The award-winning Ramona-based Rebels North Soccer Club are having s for tryouts for the new season.
The club typically has 160 to 180 players on 13 teams. The players range from birth years 2006 to 2018 and their team names correspond with their birth year age groups ranging from B2006 to B2018.
Nearly all the players are from Ramona, though the club also has players from Julian, Borrego Springs and Lakeside for advanced competitive soccer, said Pete Oriol, Rebels North Soccer Club executive director.
Youths who are interested in participating in the Rebels North Soccer Club can for tryouts.
Tryouts for birth years 2011 to 2016 are scheduled for Feb. 10-13. Tryouts for birth years 2007-2010 will begin April 21. Although tryouts have already been completed for birth years 2017 to 2019, players in these age groups can reach out to the club as the teams are always looking for players.
This year, the B2009, B2013, B2014, B2015, B2016 and B2017 teams have all won at least one tournament, or in some cases multiple tournaments, Oriol said.
Coaches for these teams are Oriol, Derek Roed, Alex Medina, Pedro Ocampo, Gilbert Lopez and Armando Cruz. Additional coaches guide other teams in the club, but these teams brought home the trophies in Ramona, Oriol said.
The players excelled against teams from throughout San Diego County in addition to teams in Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange counties and even state competitors in Las Vegas, Phoenix and Northwestern states, he added.
“These teams competed in various levels of play, but all found rewards for all the hard work they had put in throughout the course of the year,” Oriol said. “The competitive platform that we have built here in Ramona gives players from our community the ability to showcase their skills learned against players from all different parts of the country.”
The winter tournament season started in November. The Boys 2009 team won the November Nights College Showcase, which was the second big win for the Boys 2009 soccer players, Oriol said. The win advances the team to the prestigious Surf Cup competition this summer.
The Boys 2010 team reached the finals twice this winter season in two different tournaments. The 2010s reached the finals six times this past year in tournament play overall and they are expected to participate in StateCup in March.
The Boys 2013 team reached the finals in four tournaments this season and had their first tournament win in mid-December at the Copa Del Mar Winter Cup. The team started the new year on a high note, reaching the finals again this January, Oriol said.
The Boys 2015 team played their opening round of StateCup last weekend and won two games to advance to round of 32.
The Boys 2016 team won their first tournament of the new year by winning the Winter Thunder Cup in early January under the direction of Coach Lopez.
The Boys 2017 team coached by Lopez and Cruz won various tournaments this year, losing in the finals in their most recent tournament Surf Challenge in mid-January. The 2017 players have also started StateCup and won all three games in round play. They will be advancing into the next round of StateCup.
The Rebels North Soccer Club is d with its parent organization, Rebels San Diego. This affiliation gives Rebels North access to professional coaching, advanced tournaments, elevated leagues that compete regionally and not just locally, advanced pathways for gifted players, and the ability to play in front of college coaches, Oriol said.
“After all, we are trying to open doors for these young athletes to play at any level past club or high school,” he said. “The generic statistic is that only 7 percent of high school players go on to play at any level. As an organization, we have now put a few players into that 7 percent, and their path went through Ramona.”
The name “Rebels” originated with the Bonita Rebels club based out of a small community in the South Bay – Bonita. Ramona and Bonita are both unincorporated communities in the county and share similarities such as a love of horses, Oriol said. He recalls playing for the Bonita Rebels with his siblings in the late 1980s and early ’90s.
Playing for Rebels North Soccer Club requires a level of commitment from both players and their families, Oriol said. But, he adds, they recognize that the practices and games are a special journey that they can experience together as a community.
For more information, visit the RebelsNorthSC.com website or on social media at Rebels North SC on Facebook and Instagram, or email Oriol at @rebelsnorthSC.com.
