shot.

Whittier goalkeeper Jesse Fuentes made eight saves, including a sparkling stop from point-blank range late in the contest.

Ervey, Ramirez, Jackson, Trepas, Fuertes, Owen Beaver and Miles Frainie (sidelined with a broken arm) were returners from last season’s Davis title campaign, its first Pilot Cup crown since it became a magnet school in 2007.

“This is a very special group, these sixth-graders,” said Davis Coach Keith Frainie, who also guided last year’s championship team. “We have some very good players and the fifth-graders were more than welcome to help them out. We had 11 sixth-graders and five fifth-graders this year.”

Keith Frainie said his players pledged to win this year for Miles Frainie and Grady Starn, who was sidelined with a broken wrist. The elder Frainie said both players were injured at recess after Pilot Cup practices began.

Aiden Comeau, Uriel Rivera and Val Felipe also contributed for Davis, for which Chris Ervey was a returning assistant coach.

Whittier was guided by Alvin Salinas, Jonathan Neri and Marcos Ibarra.

“We played Davis last year in the final and we knew [the Ducks] were going to be a tough opponent,” Salinas said. “We gave it everything we could. We fell behind early and by the time we improved our game, it was too little too late.”

The Whittier roster also included Esteban Guzman, Edwin Devora, Juan Sanchez Avina, Damian Banks, Carlos Alcontara, Oliver Carachure, Alejandro Prado, Alexander Barajas, Omar Gonzalez, Yamil Razo and Antonio Manriquez.