Since soccer is a sport played throughout the school year in different sections around the state, we wait until the summer to release our various statewide honors. A familiar football powerhouse ends No. 1 among the boys while for girls it's a happy bunch of Troubadours from St. Francis of Sacramento.

Note: Players have to have participated on their high school teams to be eligible for all-state recognition. The CalHiSports.com statewide honors for boys and girls soccer also would not be possible without the research and assistance of ESPN RISE National Soccer Editor Sheldon Shealer of Myersville, Md. Go to ESPNRISE.com and click on the soccer page to check out Sheldon's work. For all of our previous boys and girls soccer state honors, check out the seventh edition of the CalHiSports.com State Record Book and Almanac.

Boys State Team of the Year: De La Salle (Concord) 23-1-1

The Spartans ended their season with a North Coast Section Class 3A championship and then watched as La Costa Canyon of Carlsbad and El Toro, who were both ranked ahead of them, lose in postseason play giving the Spartans the top spot in the state to end the year. Garrett Biel headed in the section finals' lone goal during the second overtime for a 1-0 win over San Ramon Valley. On the year, the Spartans defeated five teams ranked in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 and ended the season with an 18-match unbeaten streak. Goalkeeper Chris Holm allowed just 12 goals on the year for a 0.54 goals against average and was named first-team All-EBAL. Loyola Marymount-bound senior Chris Bernardi led the offensive attack with 12 goals as one of four Spartans to earn first-team All-EBAL honors. De La Salle previously was state team of the year in boys soccer for the 1990-91 school year. That also was the last time an NCS team was accorded the top statewide honor.

(Read full post)