Making the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 boys soccer final was not as much of a surprise for Channel Islands High as how it got there: the scoring touch of forward Ricardo Blancas.Blancas wasn’t even a sure thing to make the varsity in his senior year. But once he landed a spot on the roster, he broke through in a big way. He led the Raiders in scoring with 25 goals and 60 points, helped take them to an 18-3-5 record and a berth in the CIF-SS championship game. He has also earned himself recognition as The Star’s Boys Soccer Player of the Year.
If anything has hampered Blancas’ development, it has been a lack of maturity. It was enough of a problem that coach Rogelio Juarez considered cutting him. The coach admitted it was surprising when Blancas started putting up big numbers.
