ROYAL CITY — Positive energy filled the Royal High School commons Wednesday as Cristian Nieto, Ernesto Deras and Anderson Brown signed their letters of intent to play soccer at the college level. For Head Coach Jens Jensen, it’s always great to see players excel and advance to the next level. 

“It's good for them. Obviously happy for them, that's what they want to do, and they have an opportunity to do that,” Jensen said.  

Brown – University of Washington  

In a previous interview with the Columbia Basin Herald, Brown expressed a lot of excitement when he initially announced his verbal commitment in 2025 to the University of Washington.  

“It was a long decision, but little sense of relief, but also some hunger, too, to get ready to be at the division one level,” he said.  

Now signing day is finally here, he’s thrilled to put pen to paper and make it official, he said. As he got to know the Huskies soccer program, he grew a strong feeling that it was the right fit for him.  

“Right when I got on campus, the coaches were great, and the environment was great. All the players seemed to like each other, and I mean it's a great program, great coaches, great environment, great culture. Checked all my boxes,” Brown said.  

Jensen expressed excitement for Brown getting to join a program that won their first national championship in program history in December 2025.  

“Anderson spent a lot of time and energy in club soccer trying to have this opportunity, and his parents made a lot of sacrifices,” Jensen said. “He learned some really valuable lessons, and when he came to us it was really fun to plug him into an environment where he was able to be more creative.” 

In his final season, Brown scored 14 goals and recorded six assists 

Deras and Nieto – Wenatchee Valley College 

While most student-athletes say goodbye to their teammates after their senior season, Deras and Nieto will remain Knights as they continue playing together for WVCs men's soccer team.  

Nieto noted that Deras encouraged him to look into the Knights program. As he learned more, the program seemed to check all the right boxes for him.  

“I think it’s the right option because of the culture, I like my teammates and it’s not that far from home, so I could visit whenever I want,” Nieto said.  

For Deras, WVC was the right fit for him in similar ways to Nieto.  

“I'm really excited for this new chapter,” Deras said. “When I went out there to practice, I just knew it was the place. It's close to home, I could visit whenever I wanted to, and they were all nice.” 

In their final season at Royal, Nieto scored 27 goals and recorded four assists while Deras scored eight goals and led the team with nine assists.  

As a trio, they led the team in every offensive category, Jensen said. He was emphatic that he would not take credit for reaching this point, rather it was their hard work that got them there.  

“For me, if I want to take credit for anything, is that hopefully we created an environment to play the game that they love in a way that they really enjoyed,” Jensen said. “That it was really fun, that they'll look back and say ‘That was some of the most fun I've ever had playing soccer.”

    The Knights’ Anderson Brown (5) boots the ball as defensive pressure from Oroville closes in earlier this season.
  

    Ernesto Deras (11) chases down a Zillah defender during their game earlier this season.
  

    Cristian Nieto (12) taps the ball down during their district game against Oroville earlier this season.
  

    Ernesto Deras (11) taps the ball away from an Oroville defender during their district tournament game earlier this season.