CBL 3A BOYS SOCCER STANDINGS - APRIL 22, 2008

W L
8 3 - Sunnyside
7 3 - Eastmont
6 4 - Southridge
6 4 - Kamiakin
5 6 - Hanford
3 7 - Kennewick
1 9 - West Valley-Yakima

BOYS SOCCER NOTES - APRIL 3, 2008

The Mid-Columbia Athletes of the Week for April 3, 2008.

Dino Ramic, Sr., Hanford

He scored two game-winners -- the only goal in a 1-0 CBL 3A victory over West Valley and the decider in a 2-1 league win over Kennewick.

BOYS SOCCER NOTES - MARCH 17, 2008

Two of the league's best players are back in Hanford's Dino Ramic and Eastmont's returning CBL MVP Javier Tovar.

But even that doesn't guarantee a successful season for either team.

The league is just too competitive from top to bottom.

"It's an amazingly difficult conference. There are really no easy games," said Kamiakin coach Todd Borak.

The Braves have reached the postseason each of the last five years and should expect to be there again with a strong midfield led by Curtis Moore, Gavin Richter and Ian Lovering, a transfer student from Virginia.

Stephen Gilbert and Evan Johnson will head up a solid Kamiakin defense, while Dillon Braich and Abel Bautista will platoon at goalkeeper.

Sunnyside surprised league champ Eastmont to earn a spot in last year's 3A Eastern Regional championship, losing 3-0 to East Valley of Spokane. The Grizzlies load up again with returning all-leaguers Brian Galvan, Luis Perez and Matt Jongsma.

Southridge is looking up after a 1-11 league slate in 2007. Under coach Chip Elfering, the Suns are working hard in the weight room and believing they can win games. Led by sophomore defender Jared Brisbin -- Southridge's only all-league selection in 2007 -- it got an early return on its work and vision with a 1-0 win over Hanford in the CBL opener.

Despite that loss, Hanford coach Kyle Vierck believes his team may have turned a corner this year from a mental standpoint. The Falcons already have the physical talent with seniors Ramic, Justin Frey and Steven Exharos.

Kennewick was closer than you might think to a winning record last year, forcing seven shootouts in CBL contests. Unfortunately, the Lions lost five of them.

2007 Regional Champion: East Valley (Spokane).

Returning all-leaguers: First team: Def--Jonathan Rodriguez, sr., Eastmont; Stephen Gilbert, sr., Kamiakin; Luis Perez, sr., Sunnyside. MF--Javier Tovar, sr., Eastmont (MVP); Matt Jongsma, sr., Sunnyside. For--Dino Ramic, sr., Hanford. Second team: GK--Dillon Braich, sr., Kamiakin. Def--Curtis Moore, jr., Kamiakin; Kyle Boyle, jr., West Valley. MF--Brian Galvan, jr., Sunnyside.
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Profile: Ramic Serves as Head Man for Hanford

The first week of the 2008 boys soccer season was a revealing one, especially for teams in the Columbia Basin 3A League, which saw seven games since March 8 decided by one goal or less, including three 1-0 games on Saturday alone.

What does it mean? It's going to be a lean year offensively in one of the most well-rounded leagues in the state.

And in the end, Hanford will be glad to have Dino Ramic.

Ramic, a two-time all-league first team selection and second-team all-state pick in 2007, gives the Falcons a legitimate scoring threat from virtually anywhere in the offensive third.

"He's probably the best player in the league," said Kamiakin coach Todd Borak. "There's only a few players in the league where you can say we've got to know where he's at. Dino is one of them. You've got to deal with him."

Ramic began playing the game at age 3 in the war-torn city of Mostar, Bosnia. Then, it was all he could do to keep his mind off the fighting around him.

"It was tough waking up with sirens going off," said Ramic, who lived with the fear of losing more than just games. His father, Rudy, was a member the Bosnian military and faced danger every day. "I was more in fear for my dad's life. One night he came in with a wound on his head."

But the family escaped the war intact, moving to Tri-Cities in 1997.

"We didn't know any English, but it took my sister and me about 2 1/2 months to learn," he said.

It didn't take long before Dino adjusted to life in America, and he never lost his love for the game.

It's a love that runs deep in his family. His grandfather and father both played professionally in Bosnia. His mother's cousin, Hasan Salihamidzic, remains a world-class midfielder for Juventus, a Serie A Italian club team.

"That's definitely something I would like to do," said Ramic, who has led Hanford in scoring each of the last two years, including seven goals and four assists last year as a junior. Of the 16 goals the Falcons scored in 2007, Ramic scored or assisted on 11 of them.

"He's as talented a player as I've ever seen, and he's a natural leader of people," said Falcons coach Kyle Vierck of his two-year captain. "If I had a goal for Dino this year, it would be that he takes ownership of the team.

"It only takes one defining moment, and those moments occur all the time."

One of Ramic's most memorable moments came last season when he scored all four of the team's goals in a 4-2 win at Sunnyside.

It was the kind of offensive explosion opposing coaches know he's capable of in any game.

"Dino is a playmaker," said Southridge coach Chip Elfering. "If they need a goal, he's the one who's going to set it up or knock it in."

But in addition to offensive eruptions, Ramic has been known to nearly blow his top with officials after questionable calls.

"One time we were playing Kamiakin at Lampson and he was yelling at the ref. The ref was telling him to stop, so I told the ref, 'He's yelling at me, he's not yelling at you,' " said teammate Alec Burks.

Ramic's next step will take him to the college ranks, where he'll rejoin former Hanford coach Sean Esterhuizen and several former teammates this fall at Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa.

"It's going to be a tough transition," said Ramic, who pulls a 3.5 GPA. "I talked to a lot of people who have gone on to college, and they say I might not play as well as I'm playing here.

"That's the reason I'm going -- to grow as a player."

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