While most students enjoy their weekends at home, one team of students spends their weekend getting ready to play at Tiger Stadium. Decked out in white and orange, they take to the field with adrenaline pumping and soccer balls gliding across the field,
On Dec. 13, 2025, the Texas High boys’ soccer team played three games against Denson, North Lamar and Van High School. The boys played hard, coming home with two ties and a win. With the season just starting, the boys already started improving, overcoming injuries and other problems in the process.
“These games helped us a lot since they showed us our level [and] boosted our confidence since we didn’t have six of our starting players,” sophomore Edgar Hernandez Gonzalez said. “These games definitely set the tone for the season since they show how we can still compete without some of our main players.”
Despite this triumph, the athletes suffered other challenges that potentially hindered their performance.
“Although we wanted and could’ve won two of the games, I could see the frustration on my teammates’ faces,” Gonzalez said. “Unfortunately that day, freshman Juan Rosas suffered an injury against Van in the second half.”
Rosas, among multiple players throughout the team, could not play, causing a major obstacle for the team’s positioning.
“Out of about four center backs, two were out with muscular injuries, and one was out with a knee injury, obviously creating some challenges when trying to fit people into the lineup,” sophomore Noah Pritchett said. “We play with three, sometimes four, in the back line depending on what Coach McCarthy wants from us and how the other team is playing. Since we have a limited number, keeping those players fit is crucial to our success.”
Even with these issues, the games represented a great start for the Texas High School’s soccer season.
“These games definitely set the tone and expectations for us this season because they helped to prove what we could do. It showed us that the potential we have is turning into a reality and results,” Pritchett said. “It also gives us confidence in the fact that we can recover from setbacks and diversity after our early struggles and come back to dominate each game and ultimately go undefeated.”
As well as helping the team improve, this tournament also gave the players new opportunities to play at different skill levels.
“These games helped us play diverse teams and gave us something to play for. During preseason, we always scrimmaged the same people, so it could get monotonous,” Pritchett said. “So, having different people to play against is really beneficial for us to work out different tactics and strategies for playing against different teams.”
This season looks very promising for the Texas High School boys’ soccer team. With more players and a hope for a great season, the boys will continue to work to achieve their goals.
“I really think this team, rather than last year’s team, has a lot more grit and a lot more passion,” junior Cade Burnett said. “I believe that we have a lot of great things coming this year, [and] we really want to go to [the] playoffs.”
