On Nov. 17 the varsity boys soccer team competed in the Class 3 State Final Four tournament for the first time since 2019. For the semi-final game, the team went against East Kansas City High School. The game went into overtime and ended with a score of 1-0 in favor of East Kansas City High School. The following day, Nov. 18, the team played Springfield Catholic High School for the third place title and won 4-1.
Senior Ian Boden said for training purposes, the team practiced everyday after school up until the semi-final match.
“Leading up to the Final Four games, we had training sessions after school everyday. We had hard training sessions for the first couple days and in the days leading up to the game we tuned it down doing more passing and finishing drills to avoid any injuries,” Boden said.
Junior Logan Wunsch said although the worked hard, they also enjoyed their time together.
“We came together as a team and would do fun activities at practice that helped us get ready but also enjoy our time together knowing that we wouldn’t be with the seniors for much longer,” Wunsch said.
Boden felt the team had what it would take to win.
“Going into the first game I was feeling confident about our team even knowing the game was going to be a tough one,” Boden said.
Junior Theodore Williams said he was nervous heading into the second half but he still had hope the team could win.
“Going into the second half was nerve wracking but not as bad as overtime. At half time I still had hope that we were going to win but when overtime came that’s when it hit me and I was nervous of what was going to happen,” Williams said.
The season ended with a record of 21-6-1. Williams said although he wishes it was a different outcome, he is happy with the team’s season together.
“This season was pretty good, obviously we wanted to take home first place but I am proud of how far we went and still made it to the final four,” Williams said.
Head coach Thomas Wade said he believes the team should just keep giving it their all and doing their best while going up against tough competition.
“We want to keep training at the highest level possible and playing the toughest competition possible to prepare us for the last six games and the playoffs,” Wade said.