Thomas Dale High School’s boys soccer team experienced a renaissance of sorts in coach Griff Fowler’s third year at the helm after his father, Mark Fowler, handed him the reins.
An appearance in the state tournament for the first time in years was fueled by forward Brayan Cedillo. For his performance, Cedillo was named Village News boys soccer Player of the Year.
Though slight in stature compared to the average football player, Cedillo (5 feet 9 inches and 160 pounds) is speedy with great instincts and what coaches call a “nose for the ball.” A two-year varsity player, Cedillo ascended to captain this past season, his senior year.
“Brayan came to Thomas Dale as a junior and immediately made a positive impact on our team,” Griff said. “Brayan has been the top scorer for both of the last two seasons.”
Cedillo scored 22 goals this year and made five assists.
Phrases like “incredibly hard working” and an “insanely good work ethic” have been used to describe Cedillo. That’s important in any sport.
“He is a technically gifted player with a real eye for goal and a great ability to run the channels and get in behind defenses,” Griff said. “He has a great ability to come up with big goals in big moments.”
That work ethic spread to his teammates.
“His work ethic and ability to start both attacking movements and starting the defense from the front raises the level of his teammates and motivates them to up their performances as well,” Griff said.
