The boy’s soccer team kicks off their 22-23 season with  pre-district play that consists of showcases, tournaments, and friendlies. The first game being played versus cross town rivals, Pleasant Grove. 

The stands are filled with excited fans, decked out in their school colors. The sun is shining bright on the high school soccer field as the players take the field for their first game of the season. The Tigers, focused and determined, face off against their long-time rivals, the Pleasant Grove Hawks, in the annual soccer rivalry game. The tension is palpable as the players take their positions on the field. The referee blows the whistle, signaling the start of the game. The Tigers and Hawks fight fiercely for possession of the ball, each team determined to come out victorious. 

The game went back and forth for the majority of the game, with both teams struggling to find the back of the net, tied 0-0 for much of the match. But in the beginning minutes of the second half, sophomore Fransisco Perez intercepts a pass gaining back possession and chips the ball over the Hawks backline while senior Seth Trusty chips it over the goalkeeper putting the Tigers ahead 1-0. Texas High fans erupt in cheers and celebrations, while the Hawks supporters look on in disappointment. 

“Scoring against Pleasant Grove was definitely a big goal of mine coming into this season,” forward Trusty said. “Just because of the tension built up around the game.” 

After the goal the game got very chippy and soon got out of hand when a questionable foul made by a Hawks player caused Texas High players to retaliate, forcing the game to be called off early. The game ended with a score of 1-0, leaving the Tigers victorious.

The Tigers have once again come out on top in this highly-anticipated rivalry match for the fifth year in a row.

Moving forward, the Tigers continue their pre-district run with a showcase held in Melissa, which the boys prepared for over the Christmas break.

“I love coming into showcases and tournaments,” Head Coach Zak McCarthy explains. “It really shows us where we are as a team before district play and also where our strengths and weaknesses lie.” 

The Texas High soccer team started off the showcase with an amazing win over Anna, the score being 2-1, with sophomore Micheal Moya finishing the game off with a game-winning strike from outside the 18-yard box that the keeper could not stop.

“Scoring my first varsity goal in that manner was unbelievable,” Moya said. “The entire team wanted that.”

The Tigers finished out the showcase falling short to Melissa with a 4-3 score and capping it off with a huge tie to a very strong, previous district champion, Caprock from Amarillo Texas.

“I would have loved to come out on top against Caprock but the result we worked for was very amazing,” McCarthy said. “This is a great way to end off our pre-district season and move forward to district with our heads held high.” 

The soccer team is currently preparing for their upcoming season of district play, with promising expectations to have a historic season. The coaching staff has been working hard to build a strong and cohesive team, and the players have been putting in extra time and effort to get in shape and improve their skills. Coach McCarthy also plans to implement new strategies and tactics for the team to master, like a new formation that has not been seen from Texas High before. 

The players have been pushing each other to be the best they can be, and the team is starting to gel together. The excitement is building as the season approaches, and the team is eager to get out there and show what they can do.