Atwater’s Rios follows instincts to Sun-Star Boys Soccer Player of the Year award

Seconds before the ball is played out to the wing, Alex Rios is already in motion.

Neither blessed with overwhelming size or a sprinter’s speed, the Atwater High School senior has still managed to become one of the best center backs in the Sac-Joaquin Section because of his instincts.

It’s those instincts that Falcons Jimmy Brewer spotted when Rios was a freshman and inspired the coach to trust him as a leader on the Atwater back line the last four years. It’s those instincts that allow Rios to jump a play before it’s fully developed, breaking on the ball before the pass is made.

“It’s something that’s always come pretty naturally to me,” Rios said. “I’ve gotten better at it the last four years, but I could always anticipate what was going to happen.

“I’m used to going up against guys that are bigger and faster than me, so it’s all about reading the play and taking good lines to the ball.”

Rios made it an art form, leading a defense that yielded just 31 goals in 30 games. He helped Atwater go undefeated en route to a second straight Central California Conference title and second consecutive appearance in the section semifinals. Rios was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and is the Sun-Star All-Area Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

“It’s been fun to watch him develop as he’s gained experience,” Brewer said. “He’s played somewhere around 105 games for us over the course of his career. He’s not the big, huge center back and doesn’t have the breakaway speed of elite strikers, but he has good enough speed and physicality to go with the good angles he takes to really be dominant.

“The biggest thing for us is the way he’s developed into a leader. He really put the burden of the team and whether we win or not on his shoulders, probably because he had so much experience.”

Rios said soccer has been the only sport for him since he was 4 years old. Even then, people took notice.

“My dad played soccer when I was still a kid, and he taught me,” Rios said. “He was a runner. He did some track and cross country, too, when he was younger, but for me, it’s always been soccer.

“People used to ask my dad if he gave me extra training sessions outside of practice, because I guess I stood out.”

Rios managed to do so again this season, even on a team as loaded as the Falcons. Atwater returned 13 players from a squad that reached the Division II semifinals in 2014.

Expectations were high this season, and nothing short of a blue banner was going to be satisfactory. Even with all eyes on them, the Falcons thrived. Brewer’s squad went 12-0-3 in the brutal triple-round robin of league play and 24-2-4 overall. Rios’ calming presence in the back was a big reason.

“I’ve never had a back line that was as comfortable on the ball as this one,” Brewer said. “That’s a big part of being a good center back. It’s not just about winning the ball. It’s can you have the composure to not give it right back.

“There were plenty of times he made me nervous, but not only was Alex good at that, his outlet passes often sparked our attack going the other way.”

Atwater fell short of its ultimate goal, losing 5-2 to eventual Division I champion Jesuit in the semifinals. Nerves and poor pitch conditions got the best of Atwater that afternoon.

“It does make it a little tougher to take, knowing we didn’t play our best that day,” Rios said. “It was my last year, so I came in ready to do my best and push my team as far as it could go. We never got to the section final game that we wanted, but we still did some amazing things.

“These last two years have been special to be a part of.”

This story was originally published January 12, 2016 at 6:06 PM with the headline "Atwater’s Rios follows instincts to Sun-Star Boys Soccer Player of the Year award."