Daily Journal Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year: Hillsdale’s Bernardo Chaparro

So it was no surprise to see Tyler Hughes win Bay Division Defender of the Year and Emi Lopez garnering Goalkeeper of the Year honors, his third straight.

But ask the Knights who their best player was and the consensus would be senior Bernardo Chaparro, who was named team Most Valuable Player and was the key piece to a team that went unbeaten in winning the Bay Division title with a record of 10-0-4, had a 20-game unbeaten streak that earned the Knights their first-ever berth into the Central Coast Section Division I bracket and a second-straight berth into the Northern California regional tournament.

“He was, by far, the MVP (0f the team),” said Hillsdale head coach Jaime Gomez. “Other guys were set at their positions and they got (league honors).

“Without Bernardo, this program doesn’t do what we did.”

Chaparro now gets to add another honor to his resume, as he is being named the San Mateo Daily Journal Boys’ Soccer Player of the Year.

“We knew we had a strong team. … We did have a lot of pressure,” Chaparro said. “But we didn’t underestimate ourselves at all. We wanted to win that Bay Division championship.”

What made Chaparro so indispensable on a championship team was his desire to do what was best for the team. Coming into the season, that was to be an attacking wing. But by the end of the year, he had dropped all the way back to the defensive line as a starting center back, with a stint in the midfield between those other two spots.

Chaparro’s versatility made him invaluable.

“My goal was to do whatever the team needed,” said Chaparro, whose natural position is a defensive midfield roll. “I started the season at right wing, then moved to attacking mid and then we had a drawback with (starting center back) Sebastian (Novak, suffering an injury).

“I think maybe we could have got a few more goals (if I stayed at wing), but so many people stepped up. Regardless of the goals, we knew how to win games.”

Despite spending most of the season in a more defensive role, Chaparro still managed to tie for the team lead in goals as both he and Brady Skidmore finished with six each.

“Bernardo could have been (Bay Division) offensive MVP if he played there (at forward) all season.”

Making it harder to judge Chaparro’s impact was the Knights’ style of playing positionless soccer. So there would be sequences when Chaparro would move up into the attack in one game. The next game you would see him controlling the midfield, while also streaking across the field to cut off an opponent’s attack from his defensive position.

“I feel like we were pretty adaptable. Tyler Hughes, he’s a right back, but he’s almost like a winger (who led the Knights in points with five goals and six assists). He’s great on defense, but he was also creating things down the wing,” Chaparro said. “Against Woodside (a 2-0 win Feb. 4), I got the first assist. I moved into the midfield and able to chip that ball to Cristian (Gomez, who scored).

“Even though I wasn’t banging in goals up top, even though (center back) is not my favorite position, I knew what I needed to do.”

With versatility part of the Knights’ DNA, Coach Gomez turned to Chaparro when he needed someone to cover a different spot, knowing that he could count on the two-year varsity starter to get the job done.

“He was (all over the field). For developmental purposes, I don’t like to say you have to stay here (in one spot). I told him, ‘If you have a hole, go.’ Someone will cover for him,” Coach Gomez said. “Having someone like Bernardo, who has that high soccer IQ, to read plays almost before they’re happening? That’s why he kind of sagged back there (on defense).”

Despite Chaparro’s urge to jump up into the attack, he realized he was more valuable on defense than offense, but it wasn’t always easy to toe that line.

“We were having trouble scoring (this season). Playing center back and seeing the team not being able to score goals, it was hard staying back there. It was hard watching it sometimes,” Chaparro said. “In some games, there were some nerves. You lose the ball at the back, it’s a big problem. But it’s not like I’ve never played the position before. I just had to be disciplined.”

In addition to his on-field responsibilities, Chaparro had even more hats to wear off the field as one of the team captains — but even among those, he was the lead the guy.

“We always have four captains, but one real leader. I tell them, ‘This team will follow you as far as you want to go,’” Coach Gomez said. “We were a good team last year, but we’re going to win the Bay this year. He instilled that in everyone on the team.”

Said Chaparro: “Jaime has known me for so long, he knows I’ve always been a leader. I wanted to succeed. It was my senior year. … I knew we had to be locked in.”

The Knights’ Class of 2026 will go down in Hillsdale history as the back end of a fantastic two-year run that saw Hillsdale emerge as a Central Coast Section power after winning the team’s first-ever CCS Division II title in 2025 and the program’s second-ever Bay Division crown and first in 20 years.

“It’s been amazing,” Chaparro said. “Ending my senior year with a Bay championship, it was a great way to end my (high school) career.”