Jose Rios of Pioneer Valley High School is every soccer coach’s dream.
Fast as lightning, the senior is also smart, skilled, and versatile. Rios plays right midfielder for the varsity team, but his coach said he has the skill set to play anywhere on the field.
“There’s so many good things about Jose,” head coach Alan Brafman told the Sun. “He’s always ready to play in every position. Whether I ask him to play on the right or left midfield, or forward, he’s up for everything.”
“And he’s really good at almost every single position on the field,” he added.
Using his signature speed, Rios has already racked up four goals in Pioneer Valley’s first four games of the season. Three of those came in contests against Orcutt Academy and Santa Maria High School.
“They send through balls, and I just use my speed to get the ball,” Rios said. “I think this is my best year. I’m being more active on plays.”
Brafman agreed that Jose is becoming a greater offensive threat.
“He’s going forward a lot,” he said. “He’s finishing a lot of the crosses, and scoring a lot of goals.”
Brafman promoted Rios and his twin brother, Juan, to the varsity team during the playoffs their sophomore year, back then Rios was smaller and nervous. Brafman’s witnessed Jose mature into a confident and stellar player over the past two seasons.
“Jose’s matured a lot,” he said. “He’s thinking really well on the field. He listens to what we ask him to do.”
Rios—and the rest of the Panthers—are giving opposing teams defensive fits so far this season, averaging four goals per game as a team. The team was 2-0-2 going into the Bakersfield tournament on Dec. 19.
Rios thinks that Pioneer Valley’s early success this season is due to the strong brotherhood that defines their team.
“We’re like family,” Rios said. “That’s what makes us strong. I think our team is better than years before. I hope we go far.”
Rios started playing soccer seven years ago, playing for the club teams Fusion and Crusaders. Rios and his brother are identical twins, which can lead to confusion on the sidelines.
“They both play on the right side of the field,” Brafman said. “You don’t even know which one is Jose and which one is Juan. We really have to ask, ‘Who scored that goal?’”
Brafman feels that Rios’ athleticism and versatility on the field makes him a worthy college prospect, though both coach and player recognize that’s not an easy goal to achieve.
“Those are like dreams,” Rios mused. “I hope that’s in the future.”
This article appears in Dec 24-31, 2015.