The Jesuit Varsity Soccer team won an mind-blowing ten straight games to finish district play with a 11-2-1 record. With great determination, the team overcame many obstacles in order to play some of their best games ever. Coach Charlie DeLong said that this team “played as a unit and worked hard every single day to in order to win.”
The last half of victories began with the matchup against Irving High School. The varsity team beat Irving 2-1, the first goal was scored by Junior Patrick Howell and the second goal by Senior Jacob Su. In the next epic showdown, the fearsome players dominated Irving Nimitz High School with a shocking 7-1 win. This win was significant because earlier the Rangers lost to this same team 0-1 on February 6. The seven goals were scored by Aldo Quevedo (So.), Ben Sloan (Sr.), Ramiro Garcia (So.), and Will Kennard (So.). After Nimitz, the Jesuit Rangers defeated W.T. White 4-2. Juan Ramirez (Sr.) had an astonishing hat trick while Howell scored the other goal. Continuing the Rangers’ winning streak, they conquered Irving MacArthur 2-1. In this game, Quevedo and Howell scored, Howell making a fantastic goal thanks to Su’s assist. To end their 10-0 run, the Rangers beat R.L. Turner 1-0. The only goal scored this game came from Howell with a beautiful assist by Collin Stack.
Kyle Hazelbaker, one of this team’s outstanding senior athletes, said, “Going into the season, I was unsure about how we would hold up after losing thirteen seniors the previous year. But, after our first game in a victory over the the number two team in the nation McKinney Boyd, my confidence in the team was reassured.” He continued stating that despite the age difference, all of the sophomore, juniors, and seniors got along well and that specific chemistry really helped the team’s success in the season.
Howell, on of the star juniors on the team, stated that his favorite part of the season was playing with all of the guys on his team because they all shared a special bond that made their season unique. He said, “At the beginning of the year, we knew we had a good team with a lot of potential but we weren’t necessarily playing well together. Once it started clicking on offense and on defense, it came a lot easier to win games and that’s why we had the most success towards the end of the year.”
Despite their lost in the first round of the UIL playoffs to Mesquite, Coach DeLong said that, “This team was one of the most improved teams I have ever coached in my whole career.” This season was a great experience for all of the players on the team because they formed an uncommon bond. These players learned to work selflessly as one unit. Unfortunately, the Rangers season came to a close on March 26, when they lost in the first round of the playoffs to Mesquite. The season showed that Jesuit soccer is one of the most prestigious and admired soccer teams around.
