Ricardo Garcia (younger brother of ex-national defender Shawn Garcia) led Mercer County Community College to the NJCAA Division1 Final in Tyler, Texas. During the tournament which took place from November 16-19, Mercer took the scalps of No. 1 seed Yavapai College (whose alumni include Avery John, Kevin Jeffrey and Kelvin Jack) and No. 3 seed Louisburg College, on the way to the final against Jefferson College. Despite Mercer taking a 1-0 lead in the 56th minute, Jefferson College scored the equalizer just four minutes later and then scored the game-winner in the first period of extra-time. For his efforts, Garcia was named Region XIX Defender of the Year as well as the most improved player at Mercer. Other schools have been taking notice of Garcia's talents; so far, he has received offers from the University of Connecticut and St. John's University from the BIG EAST and three other East Coast schools.
