CHAMPS!

CHAMPS!

2016 4A Soccer State Champions

Palestine High School Wildcats

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Saturday, April 23, 2016

CHAMPS - 2016 Class 4A Soccer

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2016 PHS boys GAME 1 Jan. 7 at Hallsville Palestine 1, Lindale 0 Chris Giron scored the game’s lone goal while Bennett Gierkey made four saves for a shutout in Palestine’s season opener at the Hallsville Bobcat Classic. Defensive standouts included Frank Durugbor, Allan Marquez, Rudy Ruiz and Humberto Mendoza. Midfield standouts included Giron and Luis Zavala.

GAME 2 Jan. 8 at Hallsville Palestine 3, Paris 0 Chris Giron led Palestine with a goal and an assist while

champions are made from something deep down inside of thema desire, a dream, and a vision.

Bennett Gierkey had two saves for a shutout. Tony Guzman and Luis Zavala also had a goal apiece while Allan Marquez and Humberto Mendoza had an assist each.

GAME 3 Jan. 9 at Hallsville Palestine 4, Hallsville 1 Tomas Garcia had two goals as the Wildcats rolled past the host school of the Hallsville Bobcat Classic. Chris Giron had a goal and an assist. Andrew Vigil also scored a goal while Riley Harper, Luis Zavala and Allan Marquez had an assist each. Rudy Ruiz had a strong game at defender while Edgar Ayala was a midfield standout.

GAME 4 Jan. 9 at Hallsville Palestine 1, Jacksonville 0 Chris Giron scored a goal off a Riley Harper corner kick for the lone score in the championship game of the Hallsville Bobcat Classic.

Bennett Gierkey recorded his third shutout in four games.

GAME 5 Jan. 14 at Wildcat Stadium Palestine 4, Mexia 0 Allan Marquez had a goal and an assist as the Wildcats rolled in the opener of the Wildcat Classic.

Humberto Mendoza, Tomas Garcia and reserve goalie Miguel Alejo also had a goal apiece while Tony Guzman, Riley Harper and Edgar Ayala had an assist each. Bennett Gierkey made two saves for a shutout.

GAME 6 Jan. 14 at Wildcat Stadium Palestine 5, ELECT

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Crandall 0 Tony Guzman recorded Palestine’s first hat trick of the season while adding an assist. Allan Marquez had two assists on Guzman’s goals while Tomas Garcia had the other one. Chris Giron and Malick Absy also had a goal apiece while Josue Bermudes had an assist. Bennett Gierkey made two saves for a shutout while midfielder Luis Zavala had a strong game.

GAME 7 Jan. 15 at Wildcat Stadium Mabank 2, Palestine 1 Mabank scored the game-winner with 30 seconds remaining to hand the Wildcats their lone loss of the season, also denying Palestine a chance to win its own tournament.

Defender Allan Marquez commented afterward that the team ended too slow and was too confident. Tomas Garcia scored Palestine’s goal in the third minute off a Chris Giron pass.

Mabank eventually lost to Palestine’s arch rival Center 2-0 in the championship game.

GAME 8 Jan. 15 at Wildcat Stadium Palestine 11, Kemp 0 Kemp was the target of Palestine’s frustrations as the Wildcats set a season high for goals on the same day of its loss to Mabank. Tomas Garcia, Chris Giron and Josue Bermudes had two goals apiece while Riley Harper, Allan Marquez, Ben Shiller, Lorenzo Vega and David Egbe had one goal each. Giron, Harper and Franklin Quincin had two assists apiece while Garcia, Humberto Mendoza, Tony Guzman, Andrew Vigil and Shiller had one assist each. Bennett

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soccer game-by-game results Gierkey and Miguel Alejo combined for the shutout in goal.

GAME 9 Jan. 16 at Wildcat Stadium Palestine 4, Kaufman 1 Allan Marquez had a goal and an assist to lead Palestine in the third-place game of the Wildcat Classic. Tony Guzman, David Egbe and Tomas Garcia added a goal apiece while Chris Giron, Josue Bermudes and Riley Harper had an assist each. Bennett Gierkey made two saves for the win.

