It was an incredible year of soccer in Katy ISD.

There were successes all around on from boys side, where six teams won over ten games in the regular season and playoff success came for every team that made it.

The leaders of the pack were Seven Lakes, who became champions for the fist time in program history. The talent level was evident all year, with every coach and player in the district benefitting from it.

“We had our fair share of obstacles,” said Seven Lakes head coach Jimmy Krueger. “Our district is a gauntlet and it gets us prepared, it showed all year and in the playoffs. We truly got tested against Cinco Ranch, it put us up to the wire and it’s absolutely amazing. We were 95 seconds away from being out of it and now we’re state champions for the first time as a boys soccer program.”

Seven Lakes, Jordan, Paetow and Cinco Ranch all made huge runs in the playoffs, as each made it to at least the third round. Cinco Ranch had to go through a gauntlet, facing District 20-6A winner Ridge Point in the first round and beating them in penalties before going up by two goals on Seven Lakes in the third round and only falling nce the game went to penalties.

Paetow, which finished second in district, made it to the third round and were only taken out once they faced Jordan. The Warriors had one of the biggest runs, finishing third in district before battling past two of the favorites in Region III, beating Cy-Ridge 3-2 in extra time and beating Paetow 1-0. Jordan eventually fell to Dobie 3-2 on a last minute goal that keep the Warriors from reaching the regional final.

“It’s every single night in this district,” said Jordan head coach Jason Meekins. “When you go through district there is not a night where you can walk out there and take a breath. You cannot flinch even for a single game because that’s the moment you’re going to go down and lose a game. Every game you have to be at your best. It’s a grind and it’s hard, it’s hard mentally, emotionally and physically but that’s what makes this district special, and that’s why four teams made it so far.”

Even non-playoff teams in the district battled week in and week out. Tompkins grinded to ties against Jordan, Paetow and Cinco Ranch this year, narrowly missing out on the playoffs while Taylor beat Jordan and tied Cinco Ranch in two of their games.

“We had to beat some really good teams in the playoffs and the reason we were able to do that was 100% because of the competition we play every night in Katy ISD,” said Paetow head coach Vinny Vaccaro. “There are teams that didn’t make the playoffs in our district that would have won in the first round and could make a run. It’s just so deep from top to bottom.”

That talent isn’t just limited to the boys side. Seven Lakes and Tompkins girls once again made a run to the regional quarterfinals and both put up huge fights before having their seasons end to Ridge Point, who went all the way to the state title game, and Stratford, which made the regional final.

And the talent isn’t going anywhere on either side, with every team in the race bringing back lots of returners as the district looks to build on a strong year.

“It’s a collective things,” Krueger said. “More and more talent has come to the area and the coaches are getting stronger and stronger too. It’s a competitive environment, the kids want to win, the coaches want to win and everyone just works harder and harder every year.  It was only a matter of time with all of the success Katy ISD has had that one of us would break through. I can guarantee it won’t be the last time you see a Katy ISD school holding up that state championship trophy.”