From Rio de Janeiro to Independence, Mo., Victor Loureiro is this month's Athlete
Spotlight.
Loureiro will be a sophomore midfielder for the Trail Blazers in 2013. He started in 13 games in 2012 and was an important defensive part of the Trail Blazers Region 16 Semifinal team.
While growing up,Loureiro played youth soccer for Botafogo FR. His youth teams placed third and fourth in the futsal Rio State Championships. He also played high school soccer for Centro Educacional Da Lagoa.
Loureiro came to the United States with the goal of studying architecture and transferring to a four-year university. He also expresssed, upon his arrival, a huge desire to see snow. His favorite thing about living in the United States is playing and becoming friends with his American teammates.
His least favorite thing is now snow. With the arrival of fellow Brazilian Danilo Cruz,Loureiro will continue to bring Brazilian flair to the Trail Blazer program in 2013.
Trail Blazers soccer on Facebook
Mason Fannin signed a letter of intent to play for MCC-Blue River in 2013. Mason is impressive in the classroom and between the posts. He carries a 3.9 GPA and plans to study Engineering. On the field, he has earned Class 3 All-Conference and All-District honors, as well as 2011 Sectional and District Championships at Parkhill High School.
He brings a winning attitude to the Trail Blazers program. His stellar play has been instrumental to the success of his KCFC/Futura Academy team. With Futura, Mason has been a:
2009 and 2012 Missouri State Cup Champion
2012 IMG Cup College Showcase Champion
2012 KCI Invitational Champion
2012 Disney College Showcase Finalist
2011 Border Battle Champion
Trail Blazers coaches and players are excited for the high level of play Mason will bring to the Trail Blazers defense in 2013!
Isaac Benner signed a letter of intent to play for MCC-Blue River in 2013. At Smithville High School, Isaac won four District and Conference Championships and advanced to the State Finals the past three seasons. The list of his post-season honors includes:
First Team Class 2 All-Distict, All-Conference, All-Kansas City and All-State
Two Time Class 2 All-Kansas City Player of the Year
St. Joe News Press Soccer Player of the Year
Isaac's 45 goals set a Smithville's single-season record in 2012. For more on Isaac, check out the St. Joseph News-Press.
Julian Ramirez signed a letter of intent to play for MCC-Blue River in 2013. Julian was a standout player for Blue Springs High School and currently plays club soccer for the 2012 State Cup Champion KCFC/Futura Academy team. The list of his postseason honors includes:
-Independence Examiner Player of the Year
-First-Team Class 3 All-District, All-Conference, All-Kansas City, All-State and All-Midwest
Region
-Suburban Big Six Conference Co-Player of the Year
-Midwest Region and Kansas City Defensive Player of the Year
For more on Julian, check out the full article by the Independence Examiner.
Zach Felz, Daniel Parker, Coleman Childers and Taylor Corwin verbally commit to play soccer for the Trail Blazers in 2013. Although they play at various high schools in the Kansas City area, each plays for the very successful Futura Juventus club team, which recently won the Winter Magic and National Indoor Tournaments. Their understanding of each other's abilities, combined with their high-level soccer skills, will fit nicely into the chemistry of the Trail Blazers team.
"These guys are not just talented, but have the character to be complete student-athletes on and off the field, which is something we value in everyone we recruit at MCC-Blue River," said Brad Childers, coach for Futura Juventus and the women Trail Blazers teams.
These four players are joined by Julian Ramirez and Mason Fannin from the U17 2012 State Cup Champion KCFC/Futura Academy team.
Paulo Novo was rewarded for his remarkable 2012 season by being selected as one of the top 11 players in the country. His First Team All-American selection is a result of a prolific offensive output. Paulo led the NJCAA in both scoring (32 goals) and points (70). He had nine multiple-goal games, including seven goals against Wentworth and five goals against Jefferson.
Novo's marks the second time Blue River had both an NJCAA All-American award winner and Region 16 Player of the Year in the past two seasons. Yacine Hamchaoui was a Second Team All-American and Region 16 Player of the Year in 2011.
The NJCAA voted Paulo Novo as the Region 16 player of the year for his outstanding performance this season. Cody Braden was also selected to the Region 16 Second Team as the No. 12 player in Missouri. Braden led all Missouri junior college players with 10 assist. He also contributed five goals from midfield.
The Region 16 selections were followed by the Trail Blazers Awards Program Nov. 16.
Student-athletes earning recognition for outstanding contribution to the Trail Blazer program
in 2012 were:
Paulo Novo and Cody Braden - Offensive MVPs
Justin Schaeffer - Defensive MVP
Alejandro Romero - Leadership Award
Sam Groves - Most Improved Player Award
Additionally, MCC-Blue River President Michael Banks presented the Trail Blazer Scholar Athlete Award to Justin Schaeffer. This award is presented to the student-athlete that best exemplifies excellence in the classroom, on the field and in the community.
Congratulations to all award winners.
