After historic season, Oakdale’s Kyndra Obermeyer is The Bee’s Soccer Player of the Year
Kyndra Obermeyer has not played much varsity soccer, but her impact on the Oakdale program will be felt for years to come.
Her first high school season, the varsity team played just 10 games during the spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a sophomore, she tore ligaments in her left ankle, limiting her to less than five appearances.
“It was hard to sit there and watch on the sidelines because as a player, you always want to be in the game,” she said.
This year, as a junior, she entered her first full varsity season fully healthy.
It was as good a debut season as anyone could ask for.
Obermeyer proved to be a threat whenever she touched the ball, scoring 30 goals and finishing the season with 69 points. She finished third on the team with nine assists and led the Mustangs to their first league title since 2011, two playoff wins and was awarded Valley Oak League MVP.
“It was really nice to have that feeling of getting to play because I’m not injured,” she said. “I don’t have to think about my injury anymore. I just know that I’m healthy enough to play.”
After helping her team to its best season in 10 years, Obermeyer is The Bee’s Soccer Player of the Year.
Ever since she started playing the sport as a 5-year-old, Obermeyer’s dominant foot was her left.
When she was injured as a sophomore, she continued training, which she admits was risky. With a limited dominant foot, and a desire to remain on the field, she started to do more with her weaker foot. She began passing and shooting with her right foot and by the time she was healthy, she was ambidextrous.
In her first full high school season, she saw the work translate immediately. After she used her speed to get past defenders, she regularly fired off shots with either her right or left foot.
“A lot of people will ask me what foot I am and I’m like, ‘actually, both,’” Obermeyer said. “It works in my favor going against defending because I could use my right and then they think I’m right footed and lean to the right, and then I’ll go with the left next time or vice versa.”
Sitting out did not mean taking a break from the game completely. Obermeyer says though she did not like watching from the sidelines, she learned to see the game from a different perspective. She got a year to scout her future opponents and took full advantage.
“I got to see how everything played out last year, and then going into this year, I knew, from watching games, their weaknesses and their strengths.” she said.
Obermeyer, who recently committed to play college soccer at Stanislaus State, started the season with a bang, scoring six goals in the second game of the season, a 7-0 win over Stagg.
“The biggest thing that stood out to me was her commitment to the team,” said coach Kico Monares. “Her leadership, her attitude, she was definitely someone that we relied on but as a team captain, I felt like … everything that we wanted as a captain was exactly what Kyndra provided for us.”
The team followed her lead and the Mustangs opened the season 9-0. Their first game that did not result in a win was a 1-1 tie against VOL opponent East Union, which the team took tougher than expected.
“We took it really hard, because we didn’t win,” Obermeyer said. “Yeah, a tie is not a loss, but it’s still something where we knew we needed to continue to train and continue to get better because these teams are just going to keep getting better.”
The Mustangs continued to improve and by the end of the season, captured the Valley Oak League title and set their sights on the playoffs.
After winning 12 overall games and six league contests in her first two high school seasons, Obermeyer and the Mustangs finished the 2022-23 season with a 17-2-2 overall record and a 7-1-2 record in VOL play.
It was a journey that started with a decision. Monares, who was in his first season as Oakdale head coach, implemented a new workout regimen, and the team received new workout gear and jerseys.
“We had all these different things coming in that were totally new, so we kind of had to reset,” Obermeyer said. “We just had to think ‘okay, this is something new we might as well buy into it and see what happens.’ So I think once we started to buy into it, it paid off because we started winning a lot.”
The Mustangs’ historic season continued in the postseason. They earned a pair of home games as the No. 4 seed and won their first two playoff games, advancing to the section Division III semifinals. There, they lost to eventual NorCal champion Christian Brothers on a goal in the game’s final minutes.
“She was our backbone,” Monares said. “She created a lot of goals and she scored a lot of goals for us. She was someone that we relied on and she stepped up every single time. She was recognized by a lot of other coaches and this team is a part of history because Kendra was a big part of it.”
2022-2023 Modesto Bee Winter Players of the Year
Boys Basketball
BJ Davis, Senior, Modesto Christian
Davis finished a decorated high school career with back-to-back Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championships, two CIF NorCal Open Division finals appearances and a CIF State Championship game appearance. The San Diego State-bound guard was a key member of the 2022 NorCal Open Division Championship team and saw his role only increase this season. The team embodied his defense-first mindset and rattled off 10 or more straight wins twice. The Crusaders also went unbeaten in Tri-City Athletic League play, and Davis was named the TCAL Player of the Year as well as MaxPreps SJS Co-Player of the Year.
Girls Basketball
Livi Fernandez, Senior, Riverbank/Taylor Macias, Sophomore, Riverbank
Fernandez and Macias worked to send the Bruins to just the second girls basketball section title appearance in school history. Fernandez, a four-year varsity member and four-time Trans-Valley League All-League honoree, was awarded league Most Outstanding Player in her junior season and provided a steadying presence and leadership in her final season. Macias, a talented scoring sophomore was awarded TVL Co-MVP honors after leading a well-balanced offensive attack with 15.8 points a game.
Girls Soccer
Kyndra Obermeyer, Junior, Oakdale
After missing her freshman year due to COVID and her sophomore season with an injury, Obermeyer burst onto the scene with 30 goals in her first full varsity season, earning Valley Oak League MVP honors. The Bee’s Soccer Player of the Year helped lead the team to its first league title since 2011 and a pair of playoff wins, advancing to the Division III section semifinals. She loves scoring goals, but also made an effort to get her teammates involved, finishing third on the team in assists. Committed to Stan State, Obermeyer will look for more success during her senior season next year.
Boys Soccer
Angel Sanchez, Senior, Denair
A back-to-back Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI champion, Sanchez scored 51 goals and recorded 15 assists for the Coyotes. Despite spending the majority of last season as a defender, he was moved to forward this season and averaged two goals a game for an offense that scored 133 total goals this season. After capturing their second section title, Sanchez led Denair to a 5-0 win over Bakersfield Christian in the first round of the CIF State NorCal Division V Championships.
Girls Wrestling
The Bee’s 2022-23 Wrestler of the Year, Avalos used her background in a number of sports to propel her to a state championship in the 121 pound weight class. After being told by many that she could not wrestle, Avalos burst onto the scene as a freshman and was crowned the No. 1 wrestler at her weight as a senior, a position she held for the majority of her perfect undefeated final season. Avalos will wrestle at Vanguard University next season where she will help build an upstart wrestling program that already has seen some success. She hopes to work towards reaching the NAIA national tournament.
Boys Wrestling
Carlos Garcia, Junior, Oakdale
A Sac-Joaquin Section Masters champion in the 170-pound weight class, Garcia proved why he is one of the top wrestlers in the state in his junior season. California’s No. 5 170-pound wrestler according to TheCaliforniaWrestler, he also won Valley Oak League and Division III titles. His postseason journey continued deep into February as Garcia qualified for the State Wrestling Championships in Bakersfield where he advanced to the 170-pound semifinals. Garcia also helped lead the Mustangs over section rival Vacaville to win a SJS Team Duals title.