GAME 10 Jan. 19 at Henderson Palestine 2, Henderson 1 Tony Guzman had a goal and an assist as Palestine got a road win multiple players would say later in the year was a gut check they passed. Chris Giron also scored goal while Luis Zavala had an assist. Defensive standouts included Allan Marquez, Rudy Ruiz, David Egbe, Humberto Mendoza and Bennett Gierkey.

Henderson finished the season 19-5-1, losing to Kilgore in a shootout in the Class 4A Region II final on April 9.

GAME 11 Jan. 21 at Athens Palestine 5, Mexia 1 Chris Giron had a goal and an assist in Palestine’s opener in the Athens Hornet Combo Tournament.

Josue Bermudes, Riley Harper. Luis Zavala and Rudy Ruiz also had a goal apiece while Tony Guzman

and Edgar Ayala each had an assist apiece.

GAME 12 Jan. 21 at Athens Palestine 0, Mabank 0 Mabank was the one riddle Palestine never solved in 2016, despite a 15-2 advantage in shots in this game.

Palestine got a strong defensive effort while Bennett Gierkey had a shutout in goal.

Mabank finished its season 19-5-2, losing to Kilgore 4-1 in a Region II quarterfinal.

GAME 13 Jan. 22 at Athens Palestine 4, New Summerfield 0 Josue Bermudes had a goal and two assists for Palestine. Luis

Zavala, Chris Giron and Tomas Garcia had a goal apiece while Riley Harper and Rudy Ruiz each had an assist.

GAME 14 Jan. 23 at Athens Palestine 4, Athens 0 Chris Giron and Humberto Mendoza had a goal and an assist apiece as Palestine clinched the Athens Hornet Combo Tournament title with a roundrobin record of 3-0-1.

Riley Harper and Luis Zavala had a goal apiece, Franklin Quincin had an assist and Bennett Gierkey completed a day in which he had two shutouts. Allan Marquez was named

What an amazing accomplishment!

Palestine Wildcats = State Champs!

sloan oan shuffl shuffler er

GAME 15 Jan. 26 at Whitehouse Palestine 2, Whitehouse 0 Riley Harper and Chris Giron had a goal apiece while Humberto Mendoza and Tony Guzman had an assist each to help Palestine get a road win. Bennett Gierkey picked up his 10th shutout of the season.

GAME 16

A Smooth Sailing Tournament Win for the PHS Boys Soccer Team.

We are so proud of you!

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E M O S E AW

the tournament’s Most Valuable Player while Giron and Gierkey made the all-tournament team.

The victory would propel the Wildcats to the No. 1 ranking in the MaxPreps’ Class 4A state poll.

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Feb. 1 at New Chapel Hill Palestine 2, Chapel Hill 1 Luis Zavala and Riley Harper had a goal each while Tony Guzman had an assist in Palestine’s win. Bennett Gierkey made five saves while Allan Marquez and Rudy Ruiz were standouts on defense. The game was moved to New Chapel Hill because of construction on the track at Wildcat Stadium. Chapel Hill advanced to the Class 4A Region II quarterfinals before losing to Henderson.

GAME 17 Feb. 5 at Athens Palestine 2, Athens 2 Palestine settled for a tie in the last game of the season the Wildcats would not win. Riley Harper and

Tony Guzman had a goal each while David Egbe and Humberto Mendoza each had an assist in Palestine’s last game before district play started.

DISTRICT 18-4A GAMES BEGIN GAME 18 Feb. 12 at Wildcat Stadium Palestine 6, Jasper 0 Chris Giron set a Palestine individual season high for goals with four as Palestine opened district play in impressive fashion.

Tony Guzman and Humberto Mendoza had a goal apiece.

Allan Marquez had two assists while Guzman and Riley Harper had an assist each. Bennett Gierkey made four saves in goal.

