San Jose, CA - Six Bay Area youngsters won the Earthquakes Championship competition on Saturday, Sept. 25 as part of the Sierra Mist MLS Dribble, Pass & Score program. The event was held at Spartan Stadium prior to the Earthquakes vs. Galaxy game, which ended in a 0-0 tie. The winners were Jason Romero (8/9 boys) from San Jose, Leah Sparks (8/9 girls) from Castro Valley, Sammy Chinchilla (10/11 boys) from Sunnyvale, Taylor Rohde (10/11 girls) from Scotts Valley, Evan Akeman (12/14 boys) from Santa Cruz and Kendra Gilio (12/14 girls) from San Jose.
Twenty-four competitors earned the right to compete in the Team Championship competition at Spartan Stadium after capturing top honors at the Local and Sectional levels of the program that began in January.
Once all 10 MLS Team Championships have been completed and scores computed, the top four scorers in each age division will qualify for the National Finals to be held in November at MLS Cup 2004 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.
The Sierra Mist MLS Dribble, Pass & Score program is a three-skill competition that includes dribbling through a slalom-style course of flags for speed, passing to zones for accuracy and shooting at a regulation size target goal for accuracy. The competition is divided into six separate boys and girls divisions.
The following are the first-place winners of the San Jose Earthquakes Team Championship: </p>
Age: Name, Hometown
8/9 Boys: Jason Romero from San Jose
8/9 Girls: Leah Sparks from Castro Valley
10/11 Boys: Sammy Chinchilla from Sunnyvale
10/11 Girls: Taylor Rohde from Scotts Valley
12/14 Boys: Evan Akeman from Santa Cruz
12/14 Girls: Kendra Gillio from San Jose
