Coachella Valley High School girls soccer team honored after historic season

THERMAL, Calif. (KESQ) – Players, coaches, and families all gathered in support of the Coachella Valley Lady Arabs soccer season at a champions parade Saturday morning.

The parade kicked off at 9:00 a.m. and made its way to Coachella Valley High School's stadium for a ceremony, which wrapped up shortly after 11:00 a.m.

It was all smiles from the players who saw a huge outpouring of community support.

Nathali Coronel, a sophomore with the team, described the scene: "Just an overload of happiness and obviously proud of my teammates of how far we come and the history we made."

"[There's] so much just to look back on and obviously a great time to remember because of my teammates and my coaches," Coronel continued.

Saturday's gathering was a culmination of a lot of great moments throughout the season and beyond. Head Coach Francisco Morales shouted out his coaching staff and the parents who remained committed to supporting the players day in and day out.

"They're going to cherish the rest of their life. I think it's a testament to all the community coaches and all the people that are involved, and those parents that have sacrificed, driving those kids around from such a young age. So I think it's a lot a lot of things that happened that led to this moment," Morales recounted.

Morales, a product of Coachella Valley High himself, was beyond proud of the effort his girls put in.

"The way they divide into an identity of what they wanted to be as a team, the way they accepted wrongs, the way they work hard for each other, not for themselves. They're a very selfless group, and this group works together with a common goal."

Dr. Frances Esparza, the superintendent of Coachella Valley Unified, said the Lady Arabs's historic season will serve as an inspiration to many young girls for generations to come.

"What it means is to inspire them and to let them know that they can do anything," Dr. Esparza said. "This is not just for men anymore, especially in the athletic piece as well as the academic. You know, we have so many girls going into engineering, math and sciences and fields that at one time were only for men."

"Our girls here are outperforming most other women and young ladies in other districts. We're so proud of them," she continued. "And, you know, they're bringing so much pride to the district for their hard work, their commitment and their grit."

The Lady Arabs finished their season a little more than a week ago, when they ultimately placed second in the State Championship after a 4-1 defeat to Marin Catholic High School. Their regular season ended with 17 wins, where they advanced through several rounds of playoffs to become CIF divisional and state regional champions. It marked the best performance by a Coachella Valley team in competition.

A big congratulations to the players, their families, and coaches for their historic run!