The boys’ soccer team experienced unprecedented glory when they played their way into the second round of the playoffs where they faced a juggernaut in the form of College Station’s A&M Consolidated, one of the favorites to take the state title.
In the first-round matchup against Beaumont, the Tor boys made history with the first playoff win in program history according to the record books. Ball High found itself down 1-0 early but bounced back and came out victorious. Final 3-1.
“I can’t be more proud of our guys.” Ball High coach Berry Johnson said. “Everything they put in – the grind, the sweat, the pain in the offseason – these are where the wins come from. One thing our young guys are going to learn with the experience they got is that if you work a little harder next year, grind a little deeper, you’ll find yourself in a better spot.”
A&M, the runners-up in District 17-5A, presented a powerful opponent to face in the second round of the playoffs. As many predicted, A&M powered their way past the Tors with a torrid onslaught in the first half when they scored three goals, the first one only two minutes into the game.
The Tigers roared and clawed their way to a 5-0 win to advance to the next level of the playoffs while our Tors rest on their laurels and dream about next year. A historic season for Ball High boys’ soccer!
Coach Johnson hailed his teams’ success. “The Junior Varsity team had a great season resulting in finishing first in district. The team grew together and had an eight-game win streak in the district. Sophomore Jose Vasquez was 8-0 and only allowed two goals in his eight district games as the goalkeeper.
“The Varsity started off rocky, not getting its first win until the third game of district. They finished 6-2-2 in their last 10 games which rocketed them to 4th place district and a playoff berth for the first time in many years.
“This roster is full of talented players, but it has taken a while to find the right eleven. The key players leading this team into the playoffs are Junior Marco Labrada, Junior Finley Frank, Senior Angel Urbina, and Junior Diego Clark. This team is very confident and ready to make a deep run into the playoffs.
Junior Varsity 10-5-4 overall and 8-2-1 in district. Varsity 6-11-3 overall and 6-4-2 in district.