See RECAP, Page 4

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CHAMPS - 2016 Class 4A Soccer

Saturday, April 23, 2016

RECAP, Continued from Page 3

GAME 19 Feb. 16 at Center Palestine 2, Center 1 (SO) In their first meeting since Center won the 2015 Class 4A Region III final 2-0 Palestine wins a shootout

Giron also had a goal apiece. Riley Harper, David Egbe and Humberto Mendoza had an assist each.

GAME 21 Feb. 23 at Wildcat Stadium Palestine 10, Diboll 0 Chris Giron and Tony Guzman had

Bennett Gierkey got his lone goal of the season on a penalty kick after being moved to forward late in the game. Chris Giron, Edgar Ayala and Riley Harper also scored a goal apiece.

Giron, Allan Marquez, Humberto Mendoza and Malick Absy had an assist each.

halftime adjustments for their success.

GAME 24 March 7 at Hudson Palestine 6, Hudson 2 Palestine clinched the District 18-4A title led by two goals each from Chris Giron and Tony

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Guzman as well as three assists from Allan Marquez. Rudy Ruiz and Luis Zavala added a goal apiece while Guzman, Humberto Mendoza and Riley Harper had an assist each. It would be the last time this season Palestine would allow more than one goal in a game.

GAME 25 March 11 at Diboll Palestine 4, Diboll 0 Chris Giron and Tony Guzman had a goal and an assist apiece as Palestine completed an 8-0 run through District 18-4A. Tomas Garcia and Luis Zavala had a goal each while Riley Harper and Allan Marquez had an assist apiece. Bennett Gierkey needed just one save for his 14th shutout of the season.

GAME 26 March 21 at Wildcat Stadium Palestine 2, Athens 1 A Chris Giron goal in the 76th minute was the go-ahead score as Palestine rallied for a win to close out the regular season. Rudy Ruiz also had a goal for the Wildcats while Luis Zavala and Allan Marquez had an assist each. Bennett Gierkey had six saves in goal.

Palestine trailed 1-0 at halftime, the last time the Wildcats would trail this season. Athens lost to Henderson 3-0 in a Class 4A bi-district playoff.

thriller. Luis Zavala, Malick Absy, Edgar Ayala and Humberto Mendoza scored in the shootout while Bennett Gierkey made two saves.

Palestine rallied from a 1-0 deficit with Tony Guzman scoring the regulation goal and Chris Giron providing the assist.

GAME 20 Feb. 19 at Wildcat Stadium Palestine 4, Hudson 1 Tony Guzman had two goals and an assist as Palestine avoided a letdown from its showdown with Center. Josue Bermudes and Chris

two goals apiece as Palestine rolled with surprising ease. Luis Zavala, Rudy Ruiz, Humberto Mendoza, Josue Bermudes, Franklin Quincin and Tomas Garcia also had a goal apiece.

Mendoza, Malick Absy and Riley Harper had two assists apiece while Giron, Guzman, Ben Shiller and Malachi Musil had one each. The game was moved to Wildcat Stadium because of field conditions in Diboll.

GAME 22 March 1 at Jasper Palestine 6, Jasper 1 Tony Guzman had two goals and goalie

GAME 27 BI-DISTRICT PLAYOFF GAME 23 March 4 at Wildcat Stadium Palestine 3, Center 0 In what could have been their best game of the season the Wildcats used a seven-minute surge in the second half to pull away from their rivals. Chris Giron, Tomas Garcia and Josue Bermudes each scored a goal in the flurry while Garcia, Malick Absy and Tony Guzman each had an assist. Defender Allan Marquez was a defensive standout, making a header save in the first half.

Palestine coach John Absalom credited

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March 25 at Bryan Palestine 6, Waco La Vega 1 Palestine had d little trouble with h La Vega as Tomas Garcia arcia and Chris Giron ron had two goals apiece piece as the Wildcatss rolled at Merrill Green een Stadium. Rudy dy Ruiz and Luis Zavala vala added a goal al apiece.

Tony Guzman, an, Malachi Musil, sil, Zavala, Riley Harperr and Allan Marquez uez had an assistt each.

GAME 28 AREA PLAYOFF April 1 at Bryan Palestine 3, Liberty 1 Luis Zavala and Malachi Musil each scored a goal as Palestine won it what was likely the worst-played game for the Wildcats in the playoffs at Merrill Green Stadium.

