A threat whenever he touched the ball, Enrique Murillo filled the stat sheet as a key member of Ceres High’s boys soccer team this season.

Opposing coaches tried their best to slow Murillo down.

“He can change a game,” Bulldogs’ leader Gilbert Zamora Jr. said. “That’s the type of player he is. You can’t give him any space.”

Murillo was voted Offensive Player of the Year during the Western Athletic Conference’s year-end head coaches’ meeting on Feb. 8 at Johansen.

“He earned it,” Zamora said. “He never missed practice or games. I got a lot of positive feedback from them (other coaches). He gave their teams a lot of problems.”

Murillo, a junior forward, collected 12 goals and two assists in league play.

He ranked first on the team in scoring.

He accumulated 17 goals on the year.

“That’s one player teams had to keep an eye on whenever we played,” Zamora Jr. said. “He’s a very strong player. He’s hard to defend. Most of the time, he had two defenders on him. Coaches had a lot of respect for him.”

Murillo was named to the WAC First Team as a sophomore.

He tallied four goals and five assists.

“He’s still a young player,” Zamora said. “He has one more year to go.”

Bulldog teammates Luis Flores, Samuel Vargas, Daniel Cardenas and William Duran were also recognized for their outstanding play this winter.

Flores, a senior central defender, managed to earn first-team all-WAC honors despite being slowed by a hamstring injury.

“He was one of the main reasons our defense was really solid,” Zamora said. “He made a big difference on the team. When he was healthy, he did well.”

Vargas was named to the WAC Second Team.

The junior attacking midfielder had two goals and three assists.

 “Midfield is a tough position,” Zamora said. “He did a very good job. He helped the team offensively and defensively.”

Cardenas and Duran were both honorable-mention selections.

Duran, a junior, logged playing time at right and left midfielder.

He had two goals and one assist.

 “It’s his second year playing varsity,” Zamora said. “He’s matured so much.”

Cardenas, a junior center midfielder, had one assist.

“When he goes out of games, it’s tough to replace him on the field,” Zamora said. “He controls the midfield. He has good vision when it comes to soccer.”