After winning the bi-district title, the boys varsity soccer team won the area champion and the regional quarterfinals but lost to Frisco Lonestar on April 8, during the regional semifinals.
The team became bi-district champions after beating the Corsicana Tigers 3-0 during the first round of playoffs on March 25 at Highlander Stadium.
It was a home game under the stadium lights surrounded by a fan turnout. Spectators rang handheld cowbells, parents shouted out support and students leaned against the railings sporting signs and cardboard cutouts of players’ faces.
Junior Zayan Shah said his main thought before the game was his overwhelming desire to win.
“And I didn’t want it to be Richie Paulus’ last game,” Shah said “It can’t be Richie Paulus’ last game.”
Paulus is a senior captain and the 13-5A All-District Most Valuable Player, with 16 goals and 21 assists this season.
The first kickoff was by senior Landon Casola, which set off a first half filled with the team taking aggressive ownership over the ball.
When the timer read 33 minutes in, Lucas Guevara left the field from an injury and saw the onsite Athletic Trainer.
With Guevara out, freshman Jack O’Grady subbed in. The team continued their back and forth play before Guevera returned to the game with 18 minutes left in the first half.
Nearly 26 minutes into the first 40 minute half, Paulus made the first goal of the game.
Around four minutes after the first goal, sophomore Brant Williams secured the second goal of the game, followed by a third goal by freshman Jack O’Grady with six minutes remaining in the first half.
The teams went into halftime with the score team up 3-0.
The second half of the game played similar to the first half, with the team keeping the ball on the opposing side of the field. There were multiple shots on goal, but none that scored.
Finally, the final buzzer sounded, with the first win of districts going to the team.
Players could be seen jumping up and down, hugging and congratulating each other.
For team members, this match was an important one, as they lost to Corsicana last year in the playoffs.
“This was a revenge match,” senior Captain Kyle French said. “We went out, it was a dog fight, but we got it done and that’s all that matters. We got the results.”
The team used their previous game against Corsicana as a learning opportunity this time around.
“We kind of knew how they played,” senior Captain Jack Krejs said. “In practice we did a lot of specific things that we knew would help us win that game.”
Overall, the team is happy with their results.
“I thought everyone played well and I’m just glad that we could get out past the first round, get further than last year, and I was really pumped by everyone who came out to the game,” Krejs said.
With a strong start into the playoffs, the team looked forward to taking it as far as they can.
“We’re preparing for better teams, and higher stake games and taking it one day at a time,” Krejs said. “No game is gonna be given at this point.”