Perhaps taking a team they beat 8-0 in an area playoff the year before too lightly, leading to sloppy and impatient play. Coach John Absalom warned his players afterwards that execution had to improve if they wanted to advance in the postseason.

Palestine got one score on a own ELECT

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goal by a Liberty player. Palestine defender Allan Marquez had a strong game, a bright spot in an

saves for tthe shutout, helped b by a strong game fro from defender Da David EEgbe.

EEarlier in the day on the same field the Palestine girls team seaso end had its season lo to with a 6-4 loss e Hardin-Jefferson.

otherwise shaky game.

GAME 29 REGION III QUARTERFINAL April 5 at Conroe Palestine 3, Little CypressMauriceville 0

GAME 30 REGION III SEMIFINAL April 8 at College Station Palestine 4, Brookshire Royal 0 Nine saves by

Marquez, Tomas Garcia, Riley Harper and Franklin Quincin had an assist each.

GAME 31 REGION III FINAL April 9 at College Station Palestine 2, Center 1 Freshmen Tony Guzman and Riley Harper came up big, scoring Palestine’s goals to help the Wildcats advance to the state tournament for the first time since 2007. Humberto Mendoza provided the assist for Guzman’s goal while Harper intercepted an errant pass by Center goalie Julian Jimenez and fired a 30-yard blast for his score, the last conventional

Chris Giron scored two goals off Allan Marquez throw-ins as Palestine rebounded from the Liberty game impressively at Buddy Moorhead Stadium. Luis Zavala also scored a goal for the Wildcats as Palestine’s forwards such as Malachi Musil had a strong game. Little CypressMauriceville missed a chance to take the lead with 11:06 left in the first half when a penalty kick went wide left. Bennett Gierkey made four

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Bennett Gierkey and a defense that held its ground against a strong Royal offense that had 10 scoring chances in the first half propelled Palestine at A&M Consolidated High School’s Tigerland Field. Chris Giron and Tony Guzman scored first-half goals followed by Edgar Ayala and Josue Bermudes scoring in the second. Allan

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goal for the Wildcats this season. Center had a 13-8 edge in shots on goal, but Bennett Gierkey came through big with 12 saves.

GAME 32 CLASS 4A STATE SEMIFINAL April 13 at Georgetown Palestine 1, Kilgore 0 (SO) Palestine got its firstever state semifinal win in dramatic style as the Wildcats needed a 3-2 edge in penalty kicks as neither team could

Saturday, April 23, 2016

score after 100 minutes of regulation and overtime play at Birkelbach Field.

Chris Giron, Tomas Garcia and Edgar Ayala converted the penalty kicks. Bennett Gierkey made seven conventional saves and made two stops on penalty kicks, denying Kilgore’s Yonatan Contreras from less than five yards away in the 94th minute. The game ended when a PK attempt by Spencer Stegall went wide right.

GAME 33 CLASS 4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME April 15 at Georgetown Palestine 1, Progreso 0 (SO) The 2016 Palestine boys soccer entered the upper echelon of great teams in school history by winning a state title at Birkelbach Field.

Like the semifinal, the Wildcats needed penalty kicks to win and they went 4-for-4 with Chris Giron, Luis Zavala, Tomas Garcia and Edgar Ayala converting. Bennett Gierkey is named the state tournament’s Most Valuable Player, making nine saves in the state championship game and one penaltykick stop. Palestine clinched the win when Progreso’s Rodrigo Blanco missed his penaltykick attempt wide right. Giron, Zavala and Riley Harper are named to the allstate tournament team. The Wildcats become the first team in UIL history to win a soccer state title without scoring a conventional goal at the state tournament.

The 2016 boys soccer team joins the 1964 football team and the 2005 and 2006 boys golf team as the only teams to win UIL team state titles in the history of Palestine High School.

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What’s the best part about being a state champion?

#1 BENNETT GIERKEY Senior, goalkeeper “The recognition from the city the team is getting. I think the town needed this to give the community a big boost overall.”

