Lindsay, Farmersville lead East All-Stars

There’s nothing like home, sweet home.

Saturday’s inaugural Tulare-Kings Counties All-Star Soccer Game will be played on Lindsay High’s astroturf football field, which means the five Cardinals selected to represent Lindsay will enjoy a nice home field advantage for the East squad.

“I’m used to playing right here,” Lindsay forward Diego Medina said. “I’m not used to the dirt and grass fields.”

Consider him spoiled, for now.

After the sophomore led the Cardinals in scoring 31 goals (tied for eighth in the state of California), Medina will have to get used to the old-school stuff, playing for Team USA’s 16-and-under squad in Sweden next month.

Yet Medina feels quite humbled to be a part of the Valley’s first All-Star showcase.

“It feels good knowing that I get to play with the best players around,” he said.

Playing opposite Medina for the West side will be Tulare Western’s star, Eligio Morales.

The junior tied for third in the state with 44 goals scored. But getting his first among the Valley’s elite will be a challenge, he says.

“One of my teammates told me, ‘You better score at least one goal,’” Morales said. “All I could tell him is, ‘I’ll try.’ I hope I do OK.”

Morales doesn’t need to prove much more after leading the Mustangs to a 12-0 EYL record and the school’s first Valley championship.

All six Orange Belt schools will send its finest along for the boys’ 7 p.m. contest. (The girls begin play at 5 p.m.)

Exeter will send three for the East — Angel Castillo, Garrett Dunn and Salvador Rivera — to go along with Monache’s lone star, Chris Gonzalez.

For the West, the powerhouse Porterville squad sends four after the Panthers finished with a 27-5 record in 2009: Allen Rosso, Isaac Giron, Eddie Padilla and goalkeeper Diego Mendoza.

Conspicuously absent is Porterville’s top scorer, Santiago Machuca, whose 33 goals tie him for sixth most in state.

Granite Hills will send its speedy trio of Jairo Jimenez, Joel Arroyo and Ivan Yanez to the West, as well.

Rounding out the Orange Belt representation is a pair from Strathmore — Joel Gomez and Hernan Orozco.

Lindsay assistant coach Ben Orozco, who is largely responsible for bringing the All-Star game to the Central Valley, chose the location in order to give back to the community, where he played four years’ varsity soccer at Lindsay High.

“I’m just paying it forward,” Orozco said. “I can say, ‘Hey, Lindsay’s known for something besides McDermont.”

Orozco, who says the 2010 game is already in the works, hopes to make it an annual tradition.

“I’m young, I’m motivated and I’m doing this purely for the love of the sport,” he said.

West All-Stars

Martin Galarza Tulare Western

Schad Tenbrock Tulare Western

Ignacio Cardenas     Tulare Western

Jose Cardenas   Tulare Western

Eligio Morales         Tulare Western

Jairo Jimenez          Granite Hills

Jesus Ruiz                Hanford

Allen Rosso        Porterville

Issac Giron     Porterville

Eddie Padilla Porterville

Nathan Saavedra Redwood

Fermin Martinez Redwood

Jose Sanchez Redwood

Fabian Espinoza Woodlake

Adrian Pena Woodlake

Guillermo Garcia Orosi

Luis Espinoza Orosi

Joel Gomez Strathmore

Hernan Orozco Strathmore

Spencer Thompson Mt. Whitney

Joel Arroyo Granite Hills

Ivan Yanez Granite Hills

Manny Gonzalez Tulare Western

Diego Mendoza Porterville

Manny Perez Mt. Whitney

Coaches: Jesse Ramos (Tulare Western)

      Miguel Balderas (Redwood)

East All-Stars

Jose Florez Farmersville

Erwin Galindo Farmersville

Rogelio Ramirez Farmersville

Abraham Garcia Farmersville

Andres  Alberto Farmersville

Alex Renteria Farmersville

Israel Teran Farmersville

Edgar Vasquez Lindsay

Diego Medina Lindsay

Hector Sanchez Lindsay

Filiberto Gutierrez Lindsay

Angel Castillo Exeter

Garrett Dunn Exeter

Salvador Rivera Exeter

Chris Gonzalez Monache

Jacob Green Golden West

Michael Hacth Golden West

Jordan Cardoza Tulare Union

Pedro Rivera Tulare Union

Jonathan Cruz Tulare Union

Cesar Lemus Lindsay

Coaches: Michael Jordan (Farmersville)

      Fode Doumbia (Lindsay)