May, 2024
By Isabella Herrera, Staff Reporter
The KAC Varsity Soccer Boys are now back-to-back state champions for TCSAAL and HCAL! On Saturday, April 13, the Cardinal boys faced Marine Military Academy at Austin Achieve and won 4-2. The boys also faced YES Prep Southeast on May 4 at Rice University in Houston, winning 1-0.
The Cardinal boys have been preparing for the state championship all year. Coach Lett prepared the team with various trainings throughout the week like conditioning, basic passing drills, scrimmaging, and the team would relax the day before a game and prepare themselves. The boys soccer team joined 2 leagues; but TCSAAL was passed onto the JV team, however the varsity team took back their place as the finals approached. The Cardinals felt a lot of pressure throughout the year being TCSAAL state champions the previous year and hoping to bring the title back this year. However, the boys did face a few challenges leading up to the championship games. KAC not having a proper soccer field made practicing a challenge, as well as students entering testing season which meant not all players were at practice everyday. Despite these challenges the varsity team was excited to showcase all their hardwork and effort that had been put in since the beginning of the school year.
In preparation for the TCSAAL final, the varsity team didn’t have much to work with since there was no film on MMA. The Cardinals watched MMA play before them in the semi-final game and went into the final with confidence. As mentioned before, the boys won 4-2 with the first goal being scored by Jorge Hernandez, the 2nd and 3rd by Kevin Leon, and the final goal by Edgar Miranda in the last 10 minutes. In the second half of the game the Cardinals were caught by surprise as MMA scored 2 goals on the team. The stands were filled with anxious fans cheering on the Cardinals. In the end, the Cardinals were able to bring home the state title one more time! The stands were filled with cheers and applause from not only parents but also friends and teachers who all came out to support the team. The Cardinal boys’ work had finally paid off and it was all worth it. Also, James Santiago, Jorge Hernandez, Joaquin Sanchez, Kevin Leon and Manny Lopez all earned a special recognition for their hard work! The boys wrapped up their victory with team pictures as well as with their friends, teachers, and family who came out to support.
It didn’t stop there; after an awesome win in the final the boys along with Coach Lett continued training and preparing for their next match, but this time for HCAL. As many challenges arose for the team they didn’t let that distract them from working towards their second state title this season. Fortunately, the Cardinal girls also qualified for the HCAL final which meant both teams would be playing on May 4 in the evening at the Rice Stadium in Houston. Again, the Cardinals had no footage to work with and were not quite sure what to expect. A challenge this time around for many friends and family was the location of this game. However, many fans found a way to either carpool or arrange plans to make it out to Houston to show their Cardinal pride and support! The boys were facing YES Prep in an intense match, this wasn’t going to be an easy win but everyone had faith that the Cardinals would pull through once again. As expected, the boys were able to take control and score a goal, by Jorge Hernandez! With a few disturbances during the game, the atmosphere was tense and fans were anxious. Although this time around the Cardinals were only able to score one goal against YES Prep that’s all they needed to win! The fans along with the Vardinal boys felt relieved when the time hit 0 and the game was over. Yet again, the Cardinals were State Champions for HCAL! The trip to Houston was worth it and the boys and girls were both able to bring back state titles!
Congratulations to Coach Lett and the Varsity Cardinal Boys on an amazing season!
The Cardinal Post 