The Ceres Earthquakes Red 13-and-under boys competitive soccer team has shown a tremendous amount of growth during the 2022 season.

The Earthquakes turned in their best performance of the year with a first-place showing at the Elk Grove Sunstroke Classic, held Aug. 6-7, at BSP Field House.

“I have a tremendous amount of belief in this team,” Ceres head coach Alfredo Campos said. 

The Earthquakes won all four of their games in Elk Grove.

Ceres shut out three of its opponents.

The Earthquakes cruised to a 5-2 win against Elk Grove 2010 Elite in the finals on Aug 7.

Ceres players took home individual medals.

“I was shocked,” Campos said. “Not that we won. But the boys were able to maintain the momentum.”

Ceres topped the Lincoln FC Blue Kings 3-0 in the semifinals on Aug. 7.

The Earthquakes defeated Placer United Soccer Club 4-0 on Aug. 6.

Ceres opened the tournament with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Folsom Lake Surf Premier on Aug. 6.

“It set the tone for the rest of the tournament,” Campos said. “We beat the hardest team. The boys gained momentum after that game.”

Ceres improved to 11-7-1 on the season.

The Earthquakes have won seven of their last eight games.

“We got a young team competing against older boys,” Campos said. “They have grit. They believe in our philosophy, which is familia. We’re really united.”

Ceres has placed in four of five tournaments this year.

The Earthquakes took second at the Silver Cup, and third at the Endless Summer Classic and Lemoore Soccer Festival.

Ceres was winless at the Foothill Classic.

“We lost our first three games,” Campos said. “The boys came back to practice and kept working. You could see their improvement throughout every tournament. They didn’t want to let each other down.”

Ceres’ roster features 17 players, including Israel Alvarez, Roman Artigas, Julian Campos, Sergio Carrillo, Juan Farias Galarza, Carlos Martinez, David Martinez, Jose Mendoza Comparan, Thomas Moody, Alonzo Oliveros, Julian Prieto, Sebastian Rivera, Jamesdean Robertson, Adriel Rodriguez, Sergio Valenzuela Cabello, Damian Villanueva Gonzalez and Jaiden Young.

“These boys are leaving a mark,” Campos said. “They believe in each other. They don’t like losing.”