Pacheco soccer star Nevarez is San Jose State bound

Brian Nevarez admits to being a little overwhelmed.

The Pacheco High School soccer star was grateful to have so many interested colleges, particularly at the Division I level, but he was also feeling the pressure to make the right decision for his future.

The more he thought about it, the more his former hometown made sense. Nevarez verbally committed to San Jose State at the beginning of the school year and made it official Monday night. In front of a group of about 30 teammates, coaches, family and friends, the senior midfielder put pen to paper to play for the Spartans in the fall.

“Committing early was definitely a big deal,” Nevarez said. “It just took the load off for me to relax my senior year. It just made things easy. I knew where I was going, and my path was laid out for me. Just being back in my hometown, repping my city, repping my colors and then having my whole family around, made it perfect.”

Nevarez became Pacheco’s third Division I signee in six years, joining Frank Ginda (San Jose State football) and Gia Rodoni (Baylor softball). He also made history by becoming the Panthers’ first soccer player to sign with a four-year school in the school’s young history.

“You don’t want to throw around the term historic too much, but this is that kind of day,” Pacheco athletic director Charlie Pikas said. “We have been blessed to have some pretty special athletes in our brief history, and Brian definitely fits that definition. He’s the very first to sign from a growing soccer program. That’s something no one will ever be able to take away from him.”

San Jose State is getting one of the most dynamic offensive players to come out of Merced County in the last decade.

With a lethal combination of pace and technical ability, Nevarez found the back of the net 51 times the last two seasons. When the Spartans suggested they’d like to use him in an attacking-midfield role, he changed course for his senior year and has served as the Panthers’ playmaker, pacing Pacheco with 14 assists to go with 13 more goals.

Naturally talented as he is, Nevarez acknowledged San Jose State probably never would have become a reality without help. He thanked those in attendance Monday for pushing and supporting him over the course of his high school career.

“It means a lot,” Nevarez said of the crowd that turned out. “Support is really a big thing for me. I like how they support me and how it pushes me to go even further to make my dreams come true and to make them happy.”

This story was originally published February 6, 2017 at 8:34 PM with the headline "Pacheco soccer star Nevarez is San Jose State bound."