#2 HUMBERTO MENDOZA Junior, midfielder “We made history. The school hasn’t won many state championships.”

#3 ANDREW VIGIL Senior, midfielder “Everybody recognizes you now, especially at school, and people are taking a glance at the program.”

#4 RUDY RUIZ Senior, defender “Everyone has come out and given us a lot of support, and gave us a parade. Everybody congratulating us is great, and so was giving the town glory.”

2016 4A Soccer S

Palestine High S

State Champions

School Wildcats

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What’s the best part about being Palestine boys soccer team won state title ahead of schedule Region III final before losing to rival defender Allan Marquez would play

By RICK KRETZSCHMAR a state informal games with and against Center 2-0. sports@palestineherald.com high players such as Tony After that game the Wildcats said champion? n the past few years some of the goodbye to eight starters, including then-junior Guzman, Riley Harper, Malachi Musil

The future arrived early I

best soccer players in Palestine at the middle school level have played club soccer on various teams coached by Dr. Jumah Absy. John Absalom, the head coach of the Palestine boys team, has monitored what they have done, and they have impressed him.

It led Absalom to give the players high expectations recently.

“When they were in junior high I told Dr. Absy’s group #5 LUIS ZAVALA we were going to win a state Junior, midfielder title with you boys,” Absalom “Getting a ring. said. “I didn’t think it would It will be my only ring.” be their freshman year.”

That year turned out to be this year, and in bringing home the first state championship in the history of the Palestine boys soccer program the people the Wildcats may have surprised the most may have been the Wildcats themselves.

Palestine captured a state title by defeating Progreso 1-0 – technically winning on a penalty-kick shootout 4-3 – in the UIL Class 4A State Championship Game on #6 RILEY HARPER Freshman, midfielder April 15 at Birkelbach Field “The experience around town. The in Georgetown. It capped a whole community is so happy that we won a state title. After we won, 30-1-2 season for the Wildit was a big spark in the whole cats and put them in rare company in community.” the history of Palestine High School athletics. The 2016 boys soccer team joins the 1964 football team, the 2005 boys golf team and the 2006 boys golf team as PHS programs to win UIL team state titles.

The 2016 boys soccer team had the ultimate encore from the 2015 squad, which had an extraordinary season in its own right. The 2015 Wildcats were 23-2-7 and advanced to the Class 4A

#7 BEN SHILLER Senior, forward “The whole team being happy we reached our goal. Coach Absalom was so happy. It was the happiest I’ve ever seen him.”

#8 CESAR GALVAN Senior, midfielder “The feeling you get.

It’s unimaginable really.

It makes you speechless.”

Way To Go Team!

All your hard work has paid off.

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District 18-4A Most Valuable Player Cass French, Offensive MVP Pablo Aguilar and defensive standout Trevon Carr. This large number of losses because of graduation tempered the expectations of the Wildcats short of a state championship, although publicly they talked about getting to the state

tournament. Palestine senior defender Rudy Ruiz was hoping to get back to the region-final round. Absalom was even more concerned.

“In August we were moving some kids around and trying to find the best lineup,” Absalom said. “I probably felt like if we played pretty good we could make it to the third round.”

In the past couple years Ruiz and other upperclassmen such as senior goalie Bennett Gierkey and junior

and an unusually tall forward named Chris Giron. The younger players left an impression on Ruiz, but not necessarily a strong one.

“When we played them they were OK. I thought Chris could be good in high school because he was tall,” Ruiz said. “They were good, but not that good.”

This past fall the underclassmen did the work that transformed the Wildcats from good to great.

Absalom’s biggest concern was on defense, with the exception of Gierkey, a physical presence in goal who had extra motivation after his senior year in football was cut short because of a concussion.

Lineup adjustments and the chemistry to developed afterward eased Absalom’s worries quickly. A group of defenders anchored Ruiz, Marquez and David Egbe turned out to be rock solid, allowing just 18 goals for the season and no more than two in one game.

