After walking into McCarthy territory, the Boys Jaguar Varsity team came out on top once again with the district title. 

For the past few years, the Pines Charter soccer team’s biggest challenge was facing cross town rivals, Archbishop McCarrthy. Going into Tuesday’s game, doubts lingered in the air with the potential of a Jags loss. 

The boys had a solid regular season record of 8-3-1 that later boosted to 10 wins after their win in McCarthy territory and a win in a semi-final game against the Mourning Sharks last Friday, an intense match filled with fouls and goals; the Jaguars pulled off with a 2-1 victory against the Sharks.

After standing 2nd in the 5A district, the Jaguars had a bye week (a week where a team doesn’t play) to prepare for districts. “Taking practice more seriously until the upcoming game was crucial, and we all knew how important it was to win this game,” Senior Captain Rafael De Almeida says, looking back. Heading onto the Mavericks field once again to play, the Jags didn’t only look for the ultimate prize of the district trophy, but bragging rights too.

“A lot of people were expecting us to lose. [But] all of us were concentrated and we all knew each of our jobs,” says senior Andres Villanova, who defended Archbishop’s most valuable player, a D1 college commit. Pushing through, the Jaguars maintained dominance throughout the night but struggled to find the back of the net. The teams were tied at the half. “We [played] for each other and we [fought] to the very end—no man down,” the coaches said. 

The Jaguars knew they wanted this district title, not even thinking of the heartbreaking penalty shootout that unfortunately ended their regional run last year. So senior Mateo Cortes took matters into his own hands and scored in the last 3 minutes of the game, stunning the Maverick stadium and galvanizing Charter’s student section into joyous celebration. 

For the next 120 seconds, the Jaguars played the best defense they possibly could while anxiously waiting to hear the final whistle. When the ref signaled that third whistle, he also blew a soar of enjoyment that radiated all over the bright blue maverick field. The Jags won 1-0. With the Girls Varsity Soccer team running on the field joined by friends and families to celebrate this accomplishment, the Jaguars knew to take this win to heart. “It’s more than just a trophy,” De Almeida said.

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Gallery by Marcus Deane