Dodge City soccer makes state history with second unbeaten season
DODGE CITY, Kan. (BVM) — On Nov. 7, the Dodge City Red Demons claimed their second state title in five years. They also did something never done before in the history of Kansas high school boys soccer.
By beating Olathe East 3-0 in the title match of the KSHSAA Class 6A state tournament, Dodge City (20-0) became the first program to have two undefeated state championship seasons.
“It hasn’t really hit me,” said Dodge City head coach Saul Hernandez, who also led the 2016 team that finished 21-0. “Neither year, we never brought it up as the season progressed. We just concentrated on the next game and really tried to make it about the process. It is pretty special finishing two seasons undefeated.”
While it’s difficult for Hernandez to compare the two teams that achieved perfection, he said that the two unbeaten squads did have their differences.
“In 2016, I feel like those boys had been playing together for so long that they knew each other really well and I just had to come in and find the right formation and the right strategy,” Hernandez said. “With this group, it was more of a four-year progression. This group of seniors, I had them since they were freshmen and they weren’t the most talented, but they did work hard and that’s what set that group apart.”
The 2016 champs also made it look easier on their way to the title by not allowing a goal throughout their entire playoff run. This year’s squad overcame a couple of postseason scares, most notably in the state semifinal match. The Red Demons fell behind Blue Valley 1-0 with four minutes left in regulation before first-team all-state senior forward Alan Lopez saved the day by scoring the equalizer two minutes later and then netting the golden goal in overtime to send Dodge City to the state final.
“I knew that he had it in him,” Hernandez said. “He enjoys those moments. After we got scored on, he got back in the middle and said, ‘We’ve got time, guys,’ and he just kept on grinding.”
Lopez, who along with Eric Martinez was one of only two freshmen to play varsity on the 2016 team, displayed that leadership throughout his career with the Red Demons, especially when it mattered the most. With four goals and an assist, he was involved in all five goals Dodge City scored in its two state tournament matches. Lopez led the team with 26 goals this season and finished his career with 80.
“He was a leader,” Hernandez said. “At practice, he was a great leader by example, even in the classroom. … He had more impact than just the game. I think he set a great example for the underclassmen of what a champion should do in the weight room as well. He stepped up and he had big games when he had to.”
None bigger than the final two victories of a perfect run which earned the Red Demons their second state championship trophy and secured their place in Kansas high school sports history.
