The success surrounding the Richmond Hill boys’ soccer team just keeps rolling.
The Richmond Hill Savages, made up of six members from the high school team, won the Challenge Sports 3v3 National Championship this past weekend at Disney’s Wide World of Sports.
The team included Gabriel Carrillo, Bryant Gilmore, Jefferson Collins, Bryant Jackson, Roman Alvarez and Liam Fleming, all of whom were members of the Wildcats team this past spring that won the Region 2-AAAAAA title and advanced to the Elite Eight in the state tournament.
The team was coached by Guillermo Carrillo and Pete Fleming.
The Savages went undefeated during the three-day tournament, winning all six games while scoring 59 goals and giving up only 13.
“These guys have been playing together since they were little and love being teammates,” Guillermo Carrillo said. “This type of soccer is very different, so teamwork and communication is very important.”
While teams must have six roster players, only three are on the field at any one time. The field for 3v3 soccer measures just 40 yards by 30 yards, and there is no goalie in front of a net that stands four feet high and eight feet wide.
“Accuracy is very important, both in passing and shooting,” Guillermo Carrillo said. “It’s all about moving without the ball and quick touch passes rather than trying to dribble around the defense.”
The Savages have been building toward the national title for three years, finishing second in the silver division in 2015 and second in the gold division last year.
All of the players will return to the Wildcats in the spring except Jackson, who has been selected for the Atlanta United Academy’s training program. You can read more about Jackson’s quest to someday play professional soccer at http://www.bryancountynews.com/section/97/article/49864/.
The Wildcats lose just two players from a team that went 16-3-2 this past season and placed five players on the all-region team.
“This will definitely help them with the high school season because of what they learned,” Guillermo Carrillo said. “Hopefully they can work with the younger players on the team about how much communication helps on the field.”
Joann Carrillo, Guillermo’s wife and Gabriel’s mother, said the team dedicated its championship to David Minning (http://www.bryancountynews.com/archives/48454/), the father of Wildcat teammate Matthew Minning who passed away recently after a battle with cancer. The high school team also dedicated its season this spring to him.