On offense the underclassmen shined. Giron, a sophomore, had a statelevel breakout season with 33 goals. Guzman was one of the best freshmen in the state with 21 goals and 19 assists and sophomore Tomas Garcia was steady with 16 scores.

By the time for the season-opening Hallsville Bobcat Classic On Jan. 7-9 the Wildcats were ready. They would go 4-0 that weekend, capped by a 1-0 win over long-time rival Jacksonville in the championship game.

“Jacksonville had a good squad,” Ruiz said. “When we won the championship over them my opinion about

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how we could do changed. I knew we could do something special.”

The Wildcats would come down to earth the next week thanks to the one opponent that got the best of them in 2016: Mabank.

Palestine suffered its only loss of the season to Mabank in a pool game of the Wildcat Classic on Jan. 15 at Wildcat Stadium, giving up the game-deciding goal with 30 seconds remaining. The Wildcats appeared to relax after scoring in the third minute.

The loss denied Palestine its chance to win its own tournament.

Ruiz said the team had a lack of hustle in that game, and while acknowledging that Mabank had a good team, Palestine played down to their level. Absalom agreed that the loss taught the Wildcats a tough lesson that paid off in the long run.

“In games you have to finish opportunities and we didn’t finish them that day,” Absalom said. “It reinforced what I told them that you can’t take opponents for granted.”

The Wildcats appeared to get the message for most of the rest of the season, even though a rematch against Mabank wasn’t ideal. Palestine and Mabank played to a score-

in those 20 minutes against Whitehouse.”

The highlight of District 18-4A play was naturally its games against Center. The Feb. 16 contest in Center would be a thriller as Palestine rallied from a 1-0 deficit for a 2-1 shootout win.

Yet multiple players said the highlight of the regular season, and evidence once and for all that the Wildcats could win a state title, was their 3-0 win over the Roughriders on March 4 at Wildcat Stadium. Ruiz said the feelings in that game would be very similar to Palestine’s Region III final rematch against on April 9 in College Station.

Palestine would win that game 2-1 to advance to the state tournament for the first time since 2007.

“All of us were a little nervous when we played Center here and at College Station, but we were ready to play too and really got after it,” Ruiz said.

The only playoff game in which the effort of the Wildcats was questioned was a 3-1 area-round win over Liberty on April 1 in Bryan. Palestine’s execution was sloppy, leading to many offsides calls.

The Wildcats would not We are very have a similar hiccup the rest proud of of the postseason, and they Palestine’s never trailed in the playoffs State Soccer Champions. at all. Ruiz said Palestine’s best playoff game may have Carol Goolsby Agent been a 4-0 region semifinal Allstate Insurance Company win over Brookshire Royal on 716 N. Church St Palestine, TX April 8 in College Station, a 903-727-0558 contest where the Wildcats handled Royal’s speedy and forwards well.

Congratulations Team! skilled The Wildcats usually concluded practices in 2016 with penalty kicks, and the seriousness of how they went through the drills, when many other teams would relax as practices drew to a VANCE BROS. AUTO SUPPLY close, paid off in the state 601 W. Lacy 903-729-5111 tournament as the semifinal against Kilgore on April 13 in Georgetown and the title game were decided by PKs. While Palestine couldn’t

less tie on Jan. 21 in Athens, but the Wildcats had a 15-2 edge in shots.

Ruiz said he felt his squad outplayed Mabank that day, and handled bitter cold conditions admirably as well.

Five days later Palestine may have played its best non-district game: a 2-0 road win at Whitehouse, where Absalom used to coach.

“We had an outstanding 20-minute stretch,” Absalom said. “I feel like I could give a clinic on how we played

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#9 ALLAN MARQUEZ Junior, defender “Everybody is talking about us and we’re getting a parade.”

score a conventional goal at the state tournament Absalom credited his team’s perseverance against tough defenses from Kilgore and Progreso, and knew he had an ace in the hole in the goal who responded with the performance of his soccer life. Gierkey was named the state tournament’s MVP with two shutouts, 16 total saves and two saves in the penalty-kick shootouts.

Yet while the 2016 Palestine boys soccer team surprised themselves, it may not have been the greatest exceeding of expectations in the program’s history. Absalom said that honor goes to the 2007 squad, who made it to the state finals after rough debut in Absalom’s first year with the program, compiling a 7-14-2 record in 2006.

The 2017 squad will bring back nine starters from the 2016 squad, with Ruiz and Gierkey as the only starters moving on. Absalom also expects an influx of reinforcements from the sub-varsity level, and a whopping 37 players joining the program as freshmen this fall.

Even with this healthy boost, Absalom said he can’t gauge what hunch he’ll have for the 2017 squad until August at the earliest, perhaps as late as December, but he could be leaning toward putting down the gauntlet for the ultimate gauntlet of expectations, courtesy of the standard set by the state-champion 2016 Palestine boys soccer team.

“Our goal isn’t to be a one-hit wonder,” Absalom said.

#10 TOMAS GARCIA Sophomore, forward “The feeling is amazing. I have met a lot more new people since we won the title.”

#11 JOSUE BERMUDES Freshman, Midfielder “The best part is being a freshman.

We could do this again and again.”

#12 MALICK ABSY Freshman, forward “It’s definitely being together like a family and spending so much time together.”

2016 PALESTINE SOCCER TEAM LEADERS GOALS Chris Giron - 33 Tony Guzman - 21 Tomas Garcia - 16 Luis Zavala - 14 ASSISTS Allan Marquez - 22 Tony Guzman - 19 Riley Harper - 18 Chris Giron - 13 Humberto Mendoza - 13 GOALTENDING WINS Bennett Gierkey - 29 SHUTOUTS Bennett Gierkey - 18

#13 FRANK DURUGBOR Junior, defender “We overachieved our goals. Our original goal was to beat Center and get to state.”

#14 TONY GUZMAN Freshman, forward “It’s an unbelievable feeling. It reminds me of a time on my club team when we won a tournament in Shreveport, La.”

D10 Saturday, April 23, 2016

What’s the best part about being a state champion?

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Headlines for a championship season State titles don’t come easy. They’re often ground out over a long season, with intrigue coming from game to game. Here’s a collection of headlines from the season, showing a team’s confidence and willingness to work hard for a championship season.

The selected headlines are in order from the title game back to the season opener.

~ JUBILATION: Fans rejoice with team over state soccer championship ~ CHAMPS: Palestine boys soccer team wins state ~ Wildcats weathered tough times to bring home state-title trophy ~ THE FINAL OBSTACLE: Palestine faces free-shooting Progreso in state title game

#21 PAUL JENKINS Sophomore, defender “The feeling that you are the best in the state and all that hard work paid off in the end. It’s amazing.”

~ One game away: Wildcat soccer on the cusp of a championship ~ STATE-LEVEL SENDOFF: PHS boys soccer team heads to state tournament #15 JOSE GARCIA Senior, midfielder “It’s the dream to live for. I’ve dreamed about this since I was a freshman.”

~ Early part of state semifinal key for PHS soccer ~ PHS SOCCER IS STATEBOUND: Freshmen come up big in Wildcats’ region final win ~ Palestine boys soccer team rules over Royal 4-0 #23 CHRIS GIRON Sophomore, midfielder “The good vibes around us and everybody is so positive.”

~ 2 Giron goals help send Wildcats to Region III semifinals ~ Palestine boys soccer team avoids Liberty’s upset bid ~ STRONG START: Palestine boys soccer team crushes La Vega in playoff opener ~ GOALTENDING BY GIERKEY: Palestine star has fought through injuries, heartache for standout season #16 MALACHI MUSIL Sophomore, defender “Having everybody congratulate me and shake my hand. A lot of people that shook my hand I didn’t even know.

~ Palestine boys soccer team remains No. 1 in state poll ~ Palestine boys complete perfect run through 18-4A ~ Second-half scoring spree sends Palestine boys to showdown win over Center ~ Palestine boys win shootout thriller over rival Center

#24 DANIEL SANCHEZ Freshman, midfielder “The best part was I really didn’t know what to expect this year. I knew we had potential.”

~ Giron gets 4 goals, Palestine boys roll in district opener ~ Ruiz balances soccer skills, robotics ~ Palestine boys soccer ranked No. 1 in state poll ~ Palestine boys wins Athens tournament #17 EDGAR AYALA Sophomore, midfielder “Making the memories with my team. The best memories were what people outside didn’t see. It was on bus rides, in locker rooms. It was better than making the penalty kicks in the state tournament. Those memories don’t go away.”

~ Palestine boys settle for scoreless tie with Mabank in Athens ~ Guzman leads Palestine boys past Henderson ~ Palestine boys soccer team places third at Wildcat Classic

#25 MIGUEL ALEJO Freshman, goalkeeper “Having fun with team, enjoying the time, working hard and being together like family.”

~ Palestine soccer team routs Mexia 4-0 to open Wildcat Classic ~ Palestine boys soccer team wins Hallsville tournament to open season ~ Palestine boys soccer team edges Lindale in opener ~ Wildcats soccer team confident this year could be better than last ELECT

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For PISD School Board-Place 4 Ad. pd. for by Kurt Herrington

#18 LORENZO VEGA Senior, forward “Being able to enjoy the times with these guys and the hard work we put into it. It’s being able to work as a family. I’ll miss all these little bitty guys.”

#19 DAVID EGBE Sophomore, defender “The best part was being with the team. It would have been great this year no matter what happened.”

#20 FRANKLIN QUINCIN Sophomore, midfielder “The way we worked hard to keep going forward. The championship game was the most fun.”

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CHAMPS - 2016 Class 4A Soccer

Saturday, April 23, 2016 D11

D12 Saturday, April 23, 2016

CHAMPS - 2016 Class 4A Soccer

2016 Season Quotes Here is a look back at quotes from the players and coaches from before the season and through key moments during the season.

“I’d say about 90 percent of our scoring from last year has moved on. There’s nowhere I’ve been where we’ve been hit this hard by graduation.”

— Palestine coach John Absalom in a season preview story “We’re disappointed.

We could have played better against Mabank.

We ended up slow and it cost us the game. It taught us we have to come out ready to play.

We were too confident.”

— Palestine player Allan Marquez said after finishing third in its own tournament “It’s a great honor to be ranked number one.

It’s exciting for the kids.

They worked extremely hard for it.”

— Palestine coach John Absalom after the team was ranked No. 1 in the state “I’m in separate worlds.

When it’s time for soccer I focus on that, but when it’s time for grades and robotics that’s my focus.”

— Palestine player Rudy Ruiz about his time in the classroom and on the field “They moved me from forward to goalie. Every kids hates playing goalie, but I liked it. I like being the hero, but I can deal with the person people blame too. That kind of talk doesn’t bother me.”

WAY TO GO GUYS! Congratulations to the Palestine Wildcat Boys Soccer Team on your successful season!

— Palestine’s Bennett Gierkey on playing goalie “He’s one of the most important players on the team. Without a good goalie like him you’re not going anywhere.”

—Palestine’s Andrew Vigil on teammate Gierkey “It was determination. I wanted to score a goal a lot. Plus I had about 12 family members who traveled to see me play.

I wanted to score a goal for them.”

— Palestine’s Luis Zavala on scoring a key goal to avoid a second-round playoff loss “To come back a year and one day to the same field where you got beat by the same team and win like this, you couldn’t write the storybook any better.

I have all kinds of emotions right now.”

— Palestine coach John Absalom after his team beat Center to advance to the state tournament “My teammates kept me relaxed and told me this was just like practice. It was just me and the goalie. I didn’t hear a thing when I took my kick. This was the greatest soccer moment of my life.”

— Palestine’s Edgar Ayala, whose penalty kicks goal helped Palestine advance to

the title game “They had a couple tough ones, but the one I blocked, I had it the whole way. I had a feeling after they went to my left three times, they would go to my right. Getting the tournament MVP, I never thought in my life I would get this. Ever. It’s the greatest feeling in the world. I never in my life thought of getting a state title before getting out of Palestine, Texas.”

— Palestine’s Bennett Gierkey after the championship

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