In 1983, the UIL added soccer. In the 40 years that have followed, there have been highs and lows.
In March 1990, with unsportsmanlike-conduct incidents (verbal and physical abuse of officials, players and coaches) and rules violations rampant around the state, the University Interscholastic League considered dropping soccer.

On an area scale, Roosevelt boys and Jefferson girls became the first squads to make it to the biggest stage in 1985. Two years later, the Alamo Heights boys captured the area’s first state championship, eding Dallas Highland Park 1-0 in Austin. The Mules, coached by Bruce Fink, finished 22-3-1 and outscored their opponents 124-9. Alamo Heights won grabbed another title in 2012, with Fink still at the helm.

In 1991, after three years of close calls, the Madison girls blanked Plano 3-0 in Pflugerville to become the area’s first state winner. The Mavericks, coached by Audrey Ambrose, concluded that season with a 22-0-2 record and outscored their opponents 116-6. Madison won a second state title in 1993.

Churchill boys won four state titles (1989, 1998, 2001 and 2003), Boerne High won three titles (2006, 2021, 2022) and Reagan (2002), Boerne Champion (2011) and LEE (2021) each nabbed one apiece.

Overall, UIL soccer has grown from being all-inclusive and lumped into one division, to one where the number of schools playing the sport necessitated three classifications. The state tournament has been contested in Austin, Pflugerville, Round Rock and Georgetown, spread from a two-day event to four.

With another state tournament this week, starting on Wednesday and concluding on Saturday, and the sport appearing to be as strong as ever, area coaches shared their reflections of the state tournament:

“The journey for state was unlike anything I experienced before. At the time, I didn’t know how impactful our quest for state was on our entire lives. Looking back, we overcame adversity as a team, and our bond was so strong, no one was going to stop us.” — Judson girls coach Christine Morrison, a goalkeeper on Madison’s 1993 state championship team

“Going to state was a really cool experience, but it was definitely tough. I was only a sophomore when we went, so I was very young and definitely felt that pressure from myself as well as my teammates. Making our way through district, regionals, all the way to state taught me a lot about being self-reliant and persisting through the pressure. My coach (Kara Stracener) was incredibly supportive and definitely had my back, making sure I felt confident and prepared. I knew I needed to train hard in and out of school to be the best I could be at every level as we advanced. I had to maintain that mental toughness and grit, despite the difficulties of my circumstances and the general challenges of competing. During that time, I was able to learn and build confidence in my own abilities as well as bond with some of my teammates as we spent time together. It brought us closer, which helped the relationship I had with those players on the field, too. I remember the whole school was very supportive of soccer to begin with, and was especially supportive that season. We had a huge student section every game. People came with their faces painted, decked out in school gear, and students would lead cheers at the games. Students even carpooled to the state game to watch us, and if I remember correctly, students were excused from class if they signed up to support. It was really special to feel that kind of community and energy consistently throughout the season. Even when that game didn’t go the way we wanted it to, I knew we had done something incredible as a team.” — Sam Houston girls coach Madison Ersch, a goalkeeper on Johnson’s 2013 state semifinalist squad

“The journey to state was memorable. It began with a long line of tradition and expectations set by preceding classes of soccer players. We had consistently made it to regionals in the three years prior to us punching our ticket to the state tournament. We learned as a group to have high expectations for ourselves, and to compete. Our coaches, Jimmy Dowell and Sergio Alcala, did a great job of mentally preparing us for each round with a scouting report, so that we could familiarize ourselves with the opponent prior to playing. I remember with each step in our journey pulling our school and community closer and closer together. I remember our sendoff for the tournament took us past elementaries and middle schools where future Bobcats cheered us on. The support we received was incredible, and it further fueled us to reach higher and higher. As a team, we had great chemistry and trust in each other to do our roles, we had played together for six years. We had to go into a challenging environment in (Pennington Field) in Hurst, and find a way to beat two incredibly talented teams in Coppell and Flower Mound in the regional tournament. I remember stepping onto the state field in Georgetown, when it was the old grass field, and what a beautiful environment it was. It had quite the mystique back then. The stands were filled to the brim and rocking on both sides with Churchill and San Angelo fans. I saw ex-teammates and Bobcat soccer alumni from multiple past teams come out and cheer us on, which fueled our fire to perform even more. I remember walking off that field, dejected after our loss in the semifinals. Even though we had not realized our ultimate goal, in the end, we were champions for the journey, hard work, and sacrifices we and our families had made. That journey and those lessons fuel me to this day, as I attempt to pass that legacy on to my current and future teams. I realize now that the road to playoffs not only pulls together the local community, but also the community of Texas soccer. I still reconnect with old colleagues, and opponents alike at the annual state tournament.” — Alamo Heights boys coach Jason Perez, a standout goalkeeper on San Angelo Central’s 2001 Class 5A state semifinalist team that lost to eventual champion Churchill 3-2 in overtime

“As a coach, you can spend year after year with the same goal — to get your team to state. It’s a balance of trying to enjoy the journey, learning all the lessons along the way and being uber-focused on that target that you don’t want to miss. It is a long season, so it requires both patience and stamina. When the Champion girls made it to the tournament in 2022, it seemed like the entire town was cheering them on. Competing outside of your region magnifies everything. Players realize they have achieved something truly remarkable when they see an outpouring of support from their community. When people recognize that a lot of effort has gone into their sport in order to be one of the last teams left competing in the state, it is such a great reward. So many hours, months, and years have gone into the preparation, and it makes it all worth it.” —Boerne Champion girls coach Kara Walters

“In 2006, I was young and so excited/nervous, I really didn’t enjoy it. In 2018, I was more mature and calm, so I really enjoyed the experience at our state semifinal match.” — Alamo Heights girls coach Chris Sharp

“The challenges are unique to each, but the objective is always the same — winning state. As a player, I remember there being a certain amount of naivety about the situation. Coach (Hector) Sandoval would create a narrative that set expectations. And the players put blinders on to anything outside of that focus. I don’t think there was any understanding of how special the moment was at the time. Until college ball, nothing compared to the experience of high school playoffs. The all-encompassing experience brings the best out of a community that can not be replicated by even the best club sports. As a coach, the experience is totally different, and for me, so much more rewarding. Helping a group of kids achieve its goal of going to state is one of the best experiences I have had in coaching. You get to use your own experiences as a player and coach to help them navigate their own success. There is also an appreciation that was not there as a player, of how special, how rare the experience is. I have been blessed to coach many talented players and many talented teams at both Macarthur and LEE. But the truth is, the most talented team does not always go to state because it requires qualities on top of the talent. And that dynamic is both rare and special.” — LEE girls coach Erik Stolhandske, who played on the Volunteers’ 1997 state tournament team and coached the MacArthur girls to the 2016 state tournament

“I have said this all year long to the girls, I’ve been to the state tournament twice as a player and wish with all my heart that the girls get to experience it as well. So here we are. I also stressed that we don’t just want to make it like I did with MacArthur, but we as a collective want to win it. The game of soccer is not about the coaches, it’s about the player. Coaches are here just to facilitate it. Just knowing that you are part of a team that is in the final four in the state is a phenomenal achievement and experience. Soak it all up and know you won’t be on the same field, with the same group of girls, ever again.” — Smithson Valley girls coach Jason Adkins, who played on MacArthur’s 1995 and 1996 state semifinalist teams and this season led Smithson Valley to its first state tournament

“The 2018 season obviously brings back a lot of fond memories. When I first started teaching and coaching back in 2001, I wanted to be a positive influence to young student athletes and use the game of soccer to hopefully teach them some life lessons. I, of course, have a competitive nature and wanted to win games but winning a state championship was the last thing on my mind. Forward to the start of the 2018 season, and we felt as a team that we could possibly make a long playoff run. At the core of that belief was a feeling of togetherness amongst the players. They supported each other, built each other up and constantly encouraged one another to work hard and perform well. Also at the core of that year was an incredibly talented squad. We were athletic, played great defense and had some creative players that could really attack well. We managed to get through our tough district undefeated, which set us up as a one seed, which is always advantageous in the UIL bracket. Now, having said all of that, we really must admit that on any run to state you will need a little bit of good fortune to come your way at some point. That came to us in the second round against Clark. We were about to go to penalties when my keeper hits a long punt (with about a 25-plus mph wind at his back) and their defender, unfortunately, heads the ball backward and it bounces over their keeper and into the goal with about two minutes remaining in the second overtime. To get past Lake Travis in the third round in a PK shootout was also a bit stressful. Once we got to the regional tournament and the regional final, where we had been several times before, that togetherness and talent willed our way through to get to Georgetown. Once there, it was only fitting to play Coppell in the semis, the team that had beat Reagan at their last state tournament appearance in 2004. One again, even though we went down 1-0 in that game, we had a core group of players that just knew we would get through. At halftime, down one-nil, I will never forget Michael Morrell saying, ‘Don’t worry coach, we will play another game tomorrow.’ In the state final, we just couldn’t find a way to get a goal, even being up a man the last 25 minutes of the game. So losing on a PK in the state final 1-0 was incredibly heartbreaking, but when I see or talk to those players, it is nothing but happy memories and great reflections on a special season.” — Reagan boys coach Gilbert Villarreal

“I started coaching soccer in 1999. I was fortunate to be with the Granbury Pirates. It was the first year (Class) 4A was separated from the 5A schools. What a year to get moved up from the junior high and coach at Granbury High School. My love for soccer grew even more watching these kids play. They lost the first game of the season, and then never lost again. We won the first 4A title. My knowledge and expectations were set on what a championship team should look like. It was a blessing learning from Coach Larry Mayo. The following year, I moved to Denton Ryan (first head-coaching job) and it took me two years to qualify for the state tourney. Unfortunately, we played a powerhouse in Southlake Carroll. The forward and midfielder (Dom Mediate and Kyle Brown) from that team went on to play professionally in the MLS. As my family grew, it took me to San Antonio, where I accepted a job in Boerne. I won my first state championship at Boerne High School in 2006, then five years later at Boerne Champion. Finally, I came to LEE in 2013 and qualified for the state tourney in 2019, and we lost to a strong Flower Mound team in penalty kicks, after 0-0 in regulation and overtime. Redemption had to wait two years since we were cut short in 2020 due to COVID. Our team was undefeated at 20-0-1. The boys stayed motivated and won the first state title in 50 years for LEE High School in 2021 and first ever in soccer. What I have learned from watching the state tourney over the years, it’s not always the most talented team that wins. Usually, it is the team that has a common goal and lets nothing get in the way of that goal. If you cannot envision your team winning it all, it rarely comes to fruition. Set goals high for the sport we love, and success will follow.” — LEE boys coach David Rogers, who led Boerne (2006), Boerne Champion (2011) and LEE (2021) to state crowns and Denton Ryan to state semifinals (2001)

“I went to Humble Kingwood High School as a player.  My freshman year (1995), Kingwood girls were state champs. My sophomore year, 1996, we lost to Austin Westlake in the semifinals at the state tournament, and then my junior year we lost in the regional final 1-0 to Klein.  My senior year, 1998, we lost in the semifinals at state, again, to Arlington Martin.  I did not play my senior year because back in the old days, we could travel with our club team and play college teams and get exposure. So, I chose to play club during the high school season (NCAA made a rule to where teams could not do that a few years later). Winning was just what I knew as a high school player because of being a part of that culture at Kingwood. We were disciplined, trained, practiced and had the mindset that we would be going to the state championship game every year. We also did a great job of balancing having fun as well.  I have some very fond memories with teammates from high school. As a coach, as Ashley Garrison and I started the program at Johnson High School, we brought our experience of playing at the University of Houston, but also my experience of playing at Kingwood. Instilling the commitment, discipline, work ethic and mindset of being a winner, we also wanted the girls to enjoy and love the game, so we had a lot of fun as well. The love of the game is the most important factor.  We were lucky enough to have a team that would go to the state tournament in 2011 and then again in 2013. Very few players and coaches get to say they played at the UIL state soccer tournament, so just being able to soak it all in and compete with another team that is the best in the state is pretty satisfying.” — Canyon Lake girls coach Kara Stracener

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