VanCity White Salmon's first season a big success

The Washington Premier League offers three levels of play for high school boys: Super League (highest level); Classic; and Copa. VanCity White Salmon played in the 19U Classic 2 West bracket.

The team was the brainchild of Cesar Sanchez and Dan Miller, who watched their sons play on the Columbia High School varsity team in the district and state high school tournaments last spring season and realized that the teams that had the most success were the ones competing year-round.

“We knew our boys had the skills and talent to be winning but the other teams were playing club soccer in the fall and winter,” Miller said. “It became obvious that the team needed to be training and playing outside of the short window of when the high school coaches are allowed to work with the kids.”

Without a club team in the area, the coaches went west to Vancouver and hooked up with VanCity, a non-profit operation which keeps player costs low by not allowing paid staff.

“The existing clubs in Hood River and The Dalles are doing a great job of developing area soccer players but unfortunately their seasons don’t mesh with ours,” Sanchez said.

Oregon plays boys high school soccer in the fall and Washington plays in the spring. “This means we had to find a club that plays in a Washington league so we could be playing games in the fall,” Sanchez explained. “Without VanCity, we wouldn’t have been able to pull together the boys and play in a league this fall. They made it affordable for the players and helped walk us through how to register a team in the Washington Premier League.”

Next came fundraising from the community, which included donations from — among others — Gorge Soccer Academy, The Inn of the White Salmon, Umpqua Bank, Skyline Health, Staci Hanson Dentistry, Chambers Family Chiropractic, North Shore Medical Group, Hood River Distributors.

“We were amazed at the support that came in from all over the community, and the numerous friends and families who all helped to support and sponsor the team.” Miller said. “We would like to thank the athletic director, school grounds keepers and high school coaches for all their assistance in making this happen.”

There also were local adult teams who scrimmaged the team, giving them a taste of competition against bigger, more physical players. Coaching help came from Pero Lovrin. “He helped co-coach and shared his vast knowledge of the game with the team,” Miller said. “Pero was a huge asset for the kids and the other coaches.”

The team played half its games in Vancouver and half in the Seattle area. VanCity White Salmon opened its season with a 4-2 road win against Emerald City Football Club. The seven-win season included a 3-2 victory over Mount Rainier Football Club, which clinched White Salmon its division title.

Miller said the team plans to head indoors for the winter and practice until February when the coaches hope to head back outside to get the boys ready for their high school season through a few scrimmages with regional teams.

“We feel fortunate to have the opportunity to help coach and train this group,” Miller said. “They work hard and compete no matter what happens. We had hail, forest fire smoke, COVID-19, long four-hour van rides and teams that were much larger and older to deal with and through it all these guys got better, stronger and played more cohesively.

“I think Columbia High School’s boys soccer team is going to surprise the Tri-Co conference this (spring season) and make a run in districts and state.”

Others are taking notice, as well. “We would go play these big clubs from Issaquah, Seattle, Auburn and Tacoma and the coaches and referees would ask ‘Where is White Salmon’?” Sanchez said. “And by the end of the games, those same coaches and refs would be amazed that a small community like Bingen-White Salmon could put together such a good soccer team.”