No. 1 Elsik advances; Wisdom back at state
Rams hold off Strake Jesuit 2-1 in regional final
Elsik grew tired of empty seasons.
It looked like, at times, the Rams were headed toward another one in the weekend’s Class 6A Region III boys soccer tournament.
Jose Umana and Layee Kromah had other plans. The duo worked wonders again as Elsik defeated Strake Jesuit 2-1 on Saturday at Abshire Stadium to win its first regional title since 2013.
Elsik entered the playoffs as the top-ranked boys soccer team in the country, according to USA Today. The Rams have had teams capable of winning the program’s first state title before. Now that another chance is here, they don’t want to miss.
“I know there’s going to be four teams and they all want the same thing,” Elsik coach Vincenzo Cox said. “That’s normal. You want to compete against strong competitors. But I think they’ve seen enough. We’re just not going to be excited about a free trip and a couple days out of school.”
It was Kromah’s assist to Umana’s goal that made the difference against Tompkins in Friday’s semifinal.
On Saturday, Mayno Linares’ through ball found Umana and Umana’s strike found the net in the 57th minute. It was a huge rebuttal to Diego Cazaux’s first-half header for Strake Jesuit.
Kromah’s goal — intended to be a cross — was the winner for Elsik with seven minutes left.
Elsik will face Irving in the Class 6A state semifinals next week.
WISDOM 2, HUNTSVILLE 1
Houston ISD’s prosperous days in soccer continue. Wisdom made sure of it by winning the Class 5A Region III title for the second time in four years.
The Generals took care of Huntsville 2-1 at Turner Stadium as senior Eduardo Salgado scored both goals to finish with four in the regional tournament over the this weekend.
The Hornets’ Alex Avelar scored with 26 minutes left in regulation.
Ten minutes later, Salgado answered off a rebound, and Wisdom had new life. In the 73rd minute, Salgado struck again with his header.
The Generals will face Aledo in the Class 5A state semifinals. They were the first HISD team to make the UIL soccer state tournament in 2014. The district was riding a high in boys soccer last year, too, with Wheatley and Washington being the last two teams standing in the Class 4A Region III finals and Washington in the Class 4A state tournament.
Wisdom is glad to be heading back.
“We’re resilient,” Generals coach Fidel Andrade said. “We’re happy to be here, because we shouldn’t be here. But we’re here for a reason.”
COPPELL 1, CONROE 0
Conroe’s historic playoff run came to an end with a 1-0 loss in the Class 6A Region II championship game at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex in Austin.
The Tigers entered the postseason as the No. 3 seed out of District 12-6A, then went on a run to the program’s second-ever appearance in the regional championship.
“I’m extremely proud,” Conroe coach Victor Trejo said. “I said last year this was going to be a special group and I saw it in them. For me, it’s just great to be able to see them mature and become the players they’ve become. They’ve come together as teammates and now they’re off to bigger and better things. As a coach, that’s all you want for them is the best for them, always.”
Coppell ended up controlling possession for most of the game and had a healthy advantage in shots and shots on goal.
It wasn’t until a corner kick in the 68th minute that Coppell broke the 0-0 tie. A corner kick came in from the left and went into the net off the head of a Conroe defender.
After the own goal, Conroe had two chances at getting a shot — with a throw in and a corner — but both were cleared.
The Tigers will lose 13 seniors from this year’s team, but also return key players like Danny Bonilla, defenseman Charlie Lopez and goalkeeper Oscar Maldonado as they venture into the new District 15-6A.