Coaching perhaps his final AYSO soccer game, Steve Morris went out a winner on Memorial Day, leading Pal Real, a local boys’ U12 team, to victory at the Top Gun Tournament near San Diego. Morris has not only been actively involved in coaching AYSO regular season and All-Star teams for over 10 years, he has worn and will continue to wear many hats for Region 69, including overseeing all things related to coaching. In the late 1990s his three children began playing AYSO, starting with his oldest son, who is off to college next year; followed by his daughter, a freshman in high school next year; and now coaching his youngest son Griffie and the rest of the Pal Real squad. Top Gun features teams from all over California, Arizona and Hawaii, and is historically one of the most competitive tournaments of the season. Despite the stiff competition, Pal Real scored 20 goals and allowed only six in pool play against teams from Avondale (Arizona), Riverside, Mira Mesa and Hacienda Heights. Then it was on to the medal round and a semifinal game against Murrieta. Led by Matt Thomas, Chris King, Griffie Morris and Ethan Blaser, Pal Real’s defense, combined with solid midfield play by Cooper Lee, Cole Stanton and Alex Lee and potent attacks by forwards Will Holbrow, Jesse Wilkenfeld, Spencer Howard, Matthew Nyman and Karosh Hadavi, produced a 6-0 rout. The championship game that afternoon was against cross-town rival Beverly Hills and although it proved much closer than previous games, Pal Real prevailed 2-1 to clinch the championship and send Coach Morris home with a victory. He was quick to credit fellow coaches Bryan King and Sergio Vasquez and his wife Marcy for their roles in Pal Real’s success.
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