The boys and girls do it again! This past weekend, both Wakeland girls and boys soccer received the title of State Champions in Georgetown this past weekend. 

“State was such a fun experience for all of us. We all bonded so well together by hanging out all day for four days and playing soccer,” varsity player senior Nate Bowman said. 

Wakeland is the first ever school to have 2 state titles for both boys and girls at the same time. The first year being 2018 and now 2022.

On Apr. 14, both boys and girls battled out the state semifinals game and came out victors.

The girls played a great game against Magnolia High School with a score of 3-0, while the boys achieved a win against Trimble Tech High School leaving the final score 3-1. 

After the successful wins against Magnolia and Trimble Tech, Wakeland Soccer boys and girls were able to move onto the state finals.

On Apr. 16, the 2022 State Championship for 5A had officially commenced.

During the game against Grapevine High School, the girls were down 2-0 during the first and a bit of the second half of the game until varsity player senior Cori Cochran shot 2 goals in the last 9 minutes of the half, tying up the score 2-2 and leading the girls into two ten-minute overtimes.

“When Cori was finally able to get us a goal on the board around the 15th minute, it was the fighting chance that we all needed to propel us back into the game,” varsity player senior Olivia Bos. “Nobody was willing to let all of the blood, sweat, and tears that we poured into getting on that field go to waste without a fight.”

“Being down 2-0 is something that can be hard to come back from, but being able to put those goals in to become state champs were the highlight of the game,” Cochran said. 

“The highlight of the state soccer game was coming back from Grapevine when we were down 2-0,” varsity player captain senior Sydney Deckert said.

The girls battled it through the first overtime and the score was still tied 2-2. Then varsity player junior Bella James shot the winning goal in the last overtime leaving the score 3-2.

This isn’t the first time the girls experienced a win like this against Grapevine. 

“Grapevine was the most difficult [team we played] as we were pretty evenly matched and they came at us with everything that they had,” varsity player senior Marisa Holding said. “They wanted it just as much as us, but we ended up being the better team.”

During the state semifinals of 2021, the girls beat out Grapevine in the exact same way they won state this year. Being down 0-2 then battling it out for the final score of 3-2, taking the win.

“Being down 0-2 and coming back was insane. Making some big saves made it super fun,” varsity captain player senior Drew Stover said. 

Winning state was a big accomplishment for the girls team after losing last year.

“It was all or nothing. We didn’t want a repeat of last year. Most people knew what it felt like to make it that far then have it stripped from you,” Holding said. “No one wanted for that to happen again. It was all or nothing, but we gave it everything. We all wanted this.” 

After the girls officiated their win, the boys were up next to play against Dripping Springs.

The Wakeland boys slid by their state championship game, leaving their winning score of 3-0.

However, wins are not official without a few injuries along the way.

Varsity player junior Katy Gregson was unfortunately headed in the jaw by the opposing team Grapevine, leaving a front tooth to be knocked out.

Also during the Dripping Springs game, varsity player senior Evan Lupo sprained his wrist while trying to save a ball from going out of bounds.

“I sprained my wrist while going to save the ball from going out of bounds, it was a dirty hit in my opinion. I closed my eyes when I got hit and I heard my wrist crunch when I fell,” Lupo said.

Congratulations to the girls and boys MVP of the UIL State Final Championship. Both Cori Cochran and senior Willaim Heidman received these awards during the championship game.

“It feels amazing to be named MVP. After not playing last year, I wanted to be able to come back this year and prove myself. By winning MVP, I feel I was able to accomplish that,” Cochran said.

State didn’t only give the players gold medals, but it also taught them grit and determination. 

“Winning state has taught me to always give every game my best effort because each game could be my last,” Bowman said. 

“Winning state taught me the power of perseverance and heart. Coming back from being down,” Stover said.

For seniors, playing at state was a bittersweet feeling.

“It was an emotional locker room before the finals. Everyone came to the realization that this would be the last time we would all suit up together and it was a very sad feeling,” Lupo said. 

In order to prepare for the state finals, both teams put in hours of practice on the field.

“We prepared for state by practicing every day as a team and trying to be the best we can,” Bowman said. 

“I prepared for state by making sure the whole team was ready and pumped to play. We watched film as well as working on our own tactics,” varsity player captain senior Mckenna Jenkins said.

After all their hard work this season, both teams came out victorious and earned the title of State Champions of 2022.