2008-09 Boys Soccer Player of the Year: Jacob Kaiser

He sprinted down the field at Warren High, holding one finger in the air while letting out a yell, and then he jumped into the arms of his waiting teammates.

It was definitely time to celebrate.

Jacob Kaiser had just scored his team-leading fourth goal of the CIF-SS playoffs, this one lifting El Toro past Millikan, 1-0, in the CIF-SS Division I championship game.

In the semifinals and finals of the playoffs, he accounted for all of El Toro's scoring.

"When I scored against Millikan � a lot of things were running through my mind," said Kaiser, whose efforts earned him The Register's selection for boys soccer player of the Year. "First, I didn't believe I actually scored. It was the greatest feeling that I have had in a long time.

"It was a great feeling knowing that my teammates also helped me out."

El Toro coach Ken Sjobom said Kaiser was "the glue" that held one of the best teams in the nation together, a player who never shied away from doing "the dirty work." Often he was called upon on to mark the most dangerous goal-scorer on the opposing team. And he was rarely called for a foul.

"We give him the tough jobs to do and he never complains," Sjobom said after he watched Kaiser shut down Loyola's Will Pleskow, who has signed with the University of Washington, during the postseason. "He does what we ask him to do. He's a team guy."

Sjobom has worked with some talented players during his time with the Chargers, including Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Saunders. And Kaiser, Sjobom said, is among the best that he has coached. UC Irvine and Cal State San Marcos have expressed interest in the senior midfielder.

"With 11 of him on the field," Sjobom said, "you'd win an awful lot of games. He can play anywhere on the field."

Before the playoffs started, Kaiser had scored just one goal. It came in a 3-0 victory against Dana Hills in December. Kaiser's specialty was defense � until the playoffs started, that is.

He scored a goal against Newport Harbor in the Division I quarterfinals, two in the semifinals against Loyola and the only goal in the championship game. In those three crucial games, the Chargers had a total of five goals — Kaiser had four of them.

A pre-playoff pep talk from Sjobom changed everything for Kaiser

"He said something that really inspired me," Kaiser sad. "He said, 'This is it for you seniors. How would you like to go out?' That inspired me to pick up my game and lead the team. If I had to carry the team, then I would do it."