The City's battle on the pitch

With a comfortable lead on the scoreboard and the bench players substituted in for the game's waning minutes, Paul Shank walked down the sideline at Honker Stadium and bumped fists with each of his starters.

They had delivered against their cross-town rival.

Darian Garcia scored a pair goals in the second half, Isaac Mora connected on a 35-yard laser in the fourth minute and the Yuba City High soccer team rolled past River Valley 3-0 under the lights Monday night.

"We needed this one because we've been playing a little lackluster," said Shank, Yuba City's veteran coach. "If you can't get up for this one what can you get up for?

"This is the rivalry."

Well, the Honkers got up. Considerably.

There was inspired play all around the pitch, from sweeper Pedro Guzman's 16 steals and an assist to goalie Carlos Vasquez's 11 saves to Mora, who added an assist to go with his goal.

"Everybody played well for us," Shank said.

But that was especially so for Honkers like Guzman, whose prowess roving the back of the field not only gave River Valley trouble but showed why Shank is so complementary of the senior.

"The best defensive player in the league is Guzman," Shank said. "That kid is a horse out there."

Not that Shank doesn't have a stable full of talent filling his roster.

Mora showcased his skills early, booting a shot that sizzled past everyone and into the left-hand side of the net.

Then after River Valley (7-9-2, 2-2-1) shored up on defense and started to put together some runs of their own in the second half, Garcia started to find the back of the net.

His first score came in the 66th minute when he rolled in an extreme angle shot from the left side. He added another with four minutes to play, prompting Shank to pull his starters and let everyone on his team get some playing time.

Though the Honkers (18-2-1, 3-1-1) scored three goals, it could have been a lot more if not for the play of Falcons goalie Edgar Aguirre. Under duress from Honkers who could strike with power from afar, the keeper kept his composure and made a host of saves. "He was outstanding, he has good vision," Falcons coach Matt Scarfe said.

Though falling to their rival, Scarfe and the Falcons remain upbeat, with the playoffs still in reach. Three teams from the Tri-County Conference will advance to the postseason and after the loss the Falcons sit third.

"We still have a shot at the playoffs," he said. "If we beat the league teams we defeated (the first time through conference) we can get into that third spot."

For Shank, sneaking in won't do. A year removed from missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade, the Honkers' goal is resolute — clinch the TCC title.

"If we win league, we get the first (playoffs) game at home," said Shank, where his team is 9-0 this season. "With the lights and the crowd, we want that."

Yuba City's junior varsity team blanked River Valley, 7-0. Roberto Juarez scored a pair of goals.

Johnathan Herrera, Juan Lopez, Javier Sanchez, Marcello Chavez and Milton Rosini each scored for the Honkers (15-0-2, 4-0-1).