Each and every match during the boys’ high school soccer season, senior Nami Banks did something special for Aptos, though some of his efforts never made their way onto the stat sheet.

His numerous and consistent contributions added up. And when totaled, they equaled a repeat Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League title for the Mariners (14-5-1, 9-1-0).

They also added up to Banks being named the league’s MVP.

“Being a center defensive midfielder is a tough job,” said Roberto Zuniga, the Mariners’ head coach. “Nami relied on his quick reaction to situations on the pitch, which allowed him to make the best decisions possible to create offensive plays. Nami’s grit, motivation and resilience in close games allowed him to keep his composure, and lead this season’s team. As a team captain, Nami’s ability to play box to box was second to none. He worked tirelessly for 80 minutes each game to get the win.”

Banks, who helped the Mariners qualify for the Central Coast Section Division III playoffs, finished with a team-high 13 goals and six assists.

It’s the third straight season that Banks, a four-year starter, has received special honors during all-league voting. He was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and Midfielder of the Year as a sophomore, after earning second-team honors as a freshman

“I’m very proud of Nami’s accomplishments over the course of the last four varsity seasons,” Zuniga said. “Being named the SCCAL Most Valuable Player sums up his high school career as the top player this senior year.”

The Mariners qualified for the CCS playoffs each of the past four seasons.

Harbor senior Alex Aparicio was named Offensive Player of the Year, Santa Cruz junior Cutler Bauscher was named Defensive Player of the Year, and San Lorenzo Valley senior Keenan Buntz was named Goalie of the Year.

Zuniga was named Coach of the Year for the second straight season and the fifth time in his 18 seasons at the helm.

Aparicio had 10 goals and nine assists for the runner-up Pirates (15-4-2, 7-2-1), who qualified for the CCS D-III playoffs.

“Alex was a stalwart leader for us this season and one of the hardest working players I’ve had the pleasure of coaching,” said Michael Vahradian, the Pirates’ head coach.” He is selfless, coachable, smart, and humble, and he came up huge for us when we needed him. And we needed him badly. He is an extremely skilled attacker with great speed and a killer instinct to create and finish chances. He scored goal after timely goal and usually created something out of nothing.”

Vahradian said Aparicio never gave up on a play and always had to outwork and outsmart bigger defenders.

“He proved to us time and again that determination and commitment are more important than size,” his coach said. “More than anything, he became the heart and soul of our team. He led us gracefully through hard times with his poise and ability to see the big picture. We need more people like Alex in the world.”

Bauscher finished with 11 goals and 20 assists for the third-place Cardinals (12-6-2, 6-2-2).

“Cutty is a tremendous talent,” said Adam Anapolsky, the Cardinals’ head coach. “His ability to connect the offensive and defensive phases of the game is exceptional. Defensively, Cutty has a sixth sense for reading the game, always positioning himself in the right place at the right time, whether to delay an opponent’s attack or push us forward in transition. He’s a difference-maker on both ends of the field.”

Buntz averaged nine saves a game for the Cougars (3-9-4, 1-7-2).

“Without a doubt, we would not have been competitive without him,” Cougars coach Jesse Carrington said. “Our team was overmatched in just about every game and he kept us in it and relevant in the league. His style of play also really helped our high pressure philosophy. He was eager to come off his line to challenge balls.”

Carrington praised Buntz, an avid golfer, for his physical nature, noting that his goalie embraced getting in the fray during free kicks and corner kicks to either save or clear the ball, as well as slide tackling attacking strikers on breakaways.

“He surrenders himself to the moment as shown in his willingness to sacrifice his body to save the team,” his coach said.

The Mariners had four players named to the first team: senior goalie Noah Curran, senior defender Love Granstrom, junior defender Daniel Lozano and sophomore midfielder Damian Garcia.

Harbor sophomore midfielder Mateo Ortega was named to the first team, as were two of his teammates, senior defenders Cesar Onesto and Brandon Jimenez.

SLV senior forward Evan Hiatt, Santa Cruz senior midfielder Evan Richter, Soquel senior goalie Andrew Bucio, and Scotts Valley senior midfielder Lukas Bloom rounded out the first team.