Seven-year-old Trevor Nakatal bounded to his mom with a huge grin on his face after taking off the army helmet and giving the remote control panel to the helmet back to Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Guerrero.

It is not every day the young Nakatal can practice his maneuvers with a 10-ton truck and crane, which is capable of lifting the nearby hummer onto the other 5-ton truck. “It’s kinda like doing monster truck,” enthused the under-8 member of the Vipers team. But Saturday was a special day for Nakatal and the other players and their families at the Wildomar Youth Soccer Association (WYSA) Opening Day ceremonies for the 2006 season.

Arranged by WYSA board member 1st Sgt. Wally Murray, the Army National Guard HAC 40th Special Troops Battalion brought a few vehicles and competitive exercises to entertain the kids for the second year. Members of the local fire department station 61 parked their fire truck near the fields, kids jumped for hours in a couple of bouncers and an upright bovine costume from Chick-Fil-A of Murrieta strolled around.

With over 500 players signed up for the season, the playing fields at David A. Brown Middle School in Wildomar were lined with canopies providing shade for vendors and carnival games manned by team moms, players and parents. A steady stream of customers played ring toss, hit the target with an airsoft gun, tossed horseshoes or threw darts at balloons to raise money for end-of-the-season team parties.

WYSA’s own Cole Criske, 7 of the under-8 Stingrays sang the national anthem. Girl Scout junior troop 1422, headed by Wildomar resident Valerie Kreger, served as color guard with Marissa Selvaggio, 11, Jessica Kreger, 11, and Sarah Martin, 11.

The WYSA was presented with a special American flag and Peace and Freedom medal by Murray for the soccer league’s service to the community. WYSA president, Tony DiEugenio, also received a special sergeant coin for his volunteerism.

Entering his third year as president of WYSA, DiEugenio was spinning tunes, emceeing the festivities in his capacity as a professional deejay and doing a quick change into three different coach’s shirts at the appropriate time for his team pictures.

A grandparent with his wife Jan for the ninth time, DiEugenio got involved in the league five years ago for his grandkids. “They brought me out of retirement basically,” he said of his former years of coaching in Orange County. This season, he is coaching his three grandchildren in Wings (under-14 boys), Kick N Chi (under-12 girls) and the Lila Rascals (under-6 co-ed).

“Our motto is ‘it’s for the kids,’” he said. “We’re coming up with the best programs to teach kids soccer…and coming up with coaches who will teach the kids positive reinforcement towards each other.”

Nine-year-old Danielle Frasier of the under-10 girls Starbursts is playing in Wildomar for a second year. Living on the border of Lake Elsinore and Wildomar, the playing fields are more convenient for her family. “She likes soccer,” said her grandmother Terry Kleehammer who took cover in the shade of a tree while Danielle played carnival games. “She likes the running.”

“It’s fun and it’s energetic,” said Danielle of why she likes to play soccer.

“It’s all about the kids,” said board member and newsletter editor Elia Revuelta. “We just want to do what we can when the community doesn’t have parks and we barely have room.” The soccer league is growing so rapidly, the league has a waiting list for the first time, she said.

“If we lost this league,” said DiEugenio. “Look at all the kids who would be out on the street.”

Winners of the banner contest were: first place ($35) Tigers; second place ($25) Annihilators; and third place ($15) El Fuego